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Between the lines
The cool, conditioned environs of the FTC’s auditorium recently witnessed the holding of a play, Woody Allen’s Play it again Sam by students of L’ecole. The amateur players did a decent job of relaying the tale as told by the neurotic Allen. The performance was directed by Rahat Kazmi.
With a very typical New York City style of humour reminiscent of the SoHo, Greenwich Village vibe that is usually what Allen chooses to channel, the actors delivered some pretty zany one-liners laced with double entendres and between the lines humour that is the hallmark of Woody Allen’s sex-obsessed work.
The production starts off with Allan, a film critic, who has run into a spot of trouble as he realizes that his marriage to Nancy is on the rocks. It was quite clear that the character of Allan was based on Woody Allen himself, as the actor aptly played out the neurotic, almost manic role. As Allan sees his life falling apart, there are surreal moments when the spirit of Humphrey Bogart (presumably the critic’s matinee idol) comes to him in plangent visions offering psycho-sexual advice on how to handle ‘dames.’
When Allan’s wife finally decides to walk out on him, he is consoled by his friend Dick, a wily corporate type with a knack for making bad real estate deals, and his model wife Linda. Dick’s advice to Allen is to take it easy as there are plenty of women out there, and compares the dating game with the stock market.
‘Play it again Sam’ proved to be a delight for those who appreciate a good try at slightly off-the-wall, left of centre humour
Allan is paired up with various women, though nothing seems to end his spell of hard luck, which is mostly due to his goofy antics as he tries to act like someone he is not.
Hilarity ensues as both Linda and Allan grow closer to each other, at the same time realizing the impropriety of their actions. Things take a turn for the worse when Dick takes a business trip to Cleveland and Linda ends up at Allan’s place.
As the play passes its climax and works its way into the conclusion, Dick realizes the error of his ways and Linda decides that she holds her marriage dear – much more so than a fling with Allan. But things end up on a happy note for our clumsy protagonist as he succeeds in banishing his ex-wife from his memory with the help of Bogey and finds romance when a new neighbour drops by when she locks herself out of her apartment. Apparently, she had used Allan’s articles and film reviews for her college thesis, and the two bond over Bogart and a love for the African queen.
An entertaining spectacle put together by amateurs, Play it again Sam proved to be a delight for those who appreciate a good try at slightly off-the-wall, left of centre humour. The performers deserve credit, especially the lead, who overacted at times, but this was forgiven as it is quite a task to nail down the quirky Allen. The actor who played Bogart also did well in aping the classic actor’s macho dialogues from such masterpieces as Casablanca.—QAM
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