In moments of idle whimsy, I like to imagine a peaceful country house with rolling lawns, many rooms and a soundtrack of clattering keyboards. There, holed up serenely, a bus-load of the Royal Court's most promising young writers toil away on their next pieces, learning how to craft sustained, full-length dramas after the short-sharp-shock outbursts of the debuts that rightly brought them recognition.
There would certainly be a room reserved here for Chennai-based Anupama Chandrasekhar, whose work appears as part of the International Playwrights season. Her sparky, gripping premise dwindles as it plays out, which is a real disappointment, as a set-up this good should jet-propel itself to a host of new writing awards.
Widowed 38-year-old Malini (Lolita Chakrabarti) is mother to teenagers Sharan (Sacha Dhawan), whom we see, and Deepa, whom we don't. Into their pleasant, educationally-aspirational Chennai flat one night comes shocking news: Deepa has been "intimate" with a boy in a classroom. He filmed "the act" on his mobile phone and sent the clip to friends; very soon, it's all over the internet. The conservative Tamil Chennai public are horrified and a media feeding frenzy ensues, one so vicious we wonder if Free Outgoing has copied the absurdist dramas in the main house and taken a turn for the allegorical.
Chandrasekhar flags up all sort of intriguing points en route to a concluding muddle, not least the clash between technology and conservatism in middleclass Indian life. The phones and computers are the latest models, but codes of acceptable conduct are several updates behind, especially when it comes to girls. In this progressive shame culture, Deepa can aspire to be a doctor, but not to indulge her sexual impulse. Her partner, of course, is barely mentioned.
It fits Chandrasekhar's thesis that Deepa remains offstage, a projection of her society's greatest fears about moral degeneracy, although we can't help wishing that she'd pop up, pout and shout like any 15-year-old and put all this into some much-needed perspective. As it is, it falls to the excellent Chakrabarti to anchor Indhu Rubasingham's pacy production. Malini traces a compelling arc, from vehement apologist of her daughter's innocence to broken woman, dependent on the kindness of near-strangers. In this most watchably unforgiving place, the sins of the daughter are visited upon mother, brother and entire community.
Until 24 November (020 7565 5000, www.royalcourttheatre.com).
Free Outgoing
Jerwood Theatre Upstairs At The Royal Court
Sloane Square, SW1W 8AS
