Wednesday, December 11, 2024

Dhaka Theatre stages indigenous tinged Tempest in London

Global Shakespeare
Dhaka Theatre stages indigenous tinged Tempest in London
John Farndon
Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” is an extraordinary play. Written at a time when Britain had barely begun to embark on its colonial age, “The Tempest” ends with the exiled Duke Prospero choosing to end his rule over the natives of some distant isle and offer them their freedom. It is this strikingly modern message of power-sharing and toleration that the Dhaka Theatre’s production of the play brings home to Shakespeare’s Globe, the reconstruction of the famous open air theatre in London where the play was first performed 401 years ago.
Rather than focusing on Prospero’s individual journey to understanding, acclaimed Bangladeshi director Nasiruddin Yousuff instead explores the play’s colonial themes — and in doing so underlines how both relevant and timeless Shakespeare is. At the end, tellingly, in a subtle change to Shakespeare’s original, Prospero (Rubol Noor Lodi) doesn’t simply free his native slave Caliban but hands him the conch shell that symbolises the rule of the island.
Dhaka Theatre is performing in London as part of the Globe’s remarkable season that brings 37 productions of Shakespeare’s plays to the theatre from around the world. All productions are in their own native languages and Dhaka Theatre’s production is in Bangla. Yet although the words were lost on non-Bangla speakers in the audience like myself, Yousuff innovatively blends Shakespeare with the traditional dance of the Manipuri people to create a captivating style of storytelling that transforms “The Tempest” into what seems like both an old Bengali myth and a charged political drama.
Almost a century ago, the great Bengali playwright Rabindranath Tagore created dance-dramas inspired by the Manipuri dance form. But Yousuff has done something different here. Helped by Manipuri dancers Nilmoni Singha and Bidhan Singha, he has worked long and hard with the Dhaka Theatre troupe to develop a style of performance that blends acting and dance.
The actors are not trained dancers, and some may miss the refined grace of classical dancers that takes years to develop. Instead, they are actors who move in a unique way to tell the story. The sea and sand play a central role in the imagery of this production, and the actors have, for instance, developed a light style of moving as if walking on soft sand. There is a directness and simplicity about the production’s approach that makes “The Tempest” seem both ancient and fresh — and also works remarkably well in the rude intimacy of Shakespeare’s original theatre.
Throughout the performance, the troupe squat in a semi-circle at the back of the stage, each with his or her own colourful tin suitcase of props, costumes and musical instruments. They never leave the stage, but simply get up to play their part before sitting down again — creating a continuity and a bond between audience and players that is often lost in more conventional theatre. There is a continual buzz of sound from cymbals and the dramatic pung drums, and the action is punctuated by the spectacular whirling dances of the pung drummers.
It took a while for the audience to get used to this way of storytelling, and it was only when the hugely comic trio of Caliban, Stefano and Trinculo (played by Chandan Chowdhury, Kamal Bayzed and Samiun Jahan Dola) begin their antics that the warmth between audience and performers began to develop on a cold May night in London. But once it did, the performance drew the audience in entirely, and led to a hugely enthusiastic reception in the end, as the performers returned to caper on the stage.
Underpinning it all is the haunting music created by Shimul Yousuf, who also plays Ariel with an unusually reticent presence, drifting slowly across the stage like a lost spirit, and filling the theatre with her mournful singing from behind a blue veil, as if a voice from the deep. It’s a great ensemble of highly accomplished actors, which includes Shahiduzzaman Selim as Alonso and Esha Yousuf as Miranda.
There is no great tempest in Dhaka Theatre’s production but it has the rough magic of Prospero’s enchanted island. It is, as Prospero says in the original, ‘such stuff as dreams are made on’, and carries a rightly gentle and highly relevant message for today.

The writer is an internationally known author, playwright, composer and songwriter.

