Reading Time: 3 minutes

MANIPAL: Aaina Dramatics, the official theatre club of Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT), dazzled audiences with their semester production, ‘In The Name Of Blood’, on November 1.

Although the play kicked off half an hour later than the expected time, the enthusiasm of the audience was maintained as they patiently waited to watch it. The set and the ambience of the stage took them back to the 1940s, a time rampant with gangsters who indirectly controlled the public and political system.

The plot follows gangster brothers Al and Cal Capone and a ghost that seeks revenge on the two and their work.

The play begins with Danny and Remmy setting up Hotel Hawthorne as a front for an illegal alcohol joint under the instructions of Cal. Soon enough, two ghost hunters Jake and Maya arrive at the scene.

The story develops when Maya, a psychic, channels the spirit of Sadie, a young woman who had been murdered brutally by an anonymous crook on the payroll of Cal Capone. Sadie is seeking revenge on her killer as well as the killer of the man she loved, John. 

Pete, an ex-member of the Capone’s workforce decides to help Maya and Danny bring Cal down.

 

 

The play also introduces Vera, a double-faced woman who acts as Cal’s source inside Hotel Hawthorne.

 

 

 

Cal, in a frenzy of fear, breaks down and tells Sadie that it was Al who killed John and Pete who murdered her in cold blood.

The play ends on a twist, with Maya revealing that Sadie was, in fact, her and Pete’s daughter. Distraught by the revelation that he killed his own blood, Pete shoots himself in the head.

 

 

The live music and well-timed lights helped emphasise the mysterious theme of the show. The climax and the ambience the show created left everyone surprised. “I really liked it; I liked all the characters in the play. There was no such protagonist in the play but it still worked out and it was great. The music and the lighting were also really good,” said Aarushi Sinha, a fourth-year student from MIT.

“As always, the experience of working in this club is amazing. It is my second main production here. This play started off with a very funny story. The directors read a story and most of it was self-written, so this is a proper self-written play. Our seniors, our directors and our assistant directors stayed up for five to six nights and they wrote these scenes. We stayed up till 4 AM practising. Our junior crew has done an amazing job with the props, lights, and setting up as well. Overall, it was an amazing experience,” said Shivalika Chaudhary, the actress who played Sadie.

“We had to change the script, so it was very tiring. Yet it was a very amazing experience to rewrite the whole script because we changed the story. We wanted to add twists, ghastly elements, and many more deaths so it was a month’s hard work,” revealed Akshit Yaduvanshi, one of the directors and also the actor who played Al Capone. “This was the final play I was doing in Manipal, so I really enjoyed the experience—both of acting and directing,” he added.

 

Featured Image Courtesy: Varsha L

Edited by: Karthika Venugopal