Some esoteric observations by Teddy, the tramp of Jane Wagner's Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe -- complete with smelly clothes, unkempt dreadlocks and a wicked moustache. Teddy contemplates the state of mankind and the universe from his princely seat, a humble bench in Central Park, New York. And in these remarkable lines lies the soul of an intelligently crafted and executed production called (W)Hole In The Head.

When Naseeruddin Shah's Teddy says, "Between holes in the head and being whole in the head, we were no more than frozen body", reality that exists between the holes and the whole leaps at your throat. And gradually, the four independent, seemingly unrelated, episodes thathave been strung together to make this unique presentation, fall into place. For each of these stories is a critique on the modern world. "The new world order is a lie on three counts -- it is not necessarily new, it looks less and less like a world, as for the order, well there just ain't any," say directors Shah and Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal.

Enacted by the duo, each of the passages -- drawn from different literary works -- stand alone as a complete story and yet fit in perfectly with the whole. It opens with Jeffrey Hatcher's 13 Things About Ed Carpolotti, a poignant monologue by Virginia, the widow of mafia don Ed, who sits at the funeral parlour gathering memories of her late husband. Not all of them are fond ones.

She often says, "I cannot remember when or where I met Ed." Under Shah's direction, Mody-Kotwal brings out every little nuance of this often bitter, sometimes philosophical and thoroughly lovable middle-aged widow. An American of Italian descent, Virginia's identity hinges solely on her"wheeling-dealing" husband, Ed, even after his death. "I'm a widow," she says on a wittier note, "We're supposed to be buying new cars when our husbands die." But she's equally matter-of-fact -- never mind her bickering stance -- about seeing through Ed's bad debts. A gritty character all the way.

For the rest of the episodes, Mody-Kotwal takes over the directorial reins while Shah dons the greasepaint to enact three outstanding characters -- all dramatically different from each other -- woven together by a moving commentary on varied subjects, from politics and religion to love and science.

The first of these parts is Naz from Don Nigro's Golgotha, a dysfunctional old man who sits on a garbage dump and believes he's God himself. His statements are often outrageous, and yet there's meaning to his madness. The director makes brilliant use of the geriatric's shadow, heightened by wild gestures, on a blank screen behind him -- so much so that he actually assumes prophet-like proportions.

From the garrulousold man to stunning photographs of Nazi concentration camps, the transition to a passage from holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel's autobiography Night, leaves you speechless. A complete contrast to Naz, Elie, a hunched, defeated man sits at his desk recounting the horrifying events that led to his father's death in a concentration camp. And in those crushing moments, life literally comes to a standstill.

And then there's Teddy. Teddy, who injects his special brand of caustic humour to the proceedings. He's a man who takes nothing, including himself, seriously. He's also a man who's probably seen, understood and digested life better than most `normal' people.

(W)Hole In The Head is a brilliant production -- both in its concept and execution. Naseeruddin Shah's performance leaves you wanting for words to describe it. Who else could slip in and out of such complex characters and situations and bring alive every single mood and expression with so much ease? Mody-Kotwal is just a step behind him,only because her voice doesn't always reach out and that dampens the impact of her lines, if only marginally. A notable feature of (W)Hole In The Head is the clever use of light, sound and colour -- a lavish production always makes a better impression.

Here's a theatrical presentation no one should miss.