KARACHI: The Road Not Taken is arguably the most famous poem penned by the American poet Robert Frost. It talks about the choices that one makes in life. The penultimate line of the poem ‘I took the one less traveled by’ has enabled many to think that it means: not opting for the beaten track makes all the difference. Is that so?

In a certain branch of philosophy, it is said that the choices that we make determines who we are. Frost is talking about this existentialist dilemma. Sometimes individualism triumphs and sometimes collective effort wins the day for us. This was also the idea brilliantly dealt with by Russia’s Lidia Kopina Theatre Company in a piece titled Road performed on Tuesday evening as part of the World Culture Festival organised by the Arts Council of Pakistan.

The play is described as a journey of self-discovery by its makers. This implies that the characters in it are in search of identity. Clearly, inertia is not an option. Movement is key. Therefore, movement is what the entire story relies on. What kind of movement? That is the question that needs to be asked.

The answer is simple: the kind of movement that gives one a sense of being. It has something to do with the age-old phrase ‘it’s the journey, not the destination’.

The story begins from the beginning. Two girls appear in a spotlight with their backs tied to each other. They move slowly to the ambient music. Once the beat becomes heavy and punchy, they separate from each other, and now there are two spotlights. They cover more area on stage; sometimes the two move jerkily and sometimes they pirouette. In between them there’s a pyramid of sand. Things gradually change. Now there’s progress. One girl puts a black attire on the other.

After a while, another girl (the third one) appears. And there are road-like pathways on stage. They tread on them, with difficulty and, occasionally, with a bit of relish. The music slows down to a period of calm. Things assume a certain shape. Suddenly, there’s jibber-jabber and agitation. Sand is kicked around. Playfulness makes an appearance, too. Black is removed and the girls are back in their original attires. The journey has, or about to, come full circle. Soon there’ll be darkness.

This is the atmosphere that the three artists created on stage on Tuesday with the help of excellent lighting that changed with each mood that they depicted, turning light into the fourth character on stage.

Road is a sensitively conceived and masterfully executed work of art. Kudos to Lidia Kopina and the three artists Maria, Veronica and Tatiana for making symbolism look and sound attractive. By the time the show ends, one doesn’t even think of the phrase ‘it’s the journey not the destination’ but mulls over the mesmeric power of performing arts.

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2024