Tiatr "Adeus"

THE Konkani tiatr may be quite an entertaining affair if one has the time and inclination to sit through the three-and-half-hour affair. On October 2, the Comunidade of Mapusa organised a show of "Adeus" as a part of their millennium celebrations.

This typical genre of Goan theatre is on its last legs. In fact, this is the only show of its kind which is being staged these days. So we got to hear some entertaining songs, the best in the assorted fare being the one by veteran M Boyer. Boyer recounted the plight of Goans when any large project is planned in the State. Osvi Menezes too gave glimpses of the traditioanal Goan cantar. In a trio, a small boy displayed his prodigious talent for singing. However, the song was hardly the type in which a kid should been involved.

The plot of the main play was melodramatic as usual, but sufficiently spiced. Felcy, the tragedienne, definitely enacted the best performance of the evening. The play was punctuated with comic interludes, the Salcete accent of which was sufficient to have the Bardez crowd in splits.

TEEN PAISHANCHO TIATR

RECENTLY, the Kala Academy was the venue of a rather novel experiment in theatre. Inspired by the great German playwright Bertolt Brecht's evergreen musical play "The Threepenny Opera", Rangmell put up a play called "Teen Paishancho Tiatr", focussing on our decaying social values. The seemingly hilarious comedy made a poignant comment on our effort to dehumanise ourselves by playing fake, gaudy, longer-then-life roles. The underlying message is that the world is not merely a mart selling dreams but also a place where emotions and human values are goaded into action.

The play attempts to re-orient Brechtian theories to suit the cosmopolitanism we experience today. Our existence has been reduced to a mere commodity, which the ‘haves' purchase with money, muscle and power while the ‘have-nots' steal and beg. One often finds himself governed by the very demonical forces one despises, bringing us face to face with the fact that our life is hardly worth three pice.

‘Teen Paishancho Tiatr' does not use the style and décor of a popular ‘Tiatr'. The term ‘tiatr' is meant to represent a theatrical presentation, suited to the contemporary trends catering to a varied audience. Hence tiatr-type folk songs, natyasangeet, devotional music and even Hindi film parodies find a place in the entertaining presentation. The characters have been allowed the freedom to choose the best form of expression notwithstanding the language they speak, making "Teen Paishancho Tiatr" a modern, light and breezy entertainment. It also continues subtly to haunt the mind much after the curtain has fallen.