Ibsen Festival in Delhi
CAT, Bangladesh stages Lady from the Sea
Kavita Charanji, New Delhi
Dark, bleak and brooding — this best describes the landscape of parts of Norway. And Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen has aptly captured the ambiance of his country in his famous plays. Recently an Ibsen festival was held in Delhi with plays such as “Lady from the Sea,” “White Horses,” “Little Eyolf” and “Ibsen Women”.
The festival got off to a start with “Lady from the Sea,” staged by the Centre for Asian Theatre (CAT), Bangladesh and directed by Norwegian Un-Magritt Nordseth. For the Delhi Bengalis the evening was a visual delight as the dialogues and actors were Bengali (while English subtitles were displayed on a screen). The play depicts the troubled marriage of Ellida and the much older Dr. Wangel, who already has two daughters not much younger than Ellida. Ellida is at a crossroads — torn by her duty to her husband and her longing for a sailor, known only as ‘the Stranger’ in the play, to whom she was once engaged. She is also stifled in the small town at the fjord and yearns for the wide-open sea with all its untamed mystery. One day the Stranger returns into her life and Ellida is forced to make a choice between him (who she says both “terrifies and attracts” her) and Wangel, who gives her the freedom to make her choice. Eventually rationality triumphs and she opts for life with her husband.
Describing the theme, Margritt says, “Her husband, who has given her the liberty to choose, is ultimately the hero of the play. Normally in Ibsen’s plays the endings are very tragic with characters committing suicide or leaving. ‘The Lady from the Sea’ has a happy ending and critics wonder how Ibsen made a departure from his usual finale.”
Among the prominent theatre personalities at the plays was Kamaluddin Nilu, founder of CAT, which he recently left. Now he is a member of the faculty at the Centre for Ibsen Studies, Oslo University, Norway. In his words “Many of Ibsen’s plays are about individual freedom and the freedom of expression, and therefore are still relevant.”
Another attraction was “Ibsen Women,” directed and performed solo by Juni Dahr of Norway. Her repertoire of strong and complex women in Ibsen’s plays ranged from Nora to Hedda, Mrs. Alving to Ellida, Hilde and Hjordis. Quoting a woman character in one of Ibsen’s works, “Put an eagle in a cage and it will bite the bars whether they are of iron and gold,” Juni gave an outstanding performance in the role of the six women in painful quest of freedom.
Ultimately the 19th century women in Ibsen’s works have rebelled against the traditional patriarchal order.
The play has attracted audiences all over the world. In Asia it has been performed in Dhaka, New Delhi, Lahore, Beijing, Singapore and Hong Kong.
The credit for the superb festival must go the Royal Norwegian Embassy and The Dramatic Art & Design Academy. Another such festival is on the cards in 2009 — eagerly awaited by Ibsen aficionados.
Courtesy: thedailystar.net
