The Disappearance: A review

First, let me congratulate all the people that were involved in producing and performing "The Disappearance." I will admit that when I initially went into the theatre, I was unsure of what I was going to experience. Even as the play started, I could not sense the Noh, or Japanese influence that the play was supposedly based on. However, as Abhay subtly started placing the pillars (of the Noh stage). It all suddenly fell into place.
One of the things I appreciated most about the play was the staging. Instead of being confined to a two dimensional stage, where we look at one angle of the actors, the 'stadium' like theatre provided as sense of being there in the room with the brothers. The placement of the seats therefore became sort of similar to a film. Being so close to the actors, and having so much of the stage in front of us gave me a sense of watching a movie- where we are able to see many angles of the same 'room'.
Another aspect of the play that I found to appreciate was the use of instruments, and narration to guide the plot.  One of the things I suspected, but never brought up in class, was how Noh took advantage of sound, and its effect on emotions. Whether it was the brother killing himself, or the stove turning on the water, the narrator yelled 'YOP' to unease us. We knew that something terrible was happening, even though we did not understand the situation.
As I went home, my apartment mates asked how the play was, knowing that it spanned almost 3 hours all of them declined to watch. However, after telling them, about the plot, and the quality of the acting, all of them seemed convinced that it was worth going to (albeit I alone went the the last showing) my roommate even asked if there was a recording available of the play.
I believe the play was well worth the $5 (and I would have paid even more) and I hope everyone had the chance to find the time to watch it.