“How much do we change, and how much do we stay the same in long-term friendships?” This is one of the central questions that actor Anita Majumdar grapples with in her portrayal of Cecilia in Interior Design, a new play by Rosa Laborde premiering at Tarragon Theatre, directed by Kat Sandler.
Cecilia is one of four first-generation daughters of immigrants navigating the intricacies of their longtime friendship, their evolving identities and the pressures of midlife in Toronto. The role – which explores the complexities of living authentically in a world of expectations – is one Majumdar is eminently qualified to tackle. A graduate of the National Theatre School and a Dora Award-winning actor, playwright and educator, Majumdar is acclaimed for her groundbreaking solo shows like The Fish Eyes Trilogy, a trio of interconnected coming-of-age stories exploring themes of identity, race, and gender. Majumdar has earned widespread recognition for her ability to combine humour, dance, and storytelling in her work. And alongside her stage career, she has appeared in numerous film and television productions, including The Border and Midnight’s Children.
Interior Design follows the lives of Cecilia and three childhood friends—Sophie (Sara Farb), Lisa (Meghan Swaby), and Yasmin (Rong Fu). The thirty- and forty-somethings bonded during their school years, and are now facing the personal and relational challenges of midlife. As they grapple with career pressures, evolving identities and unspoken tensions, the play examines how long-term friendships can both nurture and hinder personal growth. Laborde’s script expertly balances humour and pain as the women confront their individual paths and how much they have truly changed—or not. Delving into themes of authenticity, growth, and the challenge of maintaining connections, the story explores how these four women reconcile their shared past with the realities of their present lives.
In the play, Majumdar’s character stands out as a true individual, who “really embraces active living that a city like Toronto offers,” Majumdar explains. “One of the challenges Cecilia’s friends have with her is that she doesn’t ever seem to stick with any one thing. And what they perceive as inconsistency is really a difference in priorities, and what they each consider a well-lived life.” Cecilia’s zest for trying new things clashes with the more goal-oriented mindsets of her friends. “And while Cecilia respects the choices her friends have made for themselves, she doesn’t necessarily feel the same energy reciprocated.”
This exploration of deep-rooted relationships is central to Interior Design. The four women in the play share a long history as childhood friends who bonded through their shared experiences navigating a predominantly white culture at school. Over time, these early connections have become the almost familial bonds of “those constant, comfortable people in your life”. Yet those same bonds challenge their personal evolution, and as the press release deliciously teases with Oscar Wilde’s epigram, “true friends stab you in the front.” The plot catalyst in Interior Design is an intervention gone wrong, where unspoken truths finally come to the surface. “There’s a pressure to stay the same, an invisible ask to stunt your own growth to keep the group dynamic intact,” Majumdar reflects. “The play definitely explores the cost of holding back essential truths to maintain status quo friendships” – a sobering theme that, she admits, resonates personally: “I’ve definitely put up with poor friendship behavior before taking action for longer than I should have.”
Majumdar’s portrayal of Cecilia explores a related theme of the play—authenticity. While Cecilia’s ever-changing interests make her appear inconsistent to her friends, Majumdar sees a deeper truth in her actions. “Cecilia is extremely authentic to her impulses, which essentially govern the direction of her life. I think it’s easy to look at someone like Cecilia as flighty and disingenuous because of her lack of consistency. But the truth of Cecilia is that she honours her intuition. She honours her impulses, and accepts the consequences with her whole heart.” With this lens, Majumdar portrays Cecilia as a woman living truthfully in a world that expects conformity.
“There’s often an assumption we immediately relate to the characters we’ve been asked to play”, Majumdar notes. But interestingly, this is only partly the case here. Majumdar is childfree by choice and has some non-traditional hobbies – so these aspects of Ceclia resonate with her. But she found herself relating more to the character of Sophie, who is played by the “magnificent Sara Farb”. “Sophie has a sense of responsibility in every sphere of her life that leads to debilitating perfectionism… but really, Sophie cares about her loved ones so much.” Cecilia “fearlessly makes pretty drastic choices that would take me years to even consider – much less follow through”, Majumdar admits. By contrast, Sophie “wants to be intentional with her language, in order to show respect and let her loved ones feel seen. Her journey in navigating genuine authenticity – that doesn’t seek to control or demonstrate superiority – is really satisfying to witness.”
The production’s speed and energy, catalyzed by director Kat Sandler, add another layer to the play’s exploration of midlife challenges. Majumdar is full of praise for Sandler’s “very exciting” approach, and observes, “The combination of both Kat and Rosa creates a really interesting dynamic of fast-paced comedy that’s also painfully relatable.” In Majumdar’s estimation, Sandler has “done such a beautiful job at balancing the comedy with this very real midlife experience” – and the genuine sadness beneath it – “drawing forth a performance that is both entertaining and deeply poignant”.
In Interior Design, Majumdar brings her characteristic depth and insight to a role that, like much of her work, resonates with the complexities of identity, community, relationships and self-acceptance. And she is confident with the universality of Interior Design will strike a chord with audiences. “Rosa tells a very specific story about four childhood friends at a crossroads with each other and their own development. But she really passes the baton to the audience and invites them to reflect on how intentional their relationships have been up until now.”
How much should we change . . . and what should we shed from our long-term friendships? This provocative invitation to introspection – hand-delivered to each audience member – awaits at the Tarragon Theatre Extraspace until November 10, 2024. Visit tarragontheatre.com to reserve tickets.
© Arpita Ghosal, Sesaya Arts Magazine, 2024
