The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial is your classic quintessential navy court-room drama – intense, evergreen and clever. It is a two-act play (one act each for the Prosecution and Defense respectively) by Herman Wouk, which he adapted from his own novel, The Caine Mutiny.
In India, the Motley Group under the experienced direction of Naseeruddin Shah performs this celebrated play with oodles of zeal.
Ankur Vikal (the guy who played the negative role in Slumdog Millionaire) is the star of the show, hands down. He plays Lt. Commander Philip Francis Queeg, the captain of the Caine, with sheer brilliance. He captures the emotions, mannerisms, thought process and body language of the character with perfection. His strong performance drives my score for this play to go from a six to an eight. His court-room monologue, with the marbles in his hand, and dimming lights is a masterpiece. I truly have never seen something like it before. The Defense Attorney does a commendable job while the two doctors who come as witnesses play small cameos. Some of the other actors are a let down, the novelist of “Multitudes Multitudes” for example, stutters with his English diction and pronunciation, which in itself is an oxymoron. The play, in my opinion, has potential to be amongst the best ones, but for the lack of attention to detail in casting.
Though it is a gripping post-World War 2 courtroom drama, the play emphasizes the psyche of those at the forefront of battle rather than the battle strategy or a complex plot. This is definitely a must watch to complete the spectrum of contemporary Indian theatre. I’m pleased I did so and more so because I was accompanied by my “core-group” of friends.
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