THEATER REVIEW: A Perfect Ganesh

By on May 9, 2025

Schenectady Civic Players’ “A Perfect Ganesh” Delivers a Touching Journey of
Self-Discovery and Acceptance

Words by Joanna Palladino. Photos by Willie David Short V.

“Wanna get away?”  

If you have ever found yourself wanting to pack your bags and get a change of scenery in hopes of changing your life, or changing your outlook on your life, this show is for you.  Terrence McNally’s “A Perfect Ganeshis a play about two American women, played by Melissa Brown and Susan Katz, who take a vacation to India.  Both women are searching for more than adventure – ironically, they are searching for peace in a land with 1.46 billion people.   

(l-r) Susan Katz, Melissa Brown

 

Guiding them on this journey is Ganesha (Barry Streifert), a Hindu god, remover of obstacles and creator of opportunity, who has four arms and the head of an elephant.  Ganesha appears to them in various guises during their journey and provides them with opportunities to uncover self-awareness and ultimately acceptance. Also on stage is Nate Beynon, who literally plays every other character in the play, ranging from an airline attendant, to a tour guide, to a fellow traveler from Boston, to a man surviving in the midst of the HIV epidemic.  “A Perfect Ganesh” explores how our ugliest beliefs can impact our acceptance of others and those we hold so dear.  Ultimately, the play explores how we can truly accept ourselves despite our own flaws, imperfections, and ugliness that lies on and beneath the surface.  

The performances of Melissa Brown (as Margaret) and Susan Katz (as Katherine) were a delight!  The challenges two close friends encounter while travelling were hilariously, but realistically, revealed during the show.  Katz and Brown explored the fragility, honesty, duplicity, and depth of female relationships with such authenticity.  Katz and Brown deliver one of their best performances on stage to date.  Beynon’s multi-faceted characters were the perfect companions to Brown and Katz, delivering some of the most poignant and disturbing scenes in the play.  

The crew should also be acknowledged for their contributions:

Director Tom Keckert, Producer Laura Graver, Stage Managers Regina Baker and Beth Swallow, Set Designer Remet Kotch. Lighting Designer Joel Katz, Board Operators Stephen Henel, Marissa Lounello, Vincent James Lounello, Wig and Hair Designer John Fowler, Costumer Designer Sheena Johnson and Pat Sowle, Choreographer Rita Russell, Master Carpenter David Zwierankin, and Sound Designer Jacob Pickett.  

Come to the play early so you can enjoy the Bollywood-esque pre-show music selected by Pickett.  The music helps the audience feel transported to India.  Highlights include:  

  • Sikandar Naache – JAM8, Sameer Anjaan, Amit Mishra, Akasa and Siddhaant Miishhraa
  • Be My Mehbooba- Amaal Mallik, Darshan Racal, Neeti Mohan and Kumaar
  • Nain Matakka – Thaman S, Diljit Dosanjh, and Dhee
  • Holiya Mein Ude Re Gulal- Nikhita Gandhi, Romy, Ila Arun, Lijo George and Shyam Sidhawat

(l-r) Susan Katz, Barry Streifert, Nate Beynon, Melissa Brown

During the second act of the play, Pickett relies on American traditional favorites to create a juxtaposition to India and to take the audience back in time to Margaret and Katherine’s past.  Song selections included Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon” and an instrumental version of Gershwin’s “They Can’t Take That Away from Me.”  Pickett returns the audience back to India, or maybe the everlasting memory of India, with selections from:

  • Wavvy – COSNIGHT
  • Navavidha Bhakti- Dishant Saini
  • Bomma Bomma – B. Sivaramakrishna Rao

There was limited transition music and no intermission music at all.  It was almost as if Pickett, or the director Tom Heckert, wanted the audience to be alone with their thoughts during intermission and not escape their own feelings through music.  The director’s comments on the playbill did state, “Allow. Accept. Be.”  The scarcity of music at the end of Act 1 and during the intermission forced the audience to do just that. 

During the play itself, various characters take to song, and references to music are peppered throughout the play.  At one point, McNally references the great Guy Lombardo in a line of dialogue. Lombardo was a Canadian-American violinist and big band leader.  The quick reference stuck with me and encouraged me to revisit some of Guy’s work.  I landed on “Enjoy Yourself, It’s Later Than You Think” where Lombardo sings:

Enjoy yourself, it’s later than you think
Enjoy yourself, while you’re still in the pink
The years go by, as quickly as a wink
Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself, it’s later than you think

You’re gonna take that ocean trip, no matter come what may
You’ve got your reservations made, but you just can’t get away
Next year for sure, you’ll see the world, you’ll really get around
But how far can you travel when you’re six feet underground?

“A Perfect Ganesh” at Schenectady Civic Playhouse is a night of theater where you can enjoy yourself and “just be!”  The playwright and the cast take the audience on an expedition of exploring faith, acceptance, grief, loss, hate, fear, the human spirit, and the presence of the divine in our everyday lives.  Although the play is roughly 2 hours and 45 minutes, it is worth every second of your time.  

Performance dates are Friday–Sunday (May 9-11) and Wednesday–Sunday (May 14-18). Friday and Saturday curtains are at 8 pm, Wednesday and Thursday curtains are at 7:30 pm, and Sundays are matinees only at 2:30 pm. All tickets are $25. Tickets are available online through the SCP website, by phone, or at the door, for any performance. Call 518-382-2081 or visit civicplayers.org for more information.


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