About The Event
Nuts is not just a play. It's a plea, a shout out, to the world that even “Call Girls” have rights, rights to claim their sanity, rights to uphold their dignity. This is the story of Claudia Faith Draper, an upper middle class caucasian woman who is expected to lead a ‘dignified’ life. She was not supposed to become a call girl, let alone become ‘that’ call girl who killed one of her clients and is now accused of first degree manslaughter amounting to murder. The forces at large which ironically also includes her own mother and step-father have used their powers to ensure she is declared criminally insane and spends the rest of her life at Bellevue institute for the criminally insane. As is her right, she challenges this verdict and thus begins the play, “NUTS.” Which is taking place in a makeshift court room within the hospital premises. For reasons best known to Claudia she handicaps her own defence and her defence lawyer by refusing to bring in an independent psychiatrist for live evaluation in the courtroom. With one hand tied to the back Aaron Levinsky, her lawyer, is forced to punch harder, fight dirty thus leading to a riveting set of cross examinations which expose the sinister plans of her own family, the resident psychiatrist and the district attorney. These cross examinations also throw light on the horrors of Claudia’s dark past, including the abuse from childhood. Just as things seem to fall in place as per Levinsky’s plans, the prosecutor Frank Macmillan, manages to break Claudia during her cross examination which leads to a series of powerful monologues albeit at the cost throwing the case back in favour of the state. As the case hangs in balance, Judge Murdoch has to make the all important decision. Will she be declared insane, thus going back to Bellevue institute for the criminally insane or will she get a chance, a fair chance to stand trial for a murder she might have committed in self defence.
