Following their successful Marathi-language production of Bandini as part of La Mama’s Festival of Tongues, Melbourne Indian Theatre (MiTheatre) have returned with an English-language piece showcasing their range – The Last Dance is a refreshingly different direction for the company, yet still with the underlying imprint of Writer/Director Nilesh Gadre’s creative voice. The Last Dance review
AT A GLANCE
Play: The Last Dance by Melbourne Indian Theatre (English)
Writer/Director: Nilesh Gadre
Choreography – Mohini Bordawekar
Music – Aditi Gadre
Costumes and Stage – Neha Bhole Soman
Cast: Noopur Phatak, Aryan Joshi
Rating: ★★★☆☆
The Last Dance follows Meera, a Kathak dancer haunted by the loss of her partner Kris, as she learns to overcome her grief and let go of him. This emotional odyssey is placed in the hands of Aryan Joshi and Noopur Phatak, two young actors with fantastic chemistry who successfully keep us absorbed for the lengthy 90-minute runtime.
Joshi is effortlessly charming, able to transform characters at a dime, while Phatak easily engenders sympathy for Meera, anchoring the piece with a well-considered character arc. Both actors are admirably graceful movers and the relish with which they perform their movement sequences is infectious.
View this post on Instagram
Mohini Joshi’s choreography is a highlight of the piece, rich with youthful energy and able to convey volumes more than words. These movement sequences deliver moments of poignant beauty in a piece that sometimes loses sight of its metaphorical forest for its trees; a lost ghungroo emerges as a symbol of Meera’s loss, only to remain underdeveloped and then confusingly dropped for a different image involving tango shoes. The Last Dance review
Equally, many scenes, particularly at the beginning of The Last Dance, suffer from an indistinct sense of premise and space, not helped by how little time there is to build them – some scenes are so short the actors barely complete their costume changes – and without this orientation, the audience experience a sort of emotional whiplash. However, when Gadre gives his work the space to breath, something beautiful emerges; a sequence describing the night of a motorcycle crash is wonderfully realised, the marriage of poetic language and contemporary movement supremely affecting.
It’s exciting to see MiTheatre lean into stagecraft, employing sparse staging and colourful lighting to complement the capable performance of the two young actors on stage. Though mostly unobtrusive, these elements could be pared back even more to enhance the value of what is on stage; a clunky photo frame used occasionally to indicate a phone call, for example, wouldn’t be missed.
Overall, The Last Dance is welcome experimentation from Melbourne Indian Theatre, a relatable and intriguing exploration of grief which leaves audiences with wordless catharsis. Further refinement of its dramaturgy would turn this already great piece into an outstanding one and enhance its ability to transcend language and convey a sensory experience. The Last Dance review
READ ALSO: Review: Bandini at La Mama HQ
