"No touching is allowed", says Apsara's iron-willed mother, Padma, as she collects money from the blind Kamal. "This is not a brothel."

"Bombay Black" is partly a tale of revenge — all three characters reveal they're planning to get back at someone — but this play is also a seamless blend of magic realism, bitter humour, myth, and in-your-face sexual imagery, with all of this supported by a romantic vision that carries through to the very last line of the play.

Adeena Aziz is harsh and imperious as the mother, Padma. Sanjay Talwar is a human and intelligent Kamal, and Anita Majumdar creates a brave and sensitive Apsara.

Rebecca Picherak's deftly placed lighting, the moody sound designs of Suba Sankaran — she uses 'feedback' effectively at key dramatic points — and set designer Camellia Koo's half-circle stage, stand out as true creative partners in this production's coherence.