Paradise or the Impermanence of Ice Cream

by Jacob Rajan and Justin Lewis
Indian Ink Theatre Company and the Singapore Repertory Theatre
KC Arts Centre, Singapore

Jacob Rajan returns to the Singapore stage after over a decade in this final instalment of the Singapore Repertory Theatre's triple-bill of one-person shows that have included Grounded in March and Taha in April. 

Written by Jacob Rajan and Justin Lewis of the Indian Ink Theatre Company and directed by the latter, Paradise or the Impermanence of Ice Cream may sound light-hearted but deals with serious themes: death, religion and coming to terms with oneself. It revolves around Kutisar, a Harvey Norman employee who has just died and is in a limbo between paradise and purgatory. Visited by a foreboding vulture, he is given the chance to relive key moments of his life to determine if he has done right in the world. 

And so we venture back in time as the young Kutisar, a bright-eyed chai wallah (tea seller), arrives in bustling Mumbai. On the night of his birthday, he meets Meera, a fiesty and ambitious Parsi girl who is resigned to running her family's kulfi (ice cream) shop. Along the way, we encounter moneylenders, relatives, academics and neighbours with secrets of their own. Central to the story is the idea of the Parsi sky burial where a bare corpse is left to be devoured by vultures until all the flesh is stripped from its body. However, given the fact that these scavenger birds are in danger of extinction it is becoming harder and harder for members of the community to preserve this sacred ritual.

Rajan effortlessly switches between seven characters throughout the play, giving each individual their own small tics and mannerisms, from the tilt of the head to the tone of the voice. There is good support by David Ward's sound and D. Andrew Potvin's lighting but the real magic lies in witnessing this fine storyteller conjure up each scene beautifully before our eyes on a mostly bare stage. One moment we are in a throbbing Mumbai nightclub where Kutisar and Meera awkwardly shout at each other over the music, the next we are in the apartment of a genteel old lady having afternoon tea. 

Photo Credit: Yaya Stempler/ The Sydney Morning Herald

Over the course of eighty minutes, we get a family drama, thriller and mini culture lesson all wrapped up in moments of delicious comedy. Special mention must go to puppeteer Jon Coddington who skilfully portrays the vulture - a creature both majestic and foreboding - even breaking into an entertaining dance routine at one point. 

Despite its sombre subject, Paradise is ultimately a play that encourages us to live life to the fullest, do the best we can and ensure we die without regrets. The bumbling Kutisar eventually makes peace with the way his life has intersected with the vulture and as his lifeless body lies before a projection of the creature soaring overhead, there is a sense of catharsis one feels at the sight of one small man finally achieving a bigger purpose.

The Crystalwords score: 3.5/5

*Do check out my reviews of Indian Ink's other shows such as Guru of Chai and Krishnan's Dairy.