The fa?ade of sanity often hides the darkest recesses of the human mind. J.B. Priestley dramatised the effect of this in Dangerous Corner, a thriller exploring human emotions warped by the combined force of lies, betrayal and crime.

Gandhar’s latest presentation Satyasatya is a reworked version of Priestley’s play, replacing the scene of action ? a country retreat in the original ? with a weekend getaway at Santiniketan. A group of friends goes for a quiet holiday. But the mask of friendship is ripped apart when a cigarette case ? owned by a dead friend ? is brought out. The case becomes the entry point into the past for the characters, who then uncover the layers of lies, half-truths and contradictions that shroud the friend’s death.

The unchanging set gives the play a peculiar, claustrophobic feel ? almost like an Agatha Christie mystery. The actors do well to keep the dramatic tension alive till almost the end. The strain mounts as they pace up and down, changing seats repeatedly. The distance between them on stage becomes a metaphor for the mental distance that separates each from the others in a close-knit circle.

The sledgehammer revelations at the end are not quite in keeping with the general air of suspense in the rest of the play. The acting is a bit over the top at times, but that is a mild irritant.