NO MAN'S LAND
REVIEW by BINA SHARIF
A STAGE PLAY: Based on a short story by Mojaffer Hossain and adapted for the stage by Golam Sarwar Harun. Shamita Das- Dasgupta is the script adviser. The play is in Bengali with English supertitles. The play is part of the 15th South Asian Theater Festival staged in new Brunswick Performing Arts Center.NO MAN'S LAND (Also the title of one of Harold Pinter's amazing show) is about a nameless, disabled, abandoned and presumably a homeless woman ( Brilliant, Gargi Mukherjee ) who one day suddenly appear laying on an isolated rock in the middle of a desolate area called, No Man's Land between the borders of India and Bangladesh without a soul in sight to help this un-fortunate woman and all of a sudden the soldiers from both sides appear in a furious state and start to fight with each other.
They bicker, curse and insult each other, involved in their own age old bureaucracy and apathy without ever showing an ounce of concern for the poor woman who is lying outdoors, a victim of nature's forces such as heat and cold and thunderstorms and hunger. There is absolutely no caring or concern for the
nameless woman struggling with the elements, fighting for life without an ounce of humanity shown by
any one of them. Eventually the media shows up, there are Ngo's who are there in the name of human rights but actually only have concerens of their own. The play is about humanity's indifference and callousness towards the destitute who are eventually completely ignored and finally forgotten.
One wonder after being a witness to all the atrocities piled up on certain human beings as if they were wounded animals who howel and howel for attention, for pity, for help but are totally ignored as if they are completely invisible. Everyone who is present in that No Man's Land, who ever comes to watch the tragedy made into a spectacle has complete lack of concern for the un-fortunate and forgotten woman.
It seems like their collective humanity for the downtrodden and so called, unimportant people is imprisoned behind bars never to be released again.
In one of the most stunning scene in the play, a raging storm with fury descends upon the woman and everyone else. Storm is a combination of thunder, rain and hails pouring down from heaven and the scene is staged with incredible imagination and craft with amazing lighting by(Sunanda Mitra) and brilliand actors who with lengthy and light blue colored fabrics make the rivers rise creating the most dangerous flood which brings the ultimate tragedy. When the storm is showing it's signs of ultimate rage and destruction, a young girl dressed in beutifuly bright red color with gold rim in her native clothes (Beutiful Roopkatha) representing life, light and hope and she is the only one of the whole crowd who pleads with her mother for the abandoned woman's safety. She wants her mother to take her away from the rock and inside their home for safety. The little girl is so aware and sensitive about the ultimate tragedy of a human life if she is not removed from the dangerously roaring thunder storm. This scene is so touching, so moving and so sadly demanding help but still no one pays attention. It's heart breaking.
The situation of political and social fall out in that part of the world is not new. Its Centuries old story
of conflict, wars, in-humanity, hunger, poverty, indifference and colonialism and it's unfair divisions
and random borders, a source of permanent battle making the suffereing of ordinary human beings
unbearable.
I loved this production. Its wonderfully staged, brilliantly lit and barvely acted. The whole ensemble
is great and some are excellent such as Sajal Mukherjii, Golam Sarwar Harun (In three roles who adapted the story, acted in it and did a great job as the co-director) Gargi Mukherjee who is superb as the
abondoned woman on the rock and also plays multiple roles and her grief as the nameless, sick woman is heart piercing. She has Madea like quality, a wonderful actor and also the co-director. The most brilliant and so touching and sensitive is the young star in the making, Rupkatha Datta who feels the pain of the woman and wants to take her home, make her warm, feed her and take care of her. I just adored her presence in the show. I just wish that I could speak Bengali so I could get all the delicate references in the show but English supertitles did help.
This production will not be so superb without the original score by Birsa Mukherjee Chatterjee. It's so melodious and haunting. It goes deep into your soul and you hear it constanly long after the show is over.
This Epic Actor's Workshop chaired by Dipan Ray has always interested me a great deal in the past.
I have attended the Asian Theater Festival a few times and I have never been disappointed. It's very diverse, with theater groups from India, Bangladesh, United States participating and the audience is the biggest Asian theater goers in their most festive clothes and jewellery, just to be with them is a source of joy and brightness.
All actors have done a superb job and the crew is very talented. I love the set as well by Prapaditya Mulick, Jayanta Majumdar and Saumitra Bagchi. Perfect set for this kind of a play, minimal and hugely effective.
Visuals in this production gets the highest marks and the sound projection, by Ameeya Mehta and Arindam Shome is excellent. Supertitles are by, Prabir Mitra and Ujjal Mukherjee are helpful, but they move too fast for some one like me who doesn't speak Bengali.
Bravo to the whole company, cast, crew, and extremely energetic chair person Dipan Ray who year after year has given us such gems especially the the rare and precious Asian gems in the theater in the USA.
Bina Sharif: Editor/Publisher: artsinternational.blogspot.com
ATCA (Member of American Theater Critics Association)
email:binashariff@gmail.com
Mobile; 212-260-6207
Co-host, HI DRAMA
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment