TREYA’S LAST DANCE
Outlandish Cat Productions & Hudson Guild Theatre
Review by Catherine Siggins
Speed dating – some say it’s the territory of the emotionally masochistic or the desperate. To Treya’s well meaning but misguided parents, it’s where they think their daughter could find a life partner. Bless them. A dingy pub back room with mangy tinsel is where Treya finds herself, but she tells us on the positive side it doesn’t have a “rapey vibe” so she gives it a go. To her surprise, what happens is unexpected but ultimately more valuable then finding a man.
Under the direction of Poonam Basu, Treya’s Last Dance, written and performed by Croydon born Shyam Bhatt, returns to Los Angeles where it premiered with great success in the 2015 Hollywood Fringe Festival. This one woman, one act play starts poetically, with Treya clad in sari and bells dancing a traditional Indian dance, before it takes off at break neck speed giving the audience a roller coaster ride through the emotionally confused life and failed romances of the 20-something titular character, as she tries to make sense of her place in the world, and her relationship with her brother, Thanvir.
Frustrated by the duality of her identity and expectations of those around her, Treya is as far away from the typical demure Indian woman one sees in popular culture as you can get, her love of traditional dance not withstanding. She is loud, vulgar, physically expressive, horny, razor sharp, and she’s not afraid to speak her mind. From some very banal questions from her ever-devolving speed date partners, she can’t seem to stem the flow of words or her imagination. Lacking any sort of filter when it comes to sharing her life and sexual exploits with these strangers, a major case of “TMI” which in reality is first date suicide, it does make for some wonderfully awkward and hence laugh out loud moments, and you can’t help feeling you’d like to have her as a friend.
At the same time, what is gradually revealed is Treya’s nervous energy is a cover for a grief that she is fighting to keep hidden. Despite her best efforts to charm with entertaining banter, she can’t help but talk of her brother and get drawn back into the recent tragedy that has befallen her family. These moments are poignant, as are Ms. Bhatt’s recounting Treya’s parents’ acceptance and unconditional love for their children, and their attempts to keep the family together through the Christmas holidays.
With a bare stage save a low table, and minimal lighting, it’s Shyam Bhatt’s quicksilver, ebullient performance that holds you for the 50-minutes. The play is not just a great showcase for Ms. Bhatt’s flair for comedy or impersonations; she brings to life various family members, friends and a vivid cast of misfit London characters from every borough with great accuracy; it plumbs deeper emotional depths as the piece reveals the very real struggle for many immigrant families and first generation children who step outside traditional and cultural norms within their conservative native communities, and the stigma and tragedy it can cause.
In the end, this is a powerful and touching story of everyone’s desire to dance freely to their own tune.
Performances: Wednesdays at 8pm, til October 23, 2019, at Hudson Guild Theatre, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90038 (valet parking and street parking). Tickets: $30 in advance; $35 at door; $25 students/ seniors (with ID); $20 military (with ID). How: www.onstage411.com or (323) 965-9996
