←Recommendations of The Sitayana (or "How to Make an Exit")

A fresh retelling of an epic, told from a singular perspective – "singular" in both the numeric and distinguished sense. Finding new motives for Sita that both justify and complicate the decisions she makes in the original myths, the play's distinctions between doing what one "wants" and what one "should" are presented with empathy, with humor, and without judgement. An adaptation that asks for, and earns, your trust.

So many have taken on this classic epic, which is why I’m always impressed by a fresh take. Jadhwani manages to distill the main themes and plot points into a crisp one act with a powerful through-line. The focus on Sita’s perspective is treated with real weight and folds in plenty of extremely relevant commentary on gender roles. Jadhwani brings real drama to the story, making the mythic personal and resonant, and the dialogue is poetic while still feeling refreshingly contemporary. A marvelous work that I would love to see realized on stage.

I relished reading The Sitayana by Lavina Jadhwani. It is an engrossing play that achieves an epic scope as well as deep character work. I was emotionally invested in the protagonist's journey and would love to see a performance of this play.

Saw a reading at CAATA's festival. Characterization is strong, dialogue is crisp and engaging, which can be hard with one-person shows. If a full production is ever staged, I would jump at the chance to see it.