In a land called Lorenthus, Evan, a sculptor, is tormented by his bitter past. Lukas, the evil head of the settlement, had forcefully taken artworks owned and collected by the civilians and made them a part of his own collection. And Evan’s father’s violin, known to have possessed magical qualities, was one of them. To add to his dismay, the evil ruler had also murdered the protagonist’s father.

And now, Evan is out for revenge. But his methods are far from what one would expect. Through his art, he intends on avenging his father’s death, and in this endeavour, he finds allies in the form of a painter and a gardener. Evan, who has always been despised and humiliated for his appearance, wishes to make an artwork of such beauty that it will speak of its creator’s mastery over art.

“Kaya” portrays the ravages of selfish aspirations and how it manipulates the humane. It shows the audience how humanity is lost when humans are blinded by egocentric motives.

Shyam Khadka as Evan does a plausible job of delivering his lines; his expressions and reactions, at times, do feel real. The dialogues, though, seem quite sluggish—a problem which persists throughout the play.

The soundtrack, except for a few violin pieces, are too dramatic, even for a drama. But none of it would have mattered that much had the writer developed a strong plotline into a good drama. For instance, it would have been better had the audience got the chance to see how Ivan got condemned for his ugliness. This would have created a more vivid imagery of the protagonist’s troubles for the audience.

But despite these problems, “Kaya”, thankfully, doesn’t perish altogether, and is worth a watch for those who don’t expect the perfect plot.

The play will be staged every day till November 22, at 5 pm, except on Thursdays.