INTERVIEW: Nikhil Parmar on bringing ‘Invisible’ to NYC
Photo: Invisible was written by and stars Nikhil Parmar. Photo courtesy of Henri T. / Provided by Matt Ross PR with permission.
Nikhil Parmar’s new solo show, Invisible, is currently playing through July 2 at 59E59 Theaters in Midtown Manhattan. The piece, which originally ran at the Bush Theatre in London, follows the character of Zayan (played by Parmar), who is billed as an under-employed actor and over-employed dealer, someone who is trying to gain recognition as an artist, but he ultimately chooses a path of infamous notoriety.
The play, which runs one hour in length, is directed by Georgia Green and being presented as part of the Brits Off-Broadway festival, an annual celebration of theater that brings some of the most intriguing shows from the United Kingdom to New York City.
Parmar, according to his official biography, is a playwright, actor and screenwriter, whose previous credits include My White Best Friend North for Manchester Royal Exchange and Something’s End, a work in development. His other credits include everything from Amazon’s The Rig to Sky’s Trollied.
“Invisible is about an unemployed British-Asian actor who misses the days when he was employed more regularly — despite the fact he was only ever employed to play reductive terrorist parts,” Parmar wrote in an email interview to Hollywood Soapbox.
The writer-actor found himself facing a short stint of unemployment approximately seven years ago, and he remarked to his then-girlfriend about the proliferation of these terrorist acting parts. He remembers making a joke about this new realization, and Invisible and the character of Zayan began to form in his mind.
“Zayan is someone who has been hurting so much for such a long time that he no longer even realises he’s in pain,” Parmar stated. “He’s sharp and quick-witted, so finds it easy to use humour to deflect anyone else’s attempt to actually address that pain, but there’s a danger to him, too, because you can tell that the rage induced by that untreated pain is forever threatening to explode out of him suddenly.”
What Zayan ultimately chooses for his life will need to be experienced at 59E59, but Parmar commented on how his character’s actions might be perceived as political, but, in fact, he’s only after “his own selfish ends,” adding that the “political stuff about race and representation that coalesces around him occurs in spite of him, rather than necessarily because of him.”
Invisible was first performed for three weeks in 2022 at the Bush Theatre. Parmar and the team added another three-week run recently, right before the show transferred to 59E59. One of his fondest memories of the two Bush runs were the post-show conversations with audiences who wanted to ask the writer-performer some important questions.
“The space at the Bush is slightly different in that we had audiences on three sides, so my movement was rehearsed with that in mind,” he stated. “Here at 59E59 the audience are front-on, so we had to figure out some ways to alter that movement, so the audience don’t lose sight of the character when he moves around the space, but while keeping him active, mobile and even manic at times.”
Helping Parmar with his vision is Green. The playwright said the experience working with the director has been incredible, especially when figuring out the pace and tone of the show. At first, Invisible uses comedy and energy to hook the audience, and then the tension builds before a violent, tragic tailspin. That’s quite the journey for one actor over the course of one hour.
“I’m on the entire time, chucking myself around the stage, playing loads of different characters with different physicalities and with soooo much bodily tension, so when I get off stage every body part aches,” Parmar reported. “That said, I have zero complaints because it is also so, so, so fun and extremely cathartic and artistically enriching to get to tell a full story with a big tragicomic arc every evening, especially one that is an expression of something honest and real for me, as its writer.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Invisible, written and performed by Nikhil Parmar, continues through July 2 at 59E59 Theaters. The Bush Theatre production is directed by Georgia Green and presented as part of the Brits Off-Broadway festival. Click here for more information and tickets.
