“Beautifully flawed”

All of us know that a bullfight normally ends disastrously for the bull and hence it comes as no surprise that the same happens in the play. The bullring is replaced by a contemporary office, the bull by a weak young executive, Thomas, and the roles of the matador/picador are played by two smart and confident employees, Isobel and Tony. Three employees of a marketing team are awaiting the arrival of their boss; one of the employees, apparently, is to be laid off. It is pretty evident from the very beginning that the suave and determined Isobel and Tony have joined ranks against the insecure and victimized Thomas whose name suggests the Biblical Doubting Thomas.

In an interview with Time Out, Sarbh mentioned he was drawn to the play’s "beautifully flawed" characters. "I like my moral compass to be confused, to admire certain qualities while being simultaneously repulsed by how they can be used as tools of manipulation." Frankly, none of the characters were in the least bit sympathetic.

The present production begins with a darkened stage on which an actual bullfight is taking place. As I have said before, as spectators are aware about the ending of a bullfight, this does seem to drive the obvious message home in a bit of a didactic manner. To counter this Sarbh successfully exploits Bartlett’s script where the interest lies in the parallels between the bullring and the present day corporate scenario where most of us are aware of downsizing, office politics and backstabbing; the situation seems to be a familiar one.

While studying psychology at Emory University in Atlanta, USA, Sarbh would fit in play rehearsals into his evenings. He took a course on direction with Susan Booth (the artistic director of the Tony Award winning Alliance Theater group) and worked in her theater after he graduated.

Aditi Vasudev plays a convincing Isobel. She portrays a scheming modern day woman who has risen to her present position and is ready to do anything to remain there. Vivek Gomber is very effective as the baiting Tony, ruthless and unscrupulous, bullying Tariq Vasudeva who gives a convincing representation of the ineffectual and feeble minded Thomas who cannot even decide whether he is appropriately dressed for the occasion. Denzil Smith, the Godot of Samuel Beckett for whom the employees have been patiently waiting, gives a brief but commanding portrayal as the "boss." One should praise Sarbh for a very slick production and particularly for his choice of an intimate location for staging Bull. This brought out the claustrophobic atmosphere of the play effectively, which would never have worked in a larger theater.