It is an intimate gathering at the Vivekalya School. There is to be an evening of fun-filled theatrics. The members of CATS (Coimbatore Art and Theatrical Society), this time has organised a mono-act session. Original scripts, impromptu presentations, interpretations of classics all come together. The rules of the game are simple – each person is given five minutes to put up his or her act.
Soul fare
Shawn Nigli takes the lead. It is Christopher Marlowe's classic – Doctor Faustus. In this tragedy, Doctor Faustus sells his soul to the devil in exchange for power and knowledge. But it is a deal he comes to regret. At the crucial hour when Marlowe's soul is about to be taken away by the devil, Faustus is inconsolable. And Sean's soliloquy with his bass voice captures the intensity of this moment.
Age is indeed not a deterrent. In full costume — a black suit and moustache drawn on her face wielding a staff, 80 plus Dhinoo Hatari charms everyone as a magician. She has the audience rolling in laughter as she tries to make her magic act work!
Young Sivaguru, recreates the recent Parliament Assembly scandal on stage. The dialogue is between a journalist and a politician. Clad in a spotless white dhoti and shirt, the young boy depicts the politician dancing to the tunes of Michael Jackson in Parliament.
The next setting is an Indian village. A man is lying dead under a wall. Jaishree Murthy comes onto stage beating a small drum. She plays a greedy wife, a foolhardy king and a prostitute in turn as her story unfolds. But it is the two young lads she plays, who manage to guile the ruler into killing himself to amass his land, that steal the show.
For Pierce Nigli it is time to remember Charles Dickens'. The audience is drawn in as he enacts the painful episode in Oliver Twist where the barbarous Bill Sykes murders his mistress, Nancy. Nigli's winning moment is when he bludgeons Nancy to pulp. The stunned audience takes a moment to burst into applause as he exits. Bringing in some comic relief is Siddartha, with a small act from Neil Simon's ‘A Visitor from Mamaroneck'. Just when we think we are done, Jaswant runs up on stage. The scene is the pearly gates of heaven. A Malayali, a Tamilian and a Punjabi are put through their paces by St. Peter — an apt ending to an entertaining evening!