Article originally published on The Daily Star

Related News

DU theatre festival taking place at TSC

Cultural Desk : dhakamirror.com The 18th annual central theatre festival organised by the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies of Dhaka University is under way at its TSC auditorium. The 11-day festival, directed by final-year students, was inaugurated on December 3 with the staging of Badal Sircar’s play Suitcase directed by Tumpa Rani Das. A ... Read more

Exhibition highlights complicated significance of Buriganga river

Cultural Desk : dhakamirror.com A six-day group print exhibition depicting the complicated significance of the Buriganga River is under way at Alliance Française de Dhaka. Organised by the Dhaka University printmaking department, the exhibition titled Downward’s Surface is displaying more than a hundred artworks created by 23 fourth-year bachelor’s and master’s students of the department. ... Read more

Humayun Ahmed’s 76th birth anniversary today

Cultural Desk : dhakamirror.com Today is the 76th anniversary of the birth of the renowned author, dramatist, screenwriter, and director Humayun Ahmed. Humayun Ahmed is considered one of the top writers in Bengali literature, after Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam. He played a key role in revitalizing Bengali literature and created memorable characters like ... Read more

Week-long annual art exhibition begins at DU

Cultural Desk : dhakamirror.com A seven-day annual art exhibition featuring artworks by students of the sculpture department of Dhaka University began at Zainul Gallery of the university on Monday. Organised by the sculpture department of the faculty of fine art, the exhibition features 64 artworks created by students of 2022 and 2023 academic years. The ... Read more

BSA organises cultural event with theme ‘Awaaz Uda’ to commemorate July-August mass uprising

Entertainment Desk : dhakamirror.com Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy will host a cultural event to commemorate July-August mass uprising this Friday, November 8. The event’s theme has been decided upon as ‘Awaaz Uda’. Rapper Hannan, the band F Minor and numerous other artists will be performing at the event. The event, organised by the Music, Dance, and ... Read more

Jatra Utsab kicks off at Suhrawardy Udyan

Cultural Desk : dhakamirror.com A seven-day Jatra Utsab, organised by Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, began on Friday on the the Mukta Mancha stage of the Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka. The academy aimed to revive cultural practices at all social layers after the student-led July mass-uprising. The festival features seven historical and social story-based Jatra, the popular ... Read more

Kalim Sharafi’s death anniv today

Cultural Desk : dhakamirror.com Today is the 14th anniversary of the death of Independence Award-winning cultural activist-Tagore exponent Kalim Sharafi. Born on May 8, 1924 in Birbhum of West Bengal, British India to Syed Sami Ahmed and Begum Aliya, Kalim Sharafi developed a passion for music at an early age. He recorded 18 albums, 15 ... Read more

Scholastica students stage Walt Disney’s ‘Tangled’ at Uttara campus

Cultural Desk : dhakamirror.com The students of Drama, Music and Dance clubs of Scholastica senior campus in Uttara staged the Walt Disney’s musical adventure comedy play titled Tangled at the STM Hall of the campus on Thursday and Friday. François Grosjean, director of Alliance Francaise de Dhaka, attended the shows as chief guest and enlightened ... Read more

Artist Samarjit Roy Chowdhury’s 2nd death anniv today

Cultural Desk : dhakamirror.com oday is the second anniversary of the death of artist Samarjit Roy Chowdhury. Born in 1937 in Cumilla, Samarjit Roy graduated in graphic design from the then Government Art Institute, now the faculty of fine art, Dhaka University, in 1960. He joined the Dhaka University and worked for 43 years, and ... Read more

BSA to reopen National Theatre Hall on Friday

Cultural Desk : dhakamirror.com Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy is scheduled to reopen the National Theatre Hall and its two rehearsal rooms on Friday, said a press release on Monday. The theatre troupe can stage one show in one shift, and they have to give the member lists of troupes involved with productions at the BSA office. ... Read more

