HER SIDE OF
A VERY OLD STORY

A woman’s perspective on an
ancient classic of Indian literature

The Sitayana (or, “How to Make an Exit”), written by the late, beloved, and influential Chicago playwright Lavina Jadhwani, reimagines the events of the classic Ramayana as they might have been experienced by Sita, the wife of Prince Rama. Set in ancient India, the thousands-of-years-old Ramayana is the story of Rama, the human incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu. Sita is the human incarnation of the Hindu goddess Lakshmi. Neither Rama nor Sita knows they are divinities. On the plane of the divine, Lakshmi and Vishnu are consorts; on the human plane, they are a married couple facing numerous challenges.

In Hindu literature, Sita is regarded as a model of a virtuous wife. She demonstrates courage and loyalty through numerous trials. She accompanies Rama when he is forced into exile. She remains faithful to Rama after she is kidnapped and imprisoned on an island, and finally, she flings herself onto a funeral pyre to prove she has maintained her wifely purity. Her virtue is confirmed because she is not burned or even singed by the fire.

While the challenges faced by Sita are the stuff of myth, she is viewed as a very relatable image of womanhood in the Hindu tradition. To that end, Jadhwani portrays her as very human. The language of The Sitayana is formal—except when Sita is reacting to events and circumstances. Then Jadhwani employs contemporary locutions and slang. Adding to the depiction of Sita as Everywoman, Sita is played by every member of the five-woman cast (Riya Ramaswamy, Audrey Seraphin, Vidisha Agarwalla, Ann Varghese, Vijaya Sundaram) as she progresses from age 16 to 46. These five cast members also rotate through the portrayal of other characters, including Rama and other characters who torment or assist Rama and Sita. All five performers bring wonderful energy to their work, but it is clear throughout that each woman hits her stride when it is her turn to step into the role of Sita as she faces each obstacle in her effort to be united with Rama, the love of her life.

As you might guess from the subtitle of the show, the Sita of The Sitayana, unlike the Sita of the Ramayana, reaches a breaking point in her relationship with Rama. His distrust of her and his insistence that she prove her loyalty in a public display drive her to leave her marriage of thirty years to reclaim her dignity and pride.

The production, directed by Tushar Mathew, is a sensory delight, with sumptuous costumes from Eric Tâm Tran and an opulent yet compact set draped with fabrics and textures from Jayoung Hong. Crucial to the ambience of the entire production is tabla musician Om Hegde, who provides rhythmic and atmospheric accompaniment throughout the performance.

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photos by Ken Yotsukura

The Sitayana (or, “How to Make an Exit”)
CHUANG Stage
Boston Center for the Arts, Black Box Theatre, Boston
approximately 65 minutes; intermission status unverified
ends on October 31, 2026
for tickets, visit CHUANG Stage

for more shows, visit Theatre in Boston

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BIO: Lynne Weiss is a member of the Boston Theater Critics Association. Her reviews, travel tales, and progressively optimistic opinions are on her substack