Tiatr Mogi
Old age is an important phase in a man’s life. However hard a person works, one day man has to retire from active life and continue the journey thereafter. Hence it is pertinent and of utmost importance to save something for tomorrow; not knowing what misfortunes could befall you in your grey days.
Mhozo Pai To, a non-stop drama by comedian Agostinho makes one think about a life after retirement urging the children to take care of their parents in their old age.
Script
The script is in the non-stop style and true to its form. Comedian Agostinho minces no words and presents the performance as a non-stop drama. Tiatrists using the form of non-stop drama and then slicing the storyline into acts only to insert songs should take a lesson or two from comedian Agostinho Temudo and be faithful to the art that they are promoting. The cantos are well composed and take the tiatr ahead. However, the uncalled for references comparing the Hindu family lifestyle with that of the Christian family should have been avoided as there are similar situations in both communities as one tiatr enthusiast remarked; soglleanchea randni fattlean gobor astach’
Comedy
The non stop drama has good comedy and the mannerisms of the comedians specially that of comedian Selvy were enough to send the audience in peels of laughter. The comedy is simple but at times gets nasty and crude. But it can go as passable. Comedian Selvy and comedian Agostinho are superb in their acts. However the female comedian Fiona in a bid to get energy in the scenes, shouts in rendering dialogues and loses her natural form and in the bargain her rhythm and flair for comedy is lost.
Sets
The sets are not tailor made for the performance and seeing the same sets again and again on tiatr stage, becomes an eyesore. Comedy scenes are enacted on a house curtain which is a welcome relief to the audience who are by now accustomed to watch comedy scenes being performed on an outdated blue curtain.
Acting
The tiatr features a good set of actors blending seniors with relatively new comers. Pascoal Rodrigues, Jaju and Pradeep Naik are excellent as the three fathers in the play. While naturality in acting flows in abundance with Pradeep Naik, Jaju is great in his melodramatic role that has a mixture of comic and non-comic overtures. Pascoal Rodrigues has a sarcastic and witty one-liners which he delivers with a punch. Cia has a great stage presence. Her costumes are attractive and appealing but the less she spoke was better for the audience. Felipe Almeida was great as a henpecked husband. Benny de Aldona excelled in the role of the priest. But it was Prakash Marathe who captures the hearts of the audience with a disciplined display of talent and dialogue delivery doing the role of a supportive son.
Music/songs
The band led by comedian Agostinho’s son Aiden Temudo gave good music. The background score too was impressive. Being a non stop drama there were no side show songs. Benny de Aldona was excellent in rendering the opening song. The cantos of the tiatr are well composed and sung by the cast.
Direction
The direction is microphone oriented. The director has kept himself and the troupe away from political matter though a few jibes are incorporated in the script but in doing so he has taken care to see that character assassination is not carried out. Vulgarity which has become a fashion and an important ingredient in today’s tiatrs has been kept away and the director needs to be complimented for the same.
A good performance to watch. A good entertainment; ‘divertiment’as it is called, is guaranteed.
