Two flew over the cuckoo's nest

IN Esplanade Studios' revival of Haresh Sharma's famous play Off Centre, lead actor Ebi Shankara is a revelation. Playing mental patient Vinod, Shankara wears his role like a second skin. It's as if the words were written for him and only him - even though the play premiered in 1993 when Shankara was five.

Vinod suffers from depression. When he's well, he's warm and ebullient. He makes clever quips and quotes DH Lawrence. When depression hits, those virtues mutate into vices. He's snarky and short-tempered. He rants, drivels and besmirches God and religions.

Saloma is played by Siti Khalijah Zainal, one of theatre's finest young actresses. Though she's beloved largely for her flamboyant comedic roles, she gives a thoroughly restrained performance, a frail bird of a girl desperately incapable of understanding her schizophrenia. It's hard to see what a poignant performance this is, particularly next to Shankara's exuberant turn - but it's there.