Laughter Hurts in 'Grave Affairs'

I’ll admit that I am not a frequent viewer of student theater. I have the dubious distinction of attending all of one student production last year. Nevertheless, even I am impressed by the quality of acting and the gravity of the issues effectively addressed in the South Asian Association’s (SAA) production of Grave Affairs.

The SAA production marks the stage premiere of Grave Affairs, a radio play written six years ago for the BBC by co-director John Mathew. The play takes place in the fictitious village of Matoor, in the real district of Kerala at the tip of southwest India. Matoor’s population includes people of widely varying religious faiths—Hindus, Muslims and Christians—an assortment that makes for insecure relations and latent hostilities, not to mention some interesting graveyards.

Kuttappi Nair, played with well-timed comedic prowess by Krishnan N. Subrahmaniam ’03, is the middle-aged undertaker and caretaker of two such cemeteries—one Muslim, one Christian.

The SAA has recreated these settings admirably in Leverett Old Library, efficiently partitioning the stage space and using lightning and sound creatively to convey the atmosphere of Matoor.

The perks of Kutappi’s job aren’t many: They consist, for the most part, of tinkering with an erratic radio, trimming the grass and shooing away both cows and disobedient Christian girls who intrude upon the holy property for which he is responsible. His irascible and illiterate overseer, Ahmed Koya (Krishnan Unnikrishnan ’02) does little to brighten his days. Their interactions, though, serve as a welcome source of comic relief. And while the characters’ quips and other references in Grave Affairs can be a bit esoteric, the program’s convenient glossary of Indian terms provides valuable assistance to the audience.

Kuttappi would spend his life at Koya’s beck and call if it weren’t for the appearance of Rachel Zacharias (a vivacious and pert Tania R. James ’03), who comes to visit her uncle, Father Kurien Verghese—well-played by Mathew himself.

Rachel’s insistence on unearthing her grand-uncle’s grave, which had been concealed under a tree in the Muslim cemetery, has dire consequences—especially since this grand-uncle was also an excommunicated infidel, an “unbeliever.” Koya sees Rachel as a disobedient wench far too bold for her own good and insists that the gravestone be smashed and scattered to the four winds.

In no time at all, a religious rumble—a jihad almost—threatens to boil over. No worries, though; all is resolved neatly within the play’s trim 53-minute running time.

The introduction in the program claims that Grave Affairs “does not seek to sermonise, or lend the world a moral.” Nevertheless, the play does just that. And the circumstances in Grave Affairs quickly lose their farcical nature when viewed in the light of recent events. This is not a liability, however. As much as it would like to dodge its own morals, Grave Affairs reminds us of basic principles of religious tolerance and respect in a world where quick resolutions are lacking and such lessons are particularly important.

A quotation from Dr. Abid Hussein, drawn from the play, provides an effective summary of Grave Affairs: “It is for our intellectuals, artists, educated and professional classes to weave their noble vision into our every day and collective life. The creativity of the world of diversity and peaceful coexistence can be the basis of unparalleled human progress.” Mathew’s play may be a farce but it certainly hits home. And with the exception of a few technical difficulties typical of any student production, even I have to admit that the SAA has mounted its first production to great artistic and emotional success.

Editor’s Note: Each performance was followed by short talks from visiting speakers and/or Harvard faculty, who spoke about issues that have an eerie relevance to the recent terrorist attacks.

grave affairs

written by

John Mathew

directed by

John Mathew

Krishnan Unnikrishnan ’02

Oct. 25 to 27

Leverett Old Library