The Pizza Man’, a play by Darlene Craviotto, was staged at the Alliance Francaise de Bangalore recently by a production group called ‘Green Fairy Production’The play is a comic tale about Julie, a middle-aged woman, who is sharing an apartment with Alice.
Over the course of the production, it becomes evident that both of them are facing many different problems, but their misery has a common cause — the opposite gender. Julie, the protagonist, has recently lost her job because she resisted the advances of her boss.
Alice, on the other hand, has recently been dealt a blow — her long-term boyfriend has decided to return to his wife. Julie decides that the way to vent her frustration and attain closure is to rape a man, so that he will know what it feels like to be hurt and used.
Alice, who plays a somewhat dim character, initially opposes the idea but eventually gives in to the rather cruel plan. Julie and Alice order a pizza to satisfy Alice’s hunger and ultimately keep the pizza man hostage, as they decide that he is a good candidate for their rebellious plan.
Eddie, the pizza man, thinks he’s simply lucky — but the two girls beg to differ.
The play ends on a bright note, with both the girls deciding that it’s high time they made some changes in their lives.
Eddie, the poor pizza man who got caught up in their plans, also realises that his life didn’t turn out quite how he had planned, and decides to make some changes in his way of living.
A great feature of the play was that there were only three actors throughout and they managed to carry it forward very well. The delivery was good, the stage movements very professional and the dialogue was actually quite witty, especially Alice’s.
The play was very light and humorous and had the audience rolling on the floor with laughter. The sets were very simple but gave the stage a homely touch. It ran for an hour and a half.
Though many felt that it started slow and ended quite abruptly, it was an overall success.
