The world of theatre is fast-paced and ever changing, always on the move and corresponding with the sign of the times.
That being said, it would be too much of an understatement to call Dial 1 for UK a ‘timely’ production; the deep dive into discourse over racism, xenophobia and the severe systemic issues surrounding our immigration system and our troubling misconceptions about it as a nation… They were a bit on the nose, to put it British-ly.
But Mohit Mathur’s debut one-man show manages to pull all of these threads together into a cohesive and emotional narrative that I think drives the point home better than any political debate on Question Time could. And when I say threads, I really do mean bright red strings criss-crossing the stage like a three dimensional, long suffering detective’s board.
It’s more elegant than it sounds.
In fact, a word to sum up this play is elegant, especially with regards to the set design and how it shapes the story more than the story shapes it. A detective’s ‘missing persons’ board at the back, five or six stands dotting the sides, a small square desk and a swivel chair. It’s simplistic, but used imaginatively and effectively as the performance goes on, Mathur as the dewy-eyed Uday Kumar (aka, UK) managing to portray conversations with a plethora of invisible characters and make it appear quite seamless in its believability.
Where this show thrives I think is in its subtle cleverness in the construction of the play. The audience is led through the tale of UK’s move to England, Mathur cheerfully zealous in his delivery but never overwhelming, which is important to get right for any actor taking on such a character. By the time you get to the unravelling of it all, you see all of the intricate manipulation of the set, the narrative, even UK himself. As an audience member, what could have easily been another lost lesson on undocumented migrant workers was instead an insight into real people, not just another number, because Mathur’s performance created an emotional tether to Uday Kumar.
Now with any debut there’s usually a few nitpicks to find, although I have to say I struggled. An odd mistimed sound cue perhaps at the very start, but otherwise this was a very smooth run. I do believe there’s room to perfect this into an even more sleek performance, but I did say this was a timely piece. The points made will still be relevant in the future I’m sure, but never more so than now.
Yet whatever Mathur’s next poignant play will be about, I’m absolutely certain that it will continue to offer plenty of food for thought, and I for one am hungry for more.