Review

TROJAN WOMEN – adaptation in Malayalam

Hate, Strife, and conflict have always been as much a part of man’s stories as their antipolars, namely love and amity. But the negatives form unpleasant images, which leave the human psyche, scarred, never to be repaired. Obviously, what is true of man, a microcosm of humanity, is equally valid in the case of a human race.

For the play Trojan women” Jean Paul Sartre culled a chapter from the ancient Greek history and retold the tale of Troy by Euripides - the saga of pluck and courage in the face of oppression and humiliation, arson and plunder followed by revenge, and bondage spurring liberation.

This story knows no time or clime, said Kavalam Narayana Panikker, the doyen of modern vernacular theatre, before the premiere of the Malayalam adaptation of the play,

Verily, Kurukshektra, the great battlefield of Mahabharatha repeats itself endlessly and, though known by different names, is re-enacted in Germany and Vietnam, Ireland and Kosovo and often a reversal of roles, as when the nazi-ravaged French attacked Algeria, the oppressed turn aggressors.

The elegy of “Trojan Women” narrates the gruesome experience of the war widows, How the invaders wreaked violence on them, including killing them. The fortitude of Queen Hecuba, who withstands all adversities, is hailed in the play as an example of the indomitable courage that the oppressed displayed at all times. Striking a close parallel to the last hours of Sita in the “ Ramayana”, the play concludes with Mother earth being invoked to consume their sufferings in the unfathomed depths of her eternal love.

The production has appreciably good standards of acting. The director chose a man to play the role of queen Hecuba, and the actor has given to a little bit of overacting and gesticulation.

The coordinated movements of the nameless soldiers and the Trojan Woman lend charm to the play. Still the intensity of the agony did not quite come through. The musical idiom adopted by the folklorist-playwright was a delectable blend of the Greek and the local. , The imaginative use of the classical costumes in stark white, gray and black settings complimented the young actors and the actresses who deserve a word of praise for their effort.

The play was presented by the troupe Sopanam under the auspices of the Alliance Francaise with the assistance of a few corporates at Nishagandhi open-air theatre, Thiruvanthapuram.

A NATIONAL THEATRE FESTIVAL AND SEMINAR - Nataka Bharathi 2001

Shakespeare on Indian Stage

In association with Govt. of Kerala & South Zone Cultural Centre, Thanjavoor, Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy is organising an ambitious National Festival of Theatre between February 24th to March 2nd, at Kasargod in North Kerala – Nataka Bharathi-2001. This year is to focus on Indian adaptation/translations of Shakespeare. The festival is to begin with Sri. Habeeb Tanvir’s celebrated production of ”A Midsummer Night Dream”. Various troupes from all over India will also be taking part in the weeklong festival with excellent Indian versions of Shakespeare. Along with the performance of plays, there will also be a series of seminars that discusses interesting aspects on various Indian encounters with Shakespeare. Dr. H.S.Shivaprakash, well-known Kannada playwright, poet and editor of Indian Literature will be the director of the festival.

On the first day 24th after Inaugural function, the play ‘Kamdeo Ko Apna Basanth Rithu Ka Sapna (adaptation of MidSummer Night Dream in Chatheesgadi, directed by Habeeb Tanvir, presented by Naya Theatre, Bhopal will be performed. The other plays to be performed are Maranayaka -adaptation of Macbeth in Kannada by Dr. H.S. Shivaprakash, directed by Huligappa Kattimani and presented by the inmates of Central jail Mysore; King Lear in the language Marathi directed by Dr.Sharath Buthadia and presented by Pratyaya Theatre, Kolhapur; Iruthiattam,- adaptation of King Lear in Tamil by Indira Parthasarathi, directed by R.Raju and presented by Arangam, Pondicherry; Hamlet in Assameese adapted by Keerthi Komal Bhuyan, directed by Dulal Roy and presented by Rangapeeth, Guwahatii; Hamlet in Manipuri directed by Kishorejit presented by Paradise Theatre Imphal; Kodumkattu adaptation of the Tempest in Malayalam, adapted and directed by Kavalam Narayana Panikker presented by Sopanam, Thiruvananthapuram. Also .a slide and music show, Shakespeare in Bengali directed by Dr.Debojit Bandopathyay, and Rithi Bandopadhyaya presented by Akademi Theatre, Calcutta and Charudatham, an adaptation of King Lear in Kathakali form, adapted by Sadanam Harikumar and presented by Satwikam, Kala Sadanam Palakkad will be the other attractions of the festival

The seminar sessions include a variety of subjects like Indian negotiations of Shakespeare, Shakespeare and shaping Of Indian Theatre through Colonialism and Neo-colonialism, Indian Shakespeare productions’ – an overview, Depicting Socio-Political struggles through Shakespeare, Indian criticism of Shakespeare; The example of Utpal Dutt, Shakespeare through Indian Languages as Translations, adaptations and interpretations, Shakespeare on Indian Stage, Doing Shakespeare in the Third world; The Chilean experience, Shakespeare through Malayalam,, Impact of Shakespeare on Malayalam playwrighting, V.Sambasivan’s Shakespeare based performances in the popular form Kadhaprasanga, Shakespeare in Kathakali and Malayalam encounter with Tempest by Prof.Chandradasan and Maya Twaen Berg.

This week long festival is expected to bring the important experiments based on Shakespeare in the many vernacular languages of India and also highlight the influence and importance of Shakespeare in a third world theatre like that of India with a colonial past and neocolonial present.

© 2000 Chandradasan ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

An Editor’s Note

Scene4 has been online for nearly a year. Much of its publication is in the magazine’s archives on this site. Just click the “archives” button and use the slow but steady Search Engine. With it you can find feature articles, columns, commentaries, plays, notebooks, and a few novelties, all for your reading pleasure and enlightenment. Enjoy! ...as we enjoy bringing it to you.    --AM

© 2000-2001 Aviar-DKA Ltd. All rights reserved (including authors’ and individual copyrights are indicated). No part of this material may be reproduced, translated, transmitted, framed or stored in a retrieval system for public or private use without the written  permission of the publisher and the individual copyright holder. For permissions, contact publishers@scene4.com.