So Vishnu returns in his tenth avatar form as a sexy teenage girl who changes lives in a way that initially appears more devilish than benign, and when he disappears again nobody's sure if he was ever really there. That sums up the plot of Aditi Brennan Kapil's short play, The Chronicles of Kalki. In Hindusim, Kalki's role is to cast out our sins and bring in an era of peace. It's hard to know if the playground wrongs righted in The Chronicles of Kalki are evidence of victory or early failure.
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The tiny Gate Theatre is just right for a four-hander set around the disappearance of the God, shortly after a beastly boy who sexually humiliates schoolgirls is given the sort of beating we associate with the IRA - blindfolded, head shaved, beaten and dumped on a street corner. The question that the police have to answer is whether there ever was a Kalki, and if yes, is she guilty and where's she gone? In the interview room her mates, Girl 1 and Girl 2, say plenty but it seems to amount to very little...
The Chronicles of Kalki is an intriguing play with some lovely writing and Madeleine Girling's terrific set punches above its weight with beautiful lighting and a full rainstorm. The action is always interesting but despite a waterfall of words the plot is hard to crack - like the detective, we don't know what to make of the girls' testimonies.
In conclusion: The scenes with Kalki are filled with both fun and a little fear, and Amrita Acharia sizzles through the role. Angela Terence is terrific as the complex Girl 1 with Jordan Loughran a sweet counterpoint as Girl 2. The detective, Trevor Michael Georges has his work cut out piecing things together. Alex Brown's deft direction ensures it's a pacy 80 minutes.
References
Gate Theatre, Tickets
Run ends 31 January
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