The Elephant Wrestler

Home to 17 percent of the world’s population and the intersection between first-world technology and gods and traditions of old, India is an exercise in modern life — or, as this play proclaims, “a modern contradiction.” Presented by New Zealand-based Indian Ink Theatre Company, The Elephant Wrestler is a two-person...

By Janessa Hilliard

January 22, 2015

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Home to 17 percent of the world’s population and the intersection between first-world technology and gods and traditions of old, India is an exercise in modern life — or, as this play proclaims, “a modern contradiction.” Presented by New Zealand-based Indian Ink Theatre Company, The Elephant Wrestler is a two-person performance based on a fairy tale, following a tea seller (Jacob Rajan, playing every character) as he navigates life’s pitfalls of tragedy and joy amongst an ever-changing cast of travelers.

Curtain is at 8 p.m. on Saturday, January 24, at Virginia G. Piper Theater at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 East Second Street. Tickets range from $29 to $49 — discounts for members and group packages. (Free admission is available for students, teachers, and veterans.) Call 480-499-8587 or visit www.scottsdaleperformingarts.org.

Sat., Jan. 24, 8 p.m., 2015

Janessa is a native Phoenician. She joined New Times as a contributor in 2013. You can connect with her on social media at @janessahilliard, and she promises you'll find no pictures of cats on her Instagram — but plenty of cocktails.

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