An engaging adaptation

CHENNAI: It was only a coincidence that a theatre production that discussed Jesus, his death and resurrection at length was staged in the city on the eve of Easter. When theatre group Stray Factory adapted popular screenwriter Jerome Bixby’s work of science fiction, The Man from Earth for the stage, they could have only hoped that they weren’t offending too many conservative Christians in the audience, with the protagonist claiming to be Jesus.The play opens with professor John Oldman having his colleagues over for a farewell get-together. John reveals that he is 14,000 years old (he does not age), possibly a Cro-Magnon (early modern humans). He says that he was a disciple of the Buddha until he died, after which headed he East to spread the knowledge that he had gained as Jesus. This shocks his friends to a point of manic anger, especially the art history professor, Edith.    When things get out of hand, John eventually says that he was playing a prank and his friends begin leaving one by one, but when psychology professor Dr Will Gruber overhears John telling Michelle about his past, the story takes a wild twist.    Directed by Naveen George  Thomas, the biggest strong point of the play was that despite limited allowance for movement, there was not one dull moment, as the conversation surged and took the story forward without any lapses. Ameera Dcosta as the overtly-religious Edith might have been a little too loud for our comfort. Arjun Thomas as professor Art was possibly the only one who looked engaged in what was happening onstage throughout the 75-odd minutes. Vinod Anand as Dr Gruber was definitely the soul of the show, who with his experience strung the entire piece together and held ground. Sruti Hari as Michelle, displayed adequate amounts of emotion and did her job well. Vidyuth Sreenivasan (Harry) definitely needs special mention for not only executing perfectly-timed comic relief, but also for those flamboyantly fun red pants. Prakash Dharmarajan (Dan) rendered a compellingly mature performance. The rest of the cast  excelled too, but Yohan Chacko as John stood out.      The audience probably went back home with one thought in their heads, like professor Dan suggests in the play: “Watch some Star Wars for a dose of sanity”.