Retribution Synopsis and Cast of Characters
🎬 RETRIBUTION: A MURDER MYSTERY
A dark comedy of secrets, scandal, and second acts...
All profits go to HCFC
Written by: Suneeta Misra
Directed by: Suneeta Misra
Script Development: Isha Misra, Uday Misra, Sangeeta Agrawal, Meera Narsimhan
Supported by: Ranjita Chakravarty & Meera Narasimhan
Stage Director: Nachiket Dharkar
Producer- Spectromatics LLC/ Prabhakar Misra
Production Consultant -Deepti Rattan
Technical Director: Sujoy Lahiri
Stage and Lighting Design Mamta Kukreti
Writer's Center Technical Support - Mathew Cheney
Props: Isha Misra
Usherer and General Support: Aditya Lahiri and Avi Patel
Videography: Uday Misra
Supported by the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County (AHCMC) and healthcareforchange.org
All profits will go to healthcareforchange.org
Additional Support: Senior Connection of Montgomery County
LOG LINE
Long simmering jealousies and secrets boil over during a poker game among four mature South Asian actresses living on the fringes of Hollywood, leading to conflict and murder.
SYNOPSIS
In the shadowy heart of suburban Hollywood, a body is discovered on a moonlit night on a beach. The suspects? A tight knit yet fractious group of aging South Asian American actresses, whose lives are marred by personal disappointments, past betrayals, and bitter rivalries.
Once celebrated, now forgotten, Sheela, Emily, Lalita, and Rani gather weekly to sip wine, play cards, and hide their loneliness behind biting banter. But beneath their smiles and snide remarks lie dangerous secrets.
The victim was one of their own—flamboyant, flirtatious, and not shy about crossing lines. Add to the mix Mary, Sheela’s elusive maid with a past that won’t stay buried, and we have a riveting mystery which will enthrall the audience
CAST OF CHARACTERS
🎭 Sheela (Dipannita Dutta)
Once a promising actress, now reclusive and sardonic. The
reluctant hostess and keeper of secrets.
🎭 Rani (Rashmi Tiwari Patel)
A firecracker of ambition and hustling. Known for her beauty
and sharp poker instincts.
🎭 Lalita (Meera Narasimhan)
Anxious and lacking confidence. But don't underestimate her!
She appears harmless but has many tricks up her sleeve.
🎭 Emily (Swati Piu Sinha)
The leader of the group and the strongest. She has no
problem with being unethical in pursuit of her ambitions.
🎭 Mary (Nitshu Joshi)
The quiet maid with a history—intimately tied to the victim
and perhaps the key to
unlocking the truth.
🎭 Tommi (Neha Agrawal)
Mary’s supportive friend who is an outsider in this world
but has skills born of a hardscrabble life
🎭 Detective Prasad (Subhankar Banerjee)
World-weary, detail-obsessed, of Indian ethnicity but from
the Caribbean islands. He is the audience’s surrogate in this web of lies.
🎭 Inspector Arjun (Aadith Iyer)
A worthy assistant from the South Asian diaspora who likes to stick to data but can be tough when necessary.
🎭 Jazz Dance performed by Raya Dance Academy
Choreographers: Rutul Pancholi & Harshit Chouhan
Performers: Raz Patel, Anu Rao, Surekha Arya, Deepa Chakrapani, Avi Patel
SETTING
Sheela’s cozy but shabby Los Angeles home, once a haven of
dreams—now a place of simmering anger and envy.
RUN TIME
1 hour and 30 minutes
🎼 MUSIC
A moody jazz-inspired South Asian fusion soundtrack, Poker Face Mystery, sets the tone of intrigue and nostalgia.
🎟️ TICKETS & INFO
Apneecommunity.com - Tickets
For the playbill - Visit: https://retributionplay.blogspot.com/
Follow us: @RetributionPlay
RUN TIME
1 hour and 30 minutes
"Old grudges die hard and some… not at all."
Schedule: 4 PM - 6PM
Introduction: 4 - 4:05
Cabaret Dance Raya Dance Academy: 4:05-4:10
Play Begins 4:15 - 5:45
Vote of Thanks: 5:45 - 6 PM
Introduction
Good evening, folks. Thank you for coming to see Retribution-which is all about about botox, backstabbing and bloodshed –
all implied of course!
You’re about to meet several ladies… and before you ask, no — none of them would pass a heavenly character test. In fact, the Gods would probably need a stiff drink… just reading their résumés.
We begin with our dearly departed… Rani.
She was the kind of woman who could steal your man… your money… and your mascara — all before dessert.
The other protagonists… not much better.
…in fact…they could write an encyclopedia on grudges:
Sheela —is the kind of woman who drowns her past one drink at a time… her poor dead husband Jack… just couldn’t … swim fast enough to the surface.
Emily — Another woman with a deceased husband, Denzel. She has a tongue like a razor, morals like a politician, and a fondness for solving problems- the old-fashioned way… permanently.
Lalita— emotionally unstable enough to need her own weather app: expect thunder, lightning, and the occasional flying… ex boyfriend- Eric in this case.
Don’t forget the two young ladies, Mary and Tommi, who could be agents of chaos, targets for the murderer or instigators of the crime! You never know in this world!
Finally, the two detectives, Prasad and Arjun. Every good mystery needs detectives. Ours just happen to come - in pairs. Together, they’ll try… to untangle a web of secrets, without getting on each other’s nerves!
Now here’s the fun part. You are the judge and jury tonight. So pay close attention — by the end, one or more of these ladies will have blood... on her hands.
So let’s rewind to where it all began — in Vegas, naturally.
A cabaret… drenched in sequins, showgirls, and sin
And Rani, performing her last number… though she doesn’t know it yet.
So… here it is! Curtain!
Supported by healthcareforchange.org and the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County (AHCMC)
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