The strong smell of incense as one walks into Off the Wall Theater in downtown Milwaukee is the first indication of the play’s locale: India. In fact, local theater impresario Dale Gutzman has taken on the task of writing an original stage adaptation of E.M. Forster’s A Passage to India, considered to be among the finest novels of the 20th century. The novel, written in 1924, was based on Forster’s own travels to India. Gutzman, too, lived in Southeast Asia for 17 years. Audiences who are unfamiliar with Forster’s novel may recall the 1984 film version directed by David Lean. Among the film’s stars was the late Sir Alec Guinness (best-known to younger audiences as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the “Star Wars” film trilogy). The film won two Academy Awards. Gutzman’s play has condensed Forster’s lengthy book with considerable finesse. The large number of characters featured in the book have been whittled here to 17. Among them are the lead characters: Mrs. Moore (Marilyn White); mother of Ronny (Jeremy C. Welter), a young British lawyer; and mother-in-law-to-be to Adela Quested (Jacqueline Roush). This production is a revival of Gutzman’s adaptation, which was performed locally “about 30 years ago,” Gutzman says. Both Gutzman and longtime Milwaukee actor David Flores are reprising the same roles in the current production. As the play opens, Mrs. Moore and Adela recently have arrived from England by boat. Bored by a drama being presented by the local English-only club, Mrs. Moore walks through the streets and ventures into a mosque, where she encounters a praying Dr. Aziz (David Flores). At first, he is miffed at this intruder who he guessed has forgotten to take off her shoes at the entrance. The stern yet fiery Mrs. Moore snaps that she has taken off her shoes, as she knows some of India’s customs. After Aziz apologizes, the two begin talking and become friends. Throughout the play, the myriad differences in cultures are always present. The English, who are supposed to protect and “civilize” the Indians, barely hide their disdain for these dark-skinned people. One most often sees them as a silent presence, always ready to serve a cool drink or mop up spills. The English have come to expect such pampering. In one scene, an English major (Lawrence J. Lukasavage) is seen shouting throughout the hallways of someone’s home for a “boy” to bring him something to drink. Although the Indian servants (Sandy Lewis and Roger Uscilla) are silent, ever-present witnesses to such episodes, it’s clear from their expressions that they do not care for their employers. At first, both Mrs. Moore and Adela seemed shocked by their peers’ indifference to the Indians. A gaggle of fashionably dressed English women (Carole Herbstreit-Kalinyen, Donna Lobacz, Barbara Zaferos, Barbara Weber) assures them that they will soon get used to the situation. The bright and adventurous Adela replies that she’s not so sure. Adela muses out loud whether she could exist in India. She also makes a side comment about perhaps not having children, which perks up Mrs. Moore’s ears. In 1924, such notions were rarely discussed. Gutman’s adaptation focuses on an ill-fated day trip to some sacred caverns. Everyone invited arrives with the exception of Aziz’s friend, a British teacher named Mr. Fielding. He was supposed to have fetched another guest, the turbaned Indian named Godbole (Dale Gutzman). As Fielding explains later, Godbole resisted leaving his prayers early in time to catch the train. Although neither Mrs. Moore nor Adela think it a bit unusual to explore the dark tunnels with only Dr. Aziz and an Indian guide, other English pioneers express they would never think to do the same. How could two white women even think of going into the hills without a white man present? they ask, astonished. In any case, the exploring party dwindles to Adela, Aziz and the guide. The passageways in the more remote sections of the area become pitch black once they are inside the caverns. Soon, Adela is left alone in an empty, dark “room.” Despite her calls to Dr. Aziz for help, she hears no sound except a buzzing noise. She believes she may have been sexually attacked, perhaps by Aziz. She isn’t quite sure how she found her way out of the cave.
The themes of prejudice, justice, persecution, and sexual repression all play out in Gutzman’s script. But instead of flowing smoothly, one almost has the impression of chapters in the book. It’s clear Adela is strongly influenced by her fiance when she tells of Aziz’s “attack.” After a few days, she begins to rethink the whole notion. This is where Gutzman’s adaptation gets clumsy. The audience has no idea whether Adela is telling the truth. It is made clear in Jacqueline Roush’s excellent performance that Adela is so “out of her element” in these strange surroundings that she can’t really be certain of what occurred. Before the scene ends, she has vindicated Aziz, broken off her engagement to Ronny, and wonders what to do next. Although Marilyn White gives a strong performance as the plucky Mrs. Moore, the audience is never told why her initial eagerness to meet Indians in the first part of the play yields to suspicion and bitterness by the end. Perhaps she is upset at Adela’s refusal to marry Ronny. Even if she is disappointed in Adela, it seems odd that Mrs. Moore is adamant about leaving India immediately. Gutzman is serene and low-key as the philosophic Godbole, who observes the onstage conflicts from a distance. Sometimes, he makes mysterious pronouncements that probably would make sense if one is reading the novel. David Flores gives one of the best performances of his career as Aziz, the generous Muslim who offers to show newcomers some of the sights. Flores convincingly turns from a genial host into a terrified prisoner once charges are brought against him. Even as a free man at the end of the play, he tells his closest English friend, an impressively dispassionate James Strange as Dr. Fielding, that for the time being, they cannot remain friends. While Fielding is stupefied by Aziz’s coldness, he understands that the cultures have a long way to go before understanding – and perhaps friendship – is possible.
