A daughter stolen. A mother desperate to find her child. A system working hard to keep them apart. The world premiere of Anusree Roy’s latest play, Through the Eyes of God, is a passionate solo show depicting Chaya’s search for her daughter after she’s abducted by a known kidnapper. Directed by Thomas Morgan Jones, Though the Eyes of God is a tribute to motherhood, and the strength it takes to carry on even when it feels like all of the odds have been stacked against you.
A large black box sits centre stage of the Theatre Passe Muraille Backspace, flanked by barred structures hanging along the sides of the stage, forcing our eye towards the centre of the back wall, where soon our storyteller will present her tale. Jawon Kang’s set and David DeGrow’s lighting come together to create the world which Chaya will inhabit. In its simplicity, we are able to focus on the essence of the play while also being able to understand as we transition from one part of the story to the next.
Photo by Jae Yang
Chaya has been known to steal rice, but just once or twice! And only to feed her growing daughter. Practically a child herself, 22 year old Chaya has an 11 year old daughter who begs for money in the market areas of Calcutta. While at the police station for her thieving, Chaya is alerted by one of the officers that her daughter, Krishna, has been trafficked to Delhi by a man known to the police. Trading one of her few possessions to get a train ticket, Chaya sets off to search for her daughter. Encountering interesting characters along the way, she soon discovers that the man who stole Krishna has ‘friends’ everywhere. But after she befriends a lady who runs a food truck, Chaya gets the break she’s been waiting for, and the fuel to keep her going.
Photo by Jae Yang
Though Through the Eyes of God is a sequel to Roy’s Pyaasa,there wasn’t a moment in this play where I felt like I was missing information or needed to have seen the first instalment. Rather, it made me want to know Chaya’s backstory even more now that I see the tenacity and power she’s capable of. This show has a 45 minute run-time, and yet Roy has deftly written so much action into this story that it seems impossible that so little time has passed. Through the Eyes of God is heartbreaking yet hopeful; the struggles both Chaya and Krishna have encountered in their everyday lives, only to be made worse by Krishna’s capture, breaks your heart. And yet Chaya’s unwavering knowledge that she willfind her daughter is inspiring, and carries both the character and the audience through the play.
Photo by Jae Yang
Gabriella Sundar Singh gives such an impressive performance it left me lost for words. The passion and intensity with which she tells this story is extraordinary. She plays every character in the play, and watching her physicality shift so quickly and entirely between each character is like watching a master class in solo performance. Seeing her laugh shift from the food truck woman back to Chaya and knowing so decidedly when the character had changed made me say “wow” under my breath. And that’s merely one example of the powerhouse performance which Sundar Singh gives; she fully captivates her audience, all the while standing atop a three-foot tall box.
Photo by Jae Yang
Through the Eyes of God is an absolute must-see production. In a time when so many are fighting for their lives, and are having children go missing, Through the Eyes of God is a testament to all of the people who refuse to sit by and let things happen, who fight for their loved ones no matter the cost. Beautifully performed and written, this is sure to be a show which will stay with you long after you leave the theatre.
Through the Eyes of God runs in the Theatre Passe Muraille Backspace until February 21. For more information and tickets, visit: https://www.passemuraille.ca/through-the-eyes-of-god/
Cover Photo: Gabriella Sundar Singh. Photo by Jae Yang.
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