Be Careful
Project Arts Centre, Dublin 2
★★★★☆
When the lights go out for Be Careful to begin, you don’t expect the sight that follows: a woman standing still – completely naked – and staring at the audience.
For several minutes her eyes move slowly across the room, locking on to different faces. Then a small grin spreads across her face. What follows is both unsettling and powerful.
Mallika Taneja, the Delhi-born performer, writer and director of this 12-year-old play, begins pulling pieces of clothing from hangers around her, layering them one by one as she launches into her monologue. Each piece tightens around her body, suffocating her as she speaks. The laughter that ripples through the audience is uneasy, but it lands exactly where Taneja intends.
Be Careful is a biting satire on a particularly Indian mindset that situates the honour of the family and the society in its women. Her performance explores how women’s bodies become sites of constant control and how the word “responsibility” is shoved down their throats, pinned to their consciousness until it becomes an involuntary reflex.
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At one point her words dissolve into gibberish, a frantic repetition of phrases she has already spoken. It feels like a mantra, one that every woman has heard too often.
In Be Careful clothing becomes both a symbol and a weapon. It defines a woman’s identity while also limiting her freedom. The act of dressing, strategically choosing what to wear, so as to blend into the crowd and not attract attention, becomes a daily survival ritual.
Through humour and irony, Taneja exposes the absurdity of these expectations. She turns the simple act of wearing clothes into a political performance, revealing how deeply internalised these societal regressions are.
The fourth wall disappears early in the performance. Taneja’s engagement with the audience feels spontaneous and direct. At one point, after posing a question, she says lightly, “You can speak.” It’s a moment that captures the spirit of the play: confrontational and piercing yet humorous. She strips bare the hypocrisy of those who tell women to “be careful” rather than eradicating the dangers that make such caution necessary.
Taneja’s monologue touches on the universal fear of stepping outside at night, on the curfews imposed on girls and on the idea that safety comes not from justice but from compliance. When she recalls her father’s warning to be home by 6pm or to go out only with someone like her brother, it makes the suffocation feel more tangible.
This is a power-packed one-person performance, unflinching, sharp and in your face. It does not shy away from calling a spade a spade. Its strength lies in its adaptability, reminiscent of Dario Fo’s Can’t Pay, Won’t Pay!, which has been successfully contextualised across cultures.
Similarly, Be Careful resonates far beyond its Indian roots; the instinct to blame women for their circumstances is a global phenomenon. While some contextual tweaks, such as replacing “mall” with “shopping centre” for Irish audiences, might have been worthwhile, the impact remains.
If anything, the play could linger longer. Its brevity leaves one wanting a bit more space for reflection.
Runs at Project Arts Centre, as part of Dublin Theatre Festival, until Saturday, October 11th
