Mumbai theatre: A Small Family Business returns to the NCPA for its second run

The cast of Akvarious Productions' A Small Family Business, led by Shikha Talsania and Vivek Madan, during rehearsal.

When A Small Family Business opened at the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) a little over a year ago, there were six performances of it at the Tata Theatre. The initial plan had been to perform the play, written by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn and adapted by Akarsh Khurana, at the Experimental Theatre for the intimate setting required for a play of this nature. The pandemic-induced restrictions, however, did not allow that plan to go through and they had to stage it at a larger venue.

Even with the Covid seating restrictions, the six shows did well and so its creators at the NCPA and Akvarious Productions are bringing back the play for a second run, starting from September 21 at the Experimental Theatre.

Akarsh and Adhaar Khurana

Ayckbourn, an award-winning British playwright has written 89 full-length plays, several of which have been translated into other languages and performed on stage and television throughout the world. Some of his most popular plays include Absurd Person Singular, Just Between Ourselves, Man of the Moment and Private Fears in Public Spaces, with many of his plays falling in the farcical or black-comedy genres.

Directed by Adhaar Khurana, the play tells the story of Samson Sequeira, an upright Goan Christian son-in-law of a Delhi Punjabi family, who is being groomed to take over the family business. Somewhere at the outset, a private detective walks in, changing the course of the play and proving to be a vital cog in the way the story progresses. What was meant to be the happiest phase of his life descends into a hilarious nightmare of dishonesty and double-crossing, and a trial by fire of Samson’s integrity.

Speaking about why he was drawn to the play, Akarsh says, “I have been on the lookout for adaptations that fit our milieu. I have read quite a few that were very British with their politics and their world and I would struggle to find something relatable. However, when I read A Small Family Business, there was something so Indian in its inherent nature. While there is a lot of politics in the original, the basic DNA of it was about family, corruption, the outsider in the family and a clash of cultures,” he says.

With a talented cast led by Shikha Talsania and Vivek Madan, the play in its second run promises to be a power-packed family dramedy. “I think there is something inherently relatable about the story because it is a joint family business. There are people from different backgrounds, and characters seem like people you and I know,” says Adhaar.

In its second run, the play is tighter and sharper, allowing its themes to shine through better, says Akarsh, adding that he took a lot of suggestions from the actors and Adhaar to make the tweaks. In addition to the text, other production aspects such as set design, lights and costumes have also been developed further.

In the 23 years since Akvarious Productions began, their plays - whether it is Dekh Behen, The F Word or The Interview - have had a subtle wit about them without going into full-blown guffaws. In the last couple of years, there has been a hint of messaging but without compromising on the humour they are known for.

Bruce Guthrie, head of theatre and films at NCPA, says the play has an instant connect with the audience, something which had come across even in the six shows they had held last year. “It has a lovely energy about it and it has been designed in a way that you feel you are in the living room with the characters and part of the action.”

A Small Family Business will be staged at Experimental Theatre, NCPA from September 21-24, 2023.