Smooth and polished
Once there was Macondo, familiar to Malayalis. And now, Kochiites know San Pedro el Pacifico, the home of A Peasant of El Salvador . The socio-political upheavals and the travails of a generation in Central America were starkly brought out in this play. Minimalist sets and a docu-drama style were sharply contrasted by stand-out performances by the trio of actors. How imperceptibly the protagonist’s hat changed heads; how smoothly the tongues switched! For this thought-provoking fare by QTP, Gracias!
Dr. Unnikrishnan K. Menon
F2, Pananjickal Arcade, BMRA 64, Edappally
Brilliant symbolism
The synopsis of the play mentioned ‘heart-warming’ and the play stood true to that description. The acting was flawless, the depiction of pathos was touching, wry humour with elements identifiable with India were ‘unmissable’, but what perhaps stood out was the brilliant utilisation of the stage to the fullest with minimal use of props and some brilliant symbolism, case in point being, the cross exposed at the end of the play. All in all, couldn’t have asked for a better beginning to the MPTF at Kochi
Hitesh Mahato, Naval Base
Spontaneous, engrossing
Drawing inspiration from real events in El Salvador during 1970s, the tragic tale was narrated in a racy manner. It was peppered with ironic humour and sardonic digs, which brought a smile on your face and an ache in your heart at the same time. The minimalist narration, without much frills or props, was engrossing and befitted the protagonist’s simple view of things around him. A special mention has to be made to the fantastic manner in which they mimicked the international media, which has got its penchant for distortion. The play was mostly in English, with a bit of Spanish in between. However, the usage of Hindi at some places seemed slightly odd.
Manu Sebastian
Old Railway Station Road
The scent of a peasant
A Peasant of El Salvador by QTP Mumbai is a heart-warming depiction of social history using exceptional acting skills and contemporary techniques of theatre. It transports us to the fields of El Salvador with the earthy scent of Spanish music. The central character, an ordinary peasant, moves seamlessly between actors, transcending linguistic and other barriers, signifying the unifying nature of human condition. The peasant’s life is shown in the background of civil unrest, church-state rivalry and western influences without invoking academic theories or jargon.
It especially helps us to revisit our own land reform history in Kerala. By combining the effects of plain, informal story-telling, political satire and interactive theatrical innovations, the play binds the peasant’s life to our present condition. Like him, we also witness history and political economy unfolding itself without asking questions.
Sridip Nambiar
Kadavanthra
Heart-wrenching satire
A Peasant of El Salvador is a heart-wrenching, thought-provoking play set in the 1970s that could not have been more relevant to the status quo in the developing world. Suffering is a recurrent theme, woven effortlessly into the play with music and satire by the cast Meher, Suhaas and Pramod. The play rekindles the recurrent feeling of helplessness in the face of injustice. Courage is mighty and does not come with perks, as is evident from the lives of Jesus and the erstwhile archbishop of El Salvador- Oscar Romero. One of the best scenes is the enactment of the manner in which reality is twisted and portrayed to the rest of the world in the media-an exhibition of the destructive, self-serving games played by the power-hungry at the cost of the poor. The director, Quasar Thakore Padamsee, has done justice to the script, ensuring the audience stays rapt.
Samantha Andrade
Chittoor Road
Actors rule
Mind Blowing! There’s no other way to aptly describe this breathtaking performance of A Peasant of El Salvador , which, though a story of a farmer in Central America, might just as well have been the essaying of the life of an Indian farmer. Jesus, the poor uncomplaining peasant, is brilliantly portrayed by all three performers by the simple donning of a hat and lo! The actor turns into that character. The three actors throughout the 75-minute play had the audience eating out of their palms. In several instances, they came down from the stage and interacted with the gathering, speaking their lines to individual viewers, sometimes trying to evoke a response but we were so mesmerised and spellbound that we could only break away from their grip at the end of the play to reward them with loud and unrestrained applause.
Aruna Yadav
Naval Base
Revolution 1970
Interweaving the complex themes of globalisation, institutionalised poverty and state terrorism, A Peasant of El Salvador traces the genesis of the bloody revolution of the 70s. The story unfolds through the eyes of a peasant, Jesus whose traditional lifestyle in a remote mountainous village is under threat from the rapidly changing global norms. It is only when the political storm tears through his home and ruptures his family that Jesus is finally forced to take a stand. The superlative storytelling and phenomenal acting were well served by the bare basic props and minimalistic casting for the play. All in all, a great start to The Hindu MetroPlus Theatre Fest 2014.
Elvis D’Cruz
Vidyanagar
Less is more
What strikes your mind at first about the play is its minimal settings and effective lighting. There were not many props on stage apart from the 4 crates and a guitar, with a huge wooden cross acting as a backdrop. These were most judiciously and effectively used by the actors to depict the Salvadorian landscapes, the hills the valleys and the plains. ‘Less was more’ indeed for them.
The stand out performance of the night came from Meher Acharia Dar, who showed superb energy and acting skills. Suhaas Ahuja brought the real Latin American feel with his wonderful command over Spanish. Pramod Pathak, who spoke a little Hindi, reminded us of the relevance of the subject today. A Peasant of El Salvador will surely make us, the fortunate ones, feel for the thousands of people who share the peasant's plight.
Mathew Adam,
Mulanthuruthy
The winner
Pathos and satire
A Peasant of El Salvador brought together the angst of personal tragedy culminating in a national catastrophe. QTP Theatre Productions cannot be lauded any less for their brilliant adaptation of the Stephen Stearns play. The strongly-scripted play brings to life the tribulations in the life of Jesus, a Salvadorian farmer, who is affected by the rising food prices and eventually loses his land and each family member one after the other to brutal government forces. He is subservient to the oppression to a large degree and finally revolts only to disastrous consequences. The viewer, of the play in another land, who is indifferent to these political issues, is moved beyond measure, to the atrocities of a government and its pathetic outcome on helpless victims. After all, it is a universal theme and oppression of the landless could churn the hardest of hearts. It took a vibrant start as the actors made an entry and announced that they would speak in Spanish and Hindi too, apart from English. The three took turns to portray the protagonist Jesus as they sketched the themes of globalization and oppression of the poor. The actors y regaled the audience as they portrayed American hatred of communism. Actors Suhas Ahuja and Meher wore American flags as ties and used an accent as they flipped presentation slides of a ‘communist guerrilla’, worker and so on. It is this dark humor and satire, without trivialising the social issues that gives the Midas touch to the play. Some lilting Spanish music sung and played on the guitar by Suhas provided the right dramatic relief. Magnetic was the word to describe the climax as all three characters walked with palms in synchronised movements to the funeral of the Archbishop.
Arun Joseph Jose
Kolenchery