Nazrul’s grandson Kazi Anirban passes away

Cultural Desk : dhakamirror.com Kazi Anirban, the grandson of National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, passed away on Wednesday (October 3) in Switzerland due to a heart attack. He was the eldest son of Kazi Aniruddha, the rebel poet’s youngest child. Nazrul Sangeet artiste Khilkhil Kazi, daughter of Nazrul’s eldest son Kazi Sabyasachi, confirmed the news ... Read more

Nazrul’s 125th birth anniversary today

Cultural Desk : dhakamirror.com Today is the 125th birth anniversary of national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam. The birth anniversary of Nazrul, widely known as the rebel poet, is observed in Bangladesh on Jyaishtha 11, according to the Bangla calendar. Nazrul, a poet, lyricist, composer, playwright, novelist, revolutionary and journalist, sang equally for freedom and love. ... Read more

Mrinal Sen’s birth anniversary today

Cultural Desk : dhakamirror.com Today is the 101st anniversary of the birth of the legendary Bengali filmmaker Mrinal Sen. Born on May 14, 1923 in Faridpur, Mrinal Sen moved to Kolkata to study and became involved in left-wing politics, cultural activities, and film production. One of the most politically active filmmakers, he, after having studied ... Read more

Zainul Abedin’s 109th birth anniv today

Cultural Desk : dhakamirror.com Today is the 109th anniversary of the birth of Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin. On the occasion, different organisations and admirers will pay tribute to Zainul Abedin placing floral wreaths on his grave on the Dhaka University premises in the morning. Zainul is best known for his sketches of the Bengal famine of ... Read more

Manik Bandopadhyay’s death anniversary today

Cultural Desk : dhakamirror.com Today is the 67th anniversary of the death of Bengali novelist and short story writer Manik Bandopadhyay. Born on May 19, 1908 to Harikar Bandopadhyay and Niroda Devi in Dumka, a small town in Santal Parganas district in the state of Bihar, British India, Manik Bandopadhyay was the fifth of the ... Read more

Qayyum Chowdhury ’s death anniversary today

Cultural Desk : dhakamirror.com Today is the ninth anniversary of the death of acclaimed artist Qayyum Chowdhury. Born on March 9, 1932 in Feni, Qayyum Chowdhury’s works delve deep into folk, rustic life and traditions. Fish, flowers, women, birds and greenery are recurring objects on his canvas. He graduated from the Government Institute of Arts ... Read more

Festival honoring cultural diversity called “Sadhu Mela.”

Cultural Desk : dhakamirror.com The Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy organize “Sadhu Mela” on November 28 in a colorful demonstration of cultural diversity carrying on the custom that dates back to 2019. Taking place on the day of Fakir Lalon Shai’s Disappearance Day on every full moon, the event has become a noteworthy regular event in the ... Read more

‘Quarantine’ exhibition by artist Mahbubur Rahman begins today

Cultural Desk : dhakamirror.com The opening ceremony of the exhibition comprising multi-dimensional artworks of artist Mahbubur Rahman will be held today at 5 pm. The exhibit titled, “Quarantine”, has been organised at the Kamrul Hasan Exhibition (level 1) of Bengal Shilpalay in Dhanmondi. Professor Bulbul Osman, women and human rights activist Khushi Kabir and artist ... Read more

SM Sultan’s 29th death anniversary today

Cultural Desk : dhakamirror.com Today is the 29th anniversary of the death of renowned artist SM Sultan. Different organisations, including Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, SM Sultan Foundation and Narail district administration will pay tribute to SM Sultan organising daylong programmes at different venues in Narail’s Sultan Smriti Sangrahasala, Shishu Swarga and Zila Shilpakala Academy. Born on ... Read more

‘Tasher Desh’ staged at Scholastica school

Cultural Desk : dhakamirror.com With immense zeal and fervour, Scholastica Senior Campus, Mirpur staged the splendid play ‘Tasher Desh’, a masterpiece by the revered poet Rabindranath Tagore. The school’s STM hall served as the majestic environment for this two-day annual drama festival, culminating on a Friday. The talented students, members of the esteemed drama, music, ... Read more