Invisible Hand, The

Ayad Akhtar’s gripping drama, The Invisible Hand, is so palpably intense that it seems to put the audience squarely in the middle of a terrorist/hostage situation in Pakistan. Needless to say, this is not a desirable place to be. But it works wonders in terms of getting the audience to identify with the play’s captive, an American banker who finds a clever way to pay the terrorists’ ransom demands.

The Invisible Hand opened Off-Broadway in 2014, at the same time Akhtar’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Disgraced was playing on Broadway.

The Milwaukee production is set in the small, black box-type Stiemke Studio. The audience sits within feet of the action. And there’s plenty of action to witness, as Nick, the American banker, pleads for his life to three Muslim terrorists. Nick (Tom Colner), was kidnapped during a car-jacking and tossed into is a cell-like building. The aging building is constructed of brick and crumbling, brown-colored plaster. The lone window — chiseled out of the wall — is lined with bars. The first captor we meet is the simple-minded Dar (Owais Ahmed). He seems a decent sort of fellow who lets Nick out of his handcuffs when nobody is around.

During Nick’s conversation with Dar and his other captors, we learn that he was taken hostage by a relatively “non-violent” terrorist group. The dialogue goes into some detail about how this group differs from the Taliban, ISIS, etc. Still, this is far from a friendly terrorist organization. Bashir, the most brutal captor, comments, “If people must die (for us to achieve our goals), then they die.”

As the terrorists talk, they recount recent real-life beheadings of journalists and those working for humanitarian aid groups. They tell Nick that unless he raises a $10 million ransom, he will be turned over to one of these more-violent terrorist organizations. Although Nick can only guarantee “a few million” from his personal stash in the Cayman Islands, he is sure that Citibank, his employer, will not turn over the remaining cash.

However, the fast-thinking Nick has a tantalizing offer: he can raise the rest of the ransom money through savvy stock trading. The terrorists would reap the proceeds. The group’s leader, Iman (in a brilliantly nuanced performance by Tony Mirrcandani), is intrigued. He instructs Nick to “teach” the principles of stock trading to Bashir (another amazing performance by Shalin Agarwal), who can then use these skills to keep raising money for their group. Bashir is eager to try, and Nick’s cell soon includes a chalkboard, a computer, and plenty of excellent-tasting food.

As Bashir, Shalin Agarwal does a superb job of transformation — from a snarling dog in the early scenes to a highly intelligent, reasonable young man. Yet, he makes it clear that his darker side is never far away. As they talk, the two men find some communality in their lives. When Nick asks Bashir about his unusual accent, Bashir admits that he grew up in London. He is an excellent pupil and, at times, the play seems more like an economics lesson than a drama. Nick tells Bashir of “the invisible hand” that seems to guide stock trades. (It is also possible that the play’s title may be a reference to the hand of God.) However, unbeknownst to Nick, Bashir adapts these economic techniques to a series of mass killings. Nick is horrified to learn that he may have unwittingly played a part in the execution of dozens of people. “Don’t worry,” Bashir assures him. “There’s still no blood on your hands.”

Director Lucie Tiberghien maintains this intensity throughout the production. Supporting her efforts is a highly effective set design. Once Nick attempts to break out of his first enclosure — with its warm colors and bright sun shining in the window —a he is transferred to a less desirable holding pen. Sheer, corrugated metal walls that stretch to the “ceiling” are illuminated by harsh, fluorescent-type lights. Nick now sleeps in a metal bed and is shackled at the ankles, which are weighted with a huge chunk of cement. The chirp of birds is replaced by the louder, buzzing noises of American drones. Their bombs are dropped near the complex where Nick is kept, which further terrorizes him.

Akhtar’s brilliantly written play attempts to cover a lot of territory in regards to the terrorist “mindset,” as well as the awful situations faced by hostages. Nick isn’t a strong man; he whimpers and cringes when a gun is pointed at him.

The Invisible Hand pulls no punches in its vision of the horrors happening around the world. It is an exciting, energizing play that nearly crackles with intensity. One hopes it leaves audiences with a better understanding of how this situation came to be.