Artistes of Ranga Karmi stage Sampark at Rabindra Mandap in Bhubaneswar. Pictures by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Aug. 20: A bureaucrat, his wife and a councillor have successfully added to the delight of theatre aficionados in the city.

The satirical play Sampark, Ranga Karmi’s latest production, which was staged for two consecutive evenings at Rabindra Mandap, concluded today with the audience by and large lauding the overall presentation.

Directed by Ranjit Mohanty, the play enthralled the audience. Though the story, penned by Niranjan Reddy, was lacklustre, the stellar performances made up for that.

The play begins with preparations of a prayer meet arranged to pay last respects to the mother of a bureaucrat. The daughter-in-law of the deceased, played by artiste Rupashree Mahapatra, makes grand arrangements for the meet.

She calls kirtan musicians to play at the ceremony and invites who’s who of the city. Besides, she demands garlands of green lotus and black roses. Looking at her whimsical demands, the vendors, however, dupe her by handing over the regular spray painted garlands.

The bureaucrat, played by actor Nirad Parida, does not like the pomp and show of his wife, as she never treated his mother well when she was alive. He also finds it troublesome that his wife has invited guests with whom he does not share a good relation. Every time he tries to rebuke her, she threatens to defame him stating that he has manhandled him. The bureaucrat, who is in a dilemma, quietly tolerates everything.

A local councillor, played by actor Naveen Parida, has the unabashed habit of attending feasts where he is not expected to give presents. The prayer meet also happens to be an opportunity for him to convey his achievements and future plans to the invitees and other guests. He is a self-centred person, who is concerned about beating his own trumpet making sure he maintains the status quo of his popularity.

As the play progresses, it is the councillor, who is the only one to see the grim realities of the relationship between the bureaucrat and his wife that are beautifully hidden behind the façade of happiness.

Comic actors such as Pragyan Khatua and Niranjan Acharya left the audience in splits. While the background score by Pratap Rout reflected his characteristic compositions, Asim Basu’s set design had glimpses of novelty.

“The play was interesting, but the story lacked impact. The characters could have been better sketched. The performances though were good,” said Keshav Pani, a theatre enthusiast.