Tollygunge Club's performance of The Unexpected Guest by Agatha Christie provided enjoyable experience

Tollygunge Club’s production of Agatha Christie’s play The Unexpected Guest in association with t2 was perhaps one of the most popular events on its entertainment calendar so far. Staged on the evening of July 15, the exceptional whodunit was watched by a packed audience who had gathered in large numbers to watch the performance. Embellished with a wholly realistic set designed by Geetanjali Jolly and an innovative light and sound design by Aaron Targain, the play touched a chord with its nuanced characterisations. Directed by eminent filmmaker Ashoke Viswanathan, the play featured Keshav Roy in the eponymous role of Michael Starkwedder, ‘the unexpected guest’. His performance held the presentation together very well. Reshmi Bose as Laura Warwick was the perfect foil to the mysterious stranger, even as she remained torn between Starkwedder and her lover Julian Farrar played to perfection by Pradip Guha Thakurta. Besides them, the other members of the cast including Ajanta Sengupta, Janet Gasper Chowdhury, Sujoy Banerjee, Arjun Navada, Chittopriyo Bose and Sushmita Banerjee also impressed with authentic performances as did Prasenjit Guha in the mortifying role of Richard Warwick. The subtle machinations of the valet-attendant Angell were brought to life by Sujoy while the insecurities of Benny and Jane, were ably portrayed by Janet and Sushmita. Ajanta and Chittopriyo were quite convincing as Mrs Warwick (senior) and the Sergeant respectively. Arjun adroitly played the part of a genial Inspector who could be quite formidable as an interrogator. As the action of the play mainly takes place in darkness, outside a French window on a foggy night, it is particularly noteworthy that the production was visually arresting throughout. The overall direction and sound design contributed in no mean measure to the open-ended narrative that left spectators with a myriad of thoughts in their minds even as a dense fog slowly engulfed the darkening horizon.