Zaiba Baig’s two one-acts, set in different locations, are linked by fractured individuals who seem willing to do anything to keep living a life from which there appears to be no escape. Both plays break the fourth wall, with Kainchee Lagaa and Jhotti exploring themes that are not for the faint-hearted. While Toronto’s Buddies in Bad Times Theatre is known for such bold productions, I couldn’t look away. I had to see how these stories would unfold.
In Taxali Gate, Lahore, Pakistan, Lagaa features trans sex worker Billo (Angel Glady), who appears to ‘eat men up’ figuratively in her profession while enjoying tandoori chicken in bed. She plans to run away with one of her “johns,” who is ‘special’. In Etobicoke, Billo’s estranged brother Arsalan (Praneet Akilla) searches for something that feels like home. He wants to reach out to Billo as survivor’s guilt threatens to overwhelm him.
Set in an unnamed North American city in the present, Jhotti’s Bollywood item girl Sakeena (Zaiba Baig) leaves her home while her sister is at work. She’s being chased by an unknown presence at the start—or is she? Jhotti makes the audience question what is real and what isn’t, what’s true and what isn’t, leading to ‘The Big Reveal’ (which I didn’t see coming and left me jaw-dropped when it became clear what had happened).
Director Tawiah Ben M’Carthy is a clever director. He incorporates satire, comedy, and horror in both plays, making them confrontational and sexually bold. There are moments in both one-acts when the audience laughs, which can be frustrating given the stories’ dark, sinister elements.
But that’s exactly why these plays work. The madness of what’s really happening is why I had to see how the stories end. I couldn’t look away. André du Toit’s shadowy lighting complements Rachel Forbes’ suggestive, maze-like set design of surreal, cramped, and impossible living spaces in Lagaa. Dasha Plett’s sound remains crisp and balanced. Kudos to technical directors Mojo Noble and Amber Pattison for making a theatrical special effect work effectively in Jhotti.
Performances become sexually observant and openly raw.
There’s something captivating about Praneet Akilla’s Arsalan. He’s energetic, rapid-talking, manic, and quick-thinking. Like the two women, Akilla is also compellingly dangerous when he finally enters Billo’s apartment to make amends. Xina plays several roles in Lagaa. While they may say little in each scene, Xina’s presence is ominous.
Angel Glady’s Billo is witty, mischievous, brazen, and clever. Zaiba Baig’s Sakeena closely resembles Glady’s Billo, with some additional traits: coy, untruthful, and dangerous. Both trans women deliver powerful monologues addressing the audience with confidence and a fierce desire to survive and connect, at any cost. There’s also a ‘Big Reveal’ that left many around me gasping when the truth was finally exposed.
A line from the Buddies website links both plays:
“I’ve been a bitch as long as I can remember.”
It’s an ugly word used to describe a woman. I still wonder if, in this context, it’s meant positively. Can anyone truly define what that word means?
Highly recommended: see both plays. Go in with an open mind.
The two one-acts run until April 18 at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander Street, Toronto. For tickets: buddiesinbadtimes.com or call (416) 975-8555.
HOUSE OF BEIDA and BUDDIES IN BAD TIMES THEATRE co-production of
Kainchee Lagaa & Jhotti: The Begging Brown Bitch Plays by Zaiba Baig
Directed by Tawiah Ben M’Carthy
Set Design: Rachel Forbes
Costume Design: Ming Wong
Lighting Design: André du Toit
Sound Design: Dasha Plett
Original Music: Hasheel and Lady Pista
Vocals: Mohua and Hasheel
Stage Manager: Victoria Wang
Performers: Pranett Akilla, Zaiba Baig, Angel Glady, Xina
