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Culture Theatre

Light Of India fades quickly

LIGHT OF INDIA (FenStar). To October 1. 905-580-1518. See listings for details. Rating: NN Rating: NN

After their husbands tragically die, two very different women travel to India to take part in a series of yoga workshops.

Yes, Fenulla Jiwani and Angel Morgan‘s script is as silly, scattered and full of New Age bombast as that synopsis sounds.

No director is credited for this 65-minute show, although someone named Darlene Spencer is listed as “theatrical consultant.”

Too bad she wasn’t consulted to tighten the script, which relies on monologues that tell rather than show. Instead of employing a more sophisticated time structure, the writers rely on a simple, straightforward chronology. That said, many details are missing the yoga retreat setting is never established, which makes for a very confusing and disorienting latter half.

First we’re in Canada and England, then India. How? Why?

Dawn Sadler adds nuance to her role as the Caucasian woman looking for answers in her dead husband’s homeland, but Jiwani performs her role with the happy-one-moment, sad-the-next approach of the inexperienced actor.

What makes the show bearable is the creative use of masks, costumes and choreography, although a dance sequence in the middle of the show – choreographed and performed by Jiwani – comes out of nowhere and has no dramatic context except to show off the playwright/actor’s artistic versatility.

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