TIATR MOGI
Brotherhood is a word cherished deep within our hearts in our childhood. At times due to the demise of the bread winner parent in the family the responsibility of bringing up the other brethren falls on the shoulders of the eldest sibling who gives in his best to his brethren. But then are all his sacrifices rewarded?
The dashing hero of Konkani stage Ulhas Tari takes his audience in a wonderland tour of a joint family of three brothers and unravels his saga of sacrifice brotherhood forgiveness and well-being in his latest three and half hour blockbuster Fuddarache Dive, that is billed as an excellent and powerful tiatr but marred with vulgar comedy thanks to the cheap theatrics by comedian Brian.
Script: The script is written in the non stop drama style with a lead story and a parallel comedy story line that has no connection with the main storyline. The main storyline gets the audience emotionally involved with the storyline. I could see men too wiping their tears at emotional sequences. Ulhas Tari uses his experience on tiatr stage to the maximum and has caught the pulse of the audience with a mature script and soul stirring dialogues. The cantos too are well composed and introduced at the right moment.
Comedy : The comedy storyline had good moments of laughter. Comedian Sally’s character had a connection with the main storyline and the peels of laughter that evoked were natural. Comedian Ambe was the driving force of good comedy and was well supported by comedian Dorothy, comedian Richard and comedian Brian. But what proved disgusting remorseful and distasteful was the utterance of vulgar comedy by comedian Brian.
Sets : The dual sets were a treat to the eye. But the main sets were too posh and did not reflect the standard of living of the characters that lived in it. The altar in the set that was lit in the beginning of each pordo was eye catching and went well the God fearing people that lived in the house. The second set was for decorative purpose. The visuals were of the exteriors but the scenes happening were of the interiors.
Acting : With a star studded cast unfolding the script, expectations of excellent acting were high even before the commencement of the tiatr. True to their commercial value, the artistes did not disappoint the audience. Ulhas Tari as the elder brother led with an example of exemplary acting true to his character. Franky Gonsalves proves why he is regarded as the topmost in negative roles. Roma and Semenca were very impressive but Antonette de Maina stole the hearts with her melodramatic performance and this time her high heel shoes worn in the house were hidden under the saree she wore.
Music/songs: All songs are well composed and sung. Lawry opens the account with a well rendered opening chorus. All singers deserve kudos for their excellent singing. Francis de Tuem, Xavier Gomes, Cajetan de Cacora, Roma gave a good display of their singing abilities that were backed with meaningful lyrics. But it was Roseferns who displayed a total class with a well rendered solo. Tony de Ribandar once again proved why he is regarded as the best composer and singer on tiatr stage. A trio by Xavier Marcos Francis, a duo by Rosario and cajetan, a duet by Antonette and Tony de Ribandar were also worth hearing. The band music led by Maestro Nolvert Cota was punchy and exciting
Direction: Taking up the mantle of the director, Ulhas Tari has once again proved his excellence in this field too. A total paisa wasool performance. Keep it up.
Concluding, was it necessary for the director to overlook the vulgar expressions of laughter by comedian Brian. The director should have taken charge in deleting the vulgar dialogues.
Comedian Brian has been time and again involved with vulgar comedy for different directors and might be getting carried away by the response from the audience. But, he should realize that in an auditorium of a thousand capacity nine hundred are decent folks and true afficianados of tiatr. The vulgar remarks create a distaste among the audience. Directors cry that people do not attend tiatrs. Vulgar comedy will definitely be the factors responsible for the decline and if unchecked will surely be the reason for the death of an art that is 125 years old. Hope better sense prevails.
(Reviews in this space are written by professionals with over 35 years of stage-experience. Offer your feedback at: features.thegoan.net)
