Public Obscenities

Public Obscenities
2023 Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company production poster
Original languageBangla
English
Written byShayok Misha Chowdhury
CharactersChoton
Raheem
Pishimoni
Pishe
Jitesh
Shou
Sebanti
GenreComedy
Premiere
DateFebruary 28, 2023
PlaceSoho Rep

Public Obscenities is a 2024 bilingual play written by Shayok Misha Chowdhury[1] which premiered Off-Broadway in 2023 at Soho Rep. The play follows Choton and Raheem, a gay couple, visiting Choton's family home in Kolkata for research on queer dating in India. For the play, Chowdhury was a 2024 finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.[2]

Plot

Bengali-American Ph.D. student Choton, who speaks both English and Bangla, is visiting Kolkata with his African American boyfriend Raheem to film a "queer archiving project".[3][4][5][6]

Production history

The production first premiered Off-Broadway at Soho Rep[7] on February 28, 2023, running through April 16, 2023 after multiple extensions. The show starred Abrar Haque as Choton, Dante Powell as Raheem, Gargi Mukherjee as Pishimoni, Debashis Roy Chowdhury as Pishe, Golam Sarwar Harun as Jitesh, trans activist Tashnuva Anan as Shou and NaFis as Sebanti. Chowdhury also directed the production.

The production received critical acclaim, with The New York Times lauding the "uniformly excellent cast and the deliberate pacing of a confident playwright," naming the production a Critic's Pick.[8] The New Yorker praised the show as "extraordinary" and a "triumph".[9]

For the play, Chowdhury was nominated for the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Drama League Award for Outstanding Direction of a Play,[10][11][12] and won an Obie Award for direction.[13] The production received five 2023 Drama Desk Award nominations, with the cast winning the 2023 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble.[14]

In 2024, the production was revived Off-Broadway at Theatre for a New Audience with the same cast and Chowdhury again as director,[15] along with a run at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington, D.C. in 2023 from November 14 to December 23.[16]

Cast and characters

Character Off-Broadway 2023[17]
Choton Abrar Haque
Raheem Dante Powell
Pishimoni Gargi Mukherjee
Pishe Debashis Roy Chowdhury
Jitesh Golam Sarwar Harun
Shou Tashnuva Anan
Sebanti NaFis

Accolades

Year Award Category Nominee Result Ref.
2023 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Ensemble Company Won [18][19]
Outstanding Direction of a Play Shayok Misha Chowdhury Nominated
Outstanding Scenic Design of a Play dots Nominated
Outstanding Costume Design of a Play Enver Chakartash Nominated
Outstanding Projection Design Johnny Moreno Nominated
Drama League Award Outstanding Direction of a Play Shayok Misha Chowdhury Nominated [20]
2024 Pulitzer Prize for Drama Nominated [21]
Obie Award Distinguished Direction Won [22]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 'Public Obscenities' Review: A Perceptive Bengali Drama - Wall Street Journal
  2. ↑ "Eboni Booth's 'Primary Trust' Wins 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Drama". Deadline. May 6, 2024. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Public Obscenities" Triumphs Off-Broadway|The New Yorker
  4. ↑ Theater Review: Shayok Chowdhury's 'Public Obscenities' - Vulture
  5. ↑ Public Obscenities Sets NYC Return|Playbill
  6. ↑ Wooly Mammoth's 'Public Obscenities' is long on sight. Also, long. - The Washington Post
  7. ↑ "World Premiere of Bangla/English Bilingual Play PUBLIC OBSCENITIES to be Presented at Soho Rep in February". BroadwayWorld. December 15, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  8. ↑ Juan A. Ramírez (March 2, 2023). "'Public Obscenities' Review: A Bilingual Journey Through Intimacy and Translation". The New York Times. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  9. ↑ Helen Shaw (February 5, 2024). ""Public Obscenities" Triumphs Off Broadway". The New Yorker. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Eboni Booth's 'Primary Trust' Wins 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Drama". Deadline. May 6, 2024. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  11. ↑ The Pulitzer Prizes
  12. ↑ "2023 Drama League Award Winners Announced". New York Theatre Guide. Retrieved 2026-05-25.
  13. ↑ "67th Obie Award Winners Announced". Obie Awards. January 27, 2024. Retrieved 2026-05-25.
  14. ↑ Considine, Allison (2023-05-31). "2023 Drama Desk Award winners announced". New York Theatre Guide. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
  15. ↑ "Public Obscenities". Theatre for a New Audience (TFANA). Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  16. ↑ "Public Obscenities". Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. Retrieved 2026-05-25.
  17. ↑ "World Premiere of Bangla/English Bilingual Play PUBLIC OBSCENITIES to be Presented at Soho Rep in February". BroadwayWorld. December 15, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  18. ↑ "2023 Awards – Nominees and Recipients". Drama Desk. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  19. ↑ Logan Culwell-Block (May 31, 2023). "Some Like It Hot Dominates 2023 Drama Desk Awards; See the Full List of Winners". Playbill. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  20. ↑ "2023 Drama League Award Winners Announced". New York Theatre Guide. Retrieved 2026-05-25.
  21. ↑ "Eboni Booth's 'Primary Trust' Wins 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Drama". Deadline. May 6, 2024. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  22. ↑ "67th Obie Award Winners Announced". Obie Awards. January 27, 2024. Retrieved 2026-05-25.

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