The Mahindra Theatre Festival, which ended this past week, is truly a celebration of excellence in theatre in India. The plays reflected a variety of presentational styles, themes and languages and there is a sincere quest to evolve a new language to reflect new socio-economic antagonism.
Remarkable for its irresistible visual charm and vigour, “After Death – The Spiritual Journey” presented by Voxpop Dancers India at LTG auditorium is a highly imaginative dance theatre piece, offering imaginative choreographic patterns, deeply stirring music score and riveting narrative.
Directed by Vikram Mohan with music score by Bhooshan Bhatt, the production evokes a variety of moods ranging from terror to sublime spirituality. Every perfectly synchronized movement with music creates an artistry that brings to the fore multiple layers of lamentations over the death and celebration of death as the spiritual journey. The music score is drawn from western as well as tribal music. The visual imageries convey the anguished inner world of the characters.
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The core of the narrative is the death in a tribal area of Madhya Pradesh. The last journey of deceased is marked by a series of rituals. The Bhil community does not believe in rebirth and believe that their dead always remain with them and protect them from natural calamities. It is the sacred duty of the community to erect temple for the dead.
Director-choreographer Vikram and music composure Bhatt convey this basic storyline in the medium of dance-theatre to impart the production more subtlety and depth, transforming it into a visual poetry. The costumes designed by Sterre Sharma are elegant, enabling the artistes to dance swiftly with vigour and spontaneity. The musical tunes celebrating death are captured from the actual music accompanying dead in tribal region. The image of the widow rising higher and higher symbolizes her innate desire to relive her life with dignity but a cruel society throws over her buckets of water to remind her that she is a widow and to restart life anew is forbidden to her is memorable yet disturbing.
The director uses huge puppets which move on the stage and also in the auditorium to convey the idea that ancestors keep on moving to observe the conduct of their children. The larger-than-life image of puppets is used to highlight the predominant place tribals give to their ancestors. Pragati Agarwal as the widow enriches the production with her outstanding performance.
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“Cave Tree Dwellers”
They want Azadi-Azadi from abysmal poverty and Azadi from the ignominy of the existence of rootless vigrant labourers. They are the characters in a Tamil play titled “Kuhaimaravasigal” which featured at the FICCI auditorium. Written and directed by Dr. S. Murugabhoopathy and presented by Manalmagudi Theatre Land, this is an experimental theatrical piece in terms of music, content and style of presentation. Subtle choreography, folk music with impassioned tunes, fine ensemble acting all synthesize to transform theatre as a vehicle of social and political protest. The production focuses on the problems of being faced by construction workers in metropolis who are deprived of basic human rights. They have no property and have no identity and they have with them only their own only music and musical instruments of the land which was once their home.
The costumes and property are faded and in earthy colour which are in tune with the people suffering from deprivation and utterly neglected and isolated by the so-called civil society. Apart from desperately trying to escape from their oppressive world, these characters give a call to all the oppressed people of the world to unite and form brotherhood to fight collectively to create a world to live with dignity. Among various images the production creates the one with a vast net that has entrapped the migrants and desperately trying to escape from their captivity is an eloquent expression for liberation of the marginalized people. Towards the end the performers hold puppets, hoping that as the story-teller the puppets would tell their sad tale to the world.
The highlight of the production is the blending of music, movements, décor and content to evolve a new kind of theatre of the oppressed.
“The Balcony”
Genet’s controversial play “The Balcony” is not seen on the Delhi stage in recent memory. However, the presentation of the play in Malayalam which was staged by R. Biju, Remembrance Theatre Group at LTG auditorium as part of META provided the discerning audience of the Capital a chance to watch the production that captures the decadence of a society obsessed with pathological desire to grab power. With the use of multi-media, garish costumes and experienced and inspired members of the cast, director Sasidharan Naduvil leaves a deeply disturbing and provocative impact on the audience.
Here in “The Balcony” prostitutes attend their clients who play out their fantasies, assuming themselves powerful people in society. In the process of transforming their humble status in society, they create weird situations, inflicting tortures on the prostitutes who serve them. While personating characters of high social status, they change their clothes and wear new costumes, one becomes Bishop and another army general. The character of Police Chief is real who provides protection to the brothel. While inside the brothel the sex maniac are playing their sordid game, outside on the street civil war is raging with rebels having upper hand. The sniper bullets frequently hit the clients inside the balcony. The owner of the brothel, Ima, when she is told the queen has gone underground to save her life, she wears a crown, assuming herself the queen.
Genet’s world is a world of decadence and depravity in which characters impersonate their oppressors and people in power. The same trend is in evidence in his “The Maid” in which the humiliated and insulted maids impersonate their mistress to take revenge which ends in tragedy. Sunitha as Karmen, the prostitute tortured into playing the role of the horse which is being ridden by the ‘army general’ gives a forceful performance. Another role of quality is enacted by Rakesh Reghunath as a prostitute being mercilessly treated by a sex maniac. Shahi Surendernath as the ‘army general’ gives an excellent performance.