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satire with strings attached You can't blame a talented playwright for wanting to experiment; but once she has established her forte, it would be safer to stick with it. Perhaps this writer and director hasn't realised that her forte is satire, and it is a pity if no one has told her so. But playwrights, like policymakers, are wont to experiment. And often, the effort doesn't quite come off. Perhaps this initial assessment is unfair. But if that it so, it is only because one has come to expect much from this award-winning playwright. Her witticisms usually sparkle and her satire snaps and bites at the heels of much that is down and out in contemporary society. But on this occasion, and especially as regards the blind-poet instalment of the night’s entertainment, her native wit may have failed to deliver on par with most of the audience's expectations. The theme was simple: the fickleness of society's treatment of its artistic icons. The plot was simple: a blind poet is selected to be felicitated not for his merit, but because a publicity-hungry politico and his manipulative public relations team think he fits the bill for a PR stunt. The characterisation was simple: virtually everyone played to type. And the end result was simply that most observers could have been forgiven for feeling that the time and effort were misplaced. The one sphere of excellence was the acting: the players were confident, competent and convincingly 'in character'. They were each one 'on' at all times, and the little touches of stagecraft lifted the production above the mundane. But the musical interludes and bridge passages were unconscionably long for a brace of plays that began at 7.15 p.m., and for which the final curtain rang down past 10 o'clock - which, sadly, is considered late (even for sustenance-starved theatregoers). But all was not lost. The production began on a positive note. Indebted to Indian writer Mahasweta Devi, de Chickera and her troupe were inspired in their presentation of the puppet's tale. The ironically destructive nexus between an artist and his creation was thoughtfully and creatively presented. The pirouetting of the puppet was especially effective, and the inexorable strain that such a lively creation places on its creator was cleverly depicted. One was left wondering whether the climax meant that the artiste (the puppeteer) lost his ability to perform - or that the puppet (in many ways his muse, rather than its master) was the death of the puppeteer. The point about true art dying - in every sense - for its craft was forcefully driven home. At the end, the audience was lulled into a false sense of security via successive humorous sketches - and then the puppet 'died' with banshee wails of "Why do you say there is no room for me?" (The humorous sketches were about the travails of bus travel in Sri Lanka, and the puppet played the conductor...) The genre of the puppet play defied definition. It was set at the street corner, but it was not street theatre. It was rough in its manners, but too finished and articulated in terms of set and props to be rough theatre. The puppet dimension lent it a play-within-a-play veneer, without either the play or the play within representing a slice of life the average audience could relate to. And the humorous sketches were ideal vehicles for satirical lashings at the ordinary life of the masses, but the oeuvre was not satire. It was, perhaps, unreal theatre - machinated, faux-surreal, a play in which the audience were marionettes in the hands of a dextrous puppeteer.... But there were strings attached - a singular strand of thought linking words and ideas. The native wit of the mother tongue and the catch phrases of the language of commerce grated harshly on the ear of those listening out for a symbiosis in the ideas behind the play and the meaning of the words used to express the idea. The characters were at times perceived to be thinking in English but expressing themselves in Sinhala. That the playwright has borrowed much of the words from the latter language - yet probably thinks most naturally in the former - did not help to make the expressions convincing. The effect may have been more devastating in a single neo-language ('street Singlish', the lingo of the English-conscious urban poor or marginalized - an effect that was attempted but did not quite come off...) Conversely, the switch and interplay of languages did serve in parts to highlight the socio-economic realities behind the use of language: the doctor's initial condescension for his obviously poor patient (expressed in English), the nurses' disparaging remarks (mostly in Sinhala), the doctor's subsequent concern for the sick puppeteer (in English)... There were trite observations scattered throughout the play like nuts in a honey-and-nougat ice cream that revealed the thoughtful writer only too aware of the 'socialisation' that many of us take for granted, ignore or tolerate: for example, the annoying tendency of officials of every type to rely on documentation to prove identity - and how mistakes, or uncommon spellings, can brand false identities permanently. Credit for many of the entertaining aspects of the evening must go to the players, for their attention to detail in portraying what were largely stock characters. They did so with creativity and élan, from the ditzy events coordinator and her (respectively) mercurial, empty-headed and neurotic assistants in the poet segment, to the poet himself (a mature performance). The puppets (played severally) were elastic, full of vigour and bounce, and utterly compelling. The passengers on the bus were vastly entertaining. One technique failed in not being exploited to its fullest. The attempt to portray the inner workings of the poet's mind with a projected film of the poet in silhouette could have been more effective if the poet's words and his emotions in real time corresponded to the images projected above his head: for example, the silhouette to yawn and droop (as it did), but only when (as it did not) the poet had lost interest in the proceedings. But perhaps that's asking for too much... On the other hand, audiences can expect. The formula for a successful production is that the audience's reasonable anticipation is met by the players' superlative performances. The formula becomes somewhat skewed when a playwright's objectives clash with either or both. A word of encouragement to de Chickera and her ilk: explore the medium of theatre as a mode to influence (as opposed to merely entertain) society, the polity and people at large. There's no more powerful a tool than satire to make audiences "laugh and cry at the same time" (in the words of the earnest puppet-muse). At the end of this production, one did not quite do either. And that was a great pity from the point of view of the word-perfect players, a thoughtful and talented director, and an eager and interested audience (to judge by the full house on the night this writer was there...). - Balder Classical
