Theatre Marina presented a collection of seven standalone short plays at KGS Arena, Krishna Gana Sabha’s initiative to showcase performances beyond the realm of classical arts.

Anthology theatre demands flawless curation. Even when the plays lack a common thematic thread, a single weak narrative can act like a card pulled from a carefully-balanced pyramid, bringing the entire edifice crashing down. Fortunately, R. Giridharan’s curation and direction ensured an evening of theatre rooted in humour.

In Chithappa Vijayam a letter sets off a flurry of activity in the protagonist’s household, because an uncle he has never seen is going to arrive for a short stay. But, does the the uncle arrive? That is the twist in the play.

Shifting gears, the second play, Coffee with Kadavul, had a more serious theme. Raghunathan, a 59 year-old bachelor, had resolved long ago to marry only after completing his Chartered Accountancy — a milestone that continues to elude him. The premise resonated with the audience, capturing the all-too-familiar anxiety surrounding the notoriously low success rates of CA exams. The narrative illustrated the cruel irony of fate; which often grants us our lifelong desires only when it is too late for us to enjoy them.

Avan Aval Adhu was about two theatre buffs — one eager to be on stage, while the other keen to watch plays. To indulge their passions, they concoct excuses at their work place, each dreading the other might reveal the secret to the manager.  

Rail Sneham revolved around Govindasamy, who pours his heart out in a letter to his neighbour Ramasamy, listing all his complaints against the latter’s family; yet insists he wants to be a good neighbour. The punchline lands when he reveals he is mailing the letter from Mumbai after having heard that the latter’s kitchen is on fire. But the letter arrives too late, leaving the audience looking at Ramasamy and his wife with burn injuries.

Ulaga Vazhakkam,the best play in the collection (written by J. Raghunathan), was a masterpiece in human psychology. It dissected the allure of wealth and the ways in which sibling envy determines life choices and also showed how a clever father (Kamaraj Mani) manipulates his daughter into accepting a bridegroom of his choice. The playwright balanced emotional depth with a tongue-in-cheek tone within a brief runtime, thereby showcasing his writing skills. 

Malayankulathu Ninaivugal was about two characters reminiscing about life in their ancestral village. Just as one was wondering what the play offered beyond a string of recollections, the writer delivered his surprise ending.

Marakkuma Nenjam was about a reunion of three old friends. But, there is no deep dive into the past, as the three elderly women suffer from memory loss. Conversation gets stuck in loops about sugarless coffee, with the women sipping endless cups without even realising it. Actors Anitha Balachander, Vidhyalakshmi and Latha made these characters thoroughly endearing.

Playwrights often run a single theme to death and still feel they haven’t said enough. These short plays served as a reminder that stagecraft can be brief yet remarkably effective.