A Woman's Tale Takes the Stage in MRINAL'S LETTER

What does the dreadful status of women in early 20th century Kolkata, India have to teach Americans today?

A beautiful play, based on a heart-breaking short story by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, and written in the form of a wife's letter to her husband, explores the pathological patriarchy of its day.

A much disrespected wife in 1914 Kolkata writes a farewell letter to her husband. The letter, start to finish, spells out in heartbreaking detail the pathological patriarchy that pervaded the culture of its day. While playgoers may experience a sense of relief that a young girl today may not face the indignity of child marriage, the dazzling performance of Gargi Mukherjee in the title role, along with more than a dozen characters that she plays, forces the audience to recall recent headlines and reminds them that the ugly reality of misogyny lives very near the surface of 21st century American culture as well.

Mukherjee, well known in theatre communities in New York and New Jersey, has also appeared in a major Hollywood film, The Namesake, in which she had a featured role, and the award-winning independent film, Karma Calling, in which she played one of the leads. She has also written a well-received play, Our Voices, which explores issues of ethnicity, identity, gender, and race among children growing up as part of the South Asian diaspora. It was recently performed at the South Asian Theatre Festival in Columbus, Ohio.

Gargi Mukherjee, a resident of Montclair, New Jersey will present Mrinal's Letter, a one-woman show on Tuesday evening, October 17, at 7:30 pm, as part of the United Solo Theatre Festival at Theatre Row in Manhattan, 410 West 42nd Street. United Solo is the world's largest solo theatre festival and this year runs for two months, through November 19.

Story: Rabindranath Tagore

Translated, adapted for the stage, directed, and performed by: Gargi Mukherjee

Technical Director: Golam Sarwar Harun

2017 United Solo, the world's largest solo theatre festival, currently in its 8th year, will present 120 shows from six continents at Theatre Row: 410 West 42nd Street, New York City. TICKETS, with a price of $35 (plus a $2.25 theatre restoration charge) are available at Theatre Row box office, 410 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036, as well as over the phone at 212.239.6200 and online at telecharge.com. More details can be found at www.unitedsolo.org

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