Poison-the Tension that Lingers

I watched Poison, a play by Lot Vekemans, directed by Tehani Chitti, on the 2nd of May. The play still lingers in my mind. Tehani Chitti and Ashan Dias created such a tense, weighty, and tangible atmosphere within the intimate performance space that one had no choice but to partake in the trauma of the two unnamed individuals. They meet ten years after the death of their son. The two have drifted apart but are trying to process an array of difficult emotions. They talk, but so much remains unsaid. The silences scream, and as audience members—especially since we are seated amidst the action—we sometimes want to shake the two characters and say, “Just shout at each other and get it out of your system.” But what carries the play forward is precisely that tension, that withholding, that restraint. The woman (She) and the man (He) engage in a desperate attempt to articulate their trauma and to reconnect with each other.

The life that Tehani and Ashan brought to the characters was remarkable. We wanted to know more because what we were given felt like only the tip of the iceberg. At the same time, the play was performed in a small room at the Geoffrey Bawa Space. It created a feeling of intimacy as well as claustrophobia, contributing to the feel and mood of the play. It was minimal theatre, reminding us once again that actors with nothing but their presence, their bodies, and their voices are capable of creating magic.

I went home carrying a certain heaviness and wasn’t quite sure how to deal with the tension the play left behind. Tehani and Ashan, thank you for bringing a production that is both difficult and deeply engaging to audiences.