Mahakal Theatre Fest
Three local troupes to stage adaptations of foreign plays
Three local troupes will stage plays which are adaptations of foreign dramas, today on the third day of the ongoing Festival of World Theatre, arranged by Mohakal Natya Sampradaya.
Nagarik Natyangon Ensemble will stage Jugolbandi at the Experimental Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. Natya Kendra will stage Dui Je Chhilo Ek Chakor at the National Theatre Hall of the academy while Samay Theatre will stage Shesh Sanlap at the Chhayanaut auditorium.
Nagorik Natyangan Ensemble’s Jugalbandi is an adaptation of the comedy Jugalbandi written by the popular Indian satirist Manmoj. Directed by Jamaluddin Hossain, the play sheds light on the dark side of the political practices in the subcontinent through a bizarre storyline where a lunatic reasons with the king – who is depressed after the birth of deformed twin sons – and tries to show the benefits of having twins who are joined at the backs.
Natya Kendra’s Dui Je Chhilo Ek Chakor is an adaptation of The Servant of Two Masters written by Carlo Goldoni. Adapted and directed by Tarik Anam Khan, the play addresses the social anomalies through the comic stories of ordinary people. The protagonist of the play is a domestic help, acted by Yousuf Hasan Arko, who tries to please his two masters simultaneously. Through a series of funny incidents done by the servant while serving two masters, ‘Dui Je Chhilo Ek Chakor’ unveils some burning issues of the contemporary Bangladesh.
Samay Theatre’s Shesh Sanglap is an adaptation of the play The Sultan’s Dilemma written by the noted Egyptian playwright Tewfiq al-Hakim. Adapted by Syed Jamil Ahmed and M Saiful Alam, the play centers on the character Mamluk Sultan; who at the height of his power realm learns that he was not born to the immediate past sultan. He was brought up as a slave child, adopted by the late sultan and was raised as a prince. However, during his death the foster father did not free the child from his bondage. The play is directed by Aktaruzzaman.
-With New Age input