dance in step with modernity Ananda Shankar Jayant performed at the Neelan Tiruchelvam birth anniversary celebrations on January 30 bringing Colombo audiences a rare treat of both Bharata Natyam and Kuchipudi. Widely known as an intelligent performer with contemporary sensibility for her brilliant adaptation of techniques to modern themes, she spoke to The Sunday Times on the eve of her performance. Her sparkling personality is the first thing that strikes you, her graceful hand gestures and facial expressions so much the trademarks of a dancer. Initiated young into dance, Ananda recalls that as a four-year-old she was out with her mother (in Secunderabad) when a lady pointing to her told her mother that with such large expressive eyes, Ananda would make a beautiful dancer. The lady happened to be a dance teacher who took her on at that tender age. The All India gold medal for dance (Junior) that Ananda received when she was 11 proved to be a milestone for it earned her the Eaton scholarship to join the renowned Kalakshetra dance school in Chennai. She studied for six years to receive her diploma and post-graduate diploma in Bharata natyam. Back in Secunderabad she mastered Kuchipudi, a dance form from the State of Andhra Pradesh in South India. "Both dance forms aim to reach God - although there is a subtle difference in the treatment of the subject," Ananda explains. While the steps in Bharata Natyam are more angular and stretched out, in Kuchipudi, the movements are more rounded and God becomes friendlier to the dancer who moves with more abandon and vivacity, she says. Was it all dance and no play? "I loved dancing and took to it like a fish to water," she laughs. However, since she was into dancing full time she had to finish high school and graduate (in Commerce) by correspondence. That period saw her performing and travelling all over India. Dancing in Cambodia against the backdrop of the Angkor temple, and at the 50th anniversary of Indian Independence and various major dance festivals are among her most memorable moments. However, Ananda felt that she had missed out on college life. So she went to University, this time to do a full time Masters course in Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology. The UGC Research Fellowship she won then enabled her to do an M.Phil in Arts History. Somewhere along the line Ananda sat for the Public Service Commission exam and now holds a full-time job as Deputy General Manager of the Indian Railway Traffic Service, currently on deputation with the Andhra Pradesh State Government. That's not all - she has now submitted her thesis for a Ph.D in Tourism. Her major works include: Sri Krishnam Vande Jagadugurm (1987) where she used traditional Sanskrit verses to depict the story of Krishna, highlighting his mischievous deeds through Bharata natyam. In Jonathan Livingstone Seagull(1992) , inspired by the book she attempted a new approach, as the traditional carnatic music did not seem to gel. She thus abstracted the art form and used jazz music, English narration and costumes like leotards and netted skirts to give the impression of flying. "The response I received was tremendous, even in a conservative city like Chennai." 1995 saw Buddham Saranam Gachchami, a group performance that depicts the life and philosophy of Buddha. "I hope to bring this to Sri Lanka some time." What about Me? (1999), saw Ananda exploring women's issues and the lack of equality. In this dance she uses English poetry written by a lady police officer and juxtaposes images of Sita with dowry and Draupathi (Hindu mythological figures) with rape, thereby questioning the oppressors. "Although I do not paint a pretty picture or provide answers I end the dance on a note of empowerment and questions." Gandhi and his philosophy were expounded in Expressions of Truth. Her latest production is Navarasa where she looks at the nine emotions without a story. The group work is purely dance. For each of the productions Ananda spent an enormous amount of time sitting with her musicians to let them know the mood, creating images and brainstorming with them before setting it to dance, followed by costumes and makeup. Ananda presently runs a dance school called Shankarananda Kalakshetra in Hyderabad where she takes classes for children twice a week. In the pipeline is a programme for children. Explaining that children seem to be moving away from Indian culture, she says, "I want them to know that dance is not always philosophical. I want to make dance more fun so they can enjoy it." Architectural
aesthetics of French museums The entire masterplan designed and coordinated by the architect: scenography, light, specifications, theft protection or fire protection, showcases.... these topics are presented in the exhibition along with other conservation works. Thirty posters present photographs of outside views of new Museums built in France between 1990 and 2000. The Alliance Francaise of Colombo invites the public to a meeting with curators and architects on February 19, at 6 p.m. The theme will be "Space and Art Collections”. Indian
artiste to perform on veena Performing at the recital will be Veena Sivakumar, one of the brightest stars in Carnatic Music today and Chief of Faculty of the International Foundation for Carnatic Music (IFCM), a centre for music excellence in Trichy. He is also a staff artiste in All India Radio - Trichy, Tamil Nadu. Sivakumar, a science graduate has given numerous solos and duet concerts in Chennai and abroad. He recently gave a 'Veena Solo Concert' in the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.), Abu Dhabi and Dubai to much acclaim. He has won awards including the "Best Instrumentalist Award" from leading institutions such as the Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nataka Manram, Krishna Gana Sabha, and the 'Lalitha Padmanabhan Award' from Narada Gana Sabha. He has also won the 'Ragam Taanam Pallavi Competition' conducted by 'Tamil Isai Sangam' and the 'Indian Fine Arts Society'. |
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Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers
Ltd. All rights reserved. |
"Dance
is the language I know best and I use it to express issues that
need addressing," outstanding Indian dancer Ananda Shankar
Jayant says. And she has used it - often going beyond the traditional
approaches or themes in the celebrated dances that have won her
acclaim both in India and internationally.
