A brief biography of Charlemagne (Charles the Great), ‘Karalsman’ in Malayalam, went on stage in Fort Kochi in its full Malayalam Chavittunatakam version on Sunday, with an all-women team storming the bastion still considered a preserve of men. The play, complete with colourful costumes, loud songs, and stamping of feet came up to mark the 50th anniversary celebrations of St. Joseph’s Bethlehem Church, Chullikkal.
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“The Chavittunatakam version of the life of Charles the Great was performed on stage with an all-women team after a long time,” said Britto Vincent, trainer, director, and Chavittunatakam veteran. The stage performance is a version of normal dramatic presentations on stage but differs in the way songs accompany characters, the loud music is played and in stamping of feet to emphasise a special resonance with the audience.
Chavittunatakam is still popular in the coastal districts of central Kerala, where the drama form originated with the Tamil version of everyday stories and stories from the Bible under the Portuguese influence. Charles the Great has near-mythical status in the West having united most of Europe and triggered a revival in the cultural and political life of the region. His life story is one of the first to have been fully translated into Malayalam for Chavittunatakam performances, said Mr. Vincent.
He added that the oldest of the performers, Jessy Job, 62, was a housewife and the youngest were two Plus two students from West Kochi. They underwent training for around three months, learning their parts and songs and putting into practice the rhythmic delivery of dialogues and general demeanour of professional artistes.
Mr. Vincent said that the performance followed the original Malayalam script and songs were composed by B.J. Johnson Master, a name to reckon with in the world of Chavittunatakam.