I'd been working for the past two weeks or so on a piece on the
experiences of the South Asian American community after 9/11, using
the script of Chera Collage as a point of departure; but I couldn't
get it to flow the way I wanted it to, so I scrapped it. I was struck
by how the themes of the play resonated with current events -- the
failure of institutions to protect victims, the need to create ad hoc
measures to deal with the emergency, denial from within the community
that there was a problem, the thousands of South and West Asians
"disappeared" by the FBI/INS, etc.

Of course the play was a lot of things, not just a response to 9/11. I
like how it leaves a lot open to interpretation.

Some quick comments:

* the play was largely free of needless melodrama, so it was striking
when the melodrama factor did increase somewhat in the second half,
with Nikhil's breakdown

* The ambiguity was excellent -- it allowed us to focus more closely
on the characters, without having the play turn into a mystery
("Where In The World is Baba?" -- cue music)

* Acting generally great all around

* Excellent sets, though the right side of the stage was a bit overused

* My #1 problem with the performance was the crying children; it very
strongly harmed the viewing experience. It's a waste to have actors
pouring their hearts into their parts, if nobody can hear or
concentrate. Future events should have well-publicized, actively
enforced policies on disturbances. This is as important as getting
lights or sound working properly.