Rosy Alvares starts the main play with a canto, bringing out certain parameters of her life and the plot to the fore; one amongst them being the fact that she is about to get married. Her younger sister ( known as Semanca in real life) is the next in line to tie the knot. In walks Joanna complaining about her husband Francis, called Dubaua-Fransik (Doubting Thomas), just as he appears behind her.
“The tiatr revolves around two households “ one being of the two sisters and the other being the family of comedian Sally and comedian Joanna,” confirms Mario Menezes. Having established relations between the two families in the first scene helps the tiatr to compliment the serious parts with dialogues by the comedian family who leave no stone unturned to bring the house down.
Supporting the comedians in their rib tickling feats is comedian Michael who wants to rent a room in Sally and Joanna's house. The son of the village tiatr enthusiast Mingloo, (a double role played by Michael), Michale, only sings out what he has on his mind instead of speaking. Filled with more cameo characters played by stage managers Bobbit and John Hatts, the tiatr has an equally entertaining cantaram side to its credit. Lawry Travasso’s two serious solos, are thought provoking; especially the one about the son palming off his father to the same priest at an old age home who had earlier cried to adopt this very son 30 years ago. Responsible for penning the cantos of this tiatr along with Lawry Travasso, Tony de Ribandar’s songwriting skills however are also on display with the trio, quartet, duo, duet, Rosy Alvares’ solo on late Abdul Kalam’s parents and his own melodiously rendered solo, all written by the talented Tony. Political statements in this tiatr only come from comedian Michael apart from his solo on Mhargai (rising expenses) that got an encore for his added new verse.
The script has clash dialogues bringing on philosophies as well as fights; especially when it comes to the household of Sally and Joanna who get physical, much to the amusement of the audience. Then again, Comedian Michael finds himself in a spot for stopping the wife’s aggressive advances instead of the husband Dubau Fransik. Amidst cackles and laughter, the story takes a turn at the interval with the entry of Mario Menezes, an ambitious businessman and school buddy of the fiancé of one of the sisters.
Posing the question, ‘why should he mind?’ to the fiancé, played by Franky Gonsalves, the sister in concern then goes on a roller coaster ride “ towards wealth in the guise of a career instead of love. However, the inevitable happens and she is attracted towards an extra marital affair instead. The plot that thickens thereafter finally brings out the fallacy of choosing material wealth over values. Gripping the audiences with the storyline by the second scene itself; the first scene makes a statement on the interim period between engagements and the actual wedding thus allowing room for stray incidents. (Four mid-scene power cuts followed by disappointed moans at the Gomant Vidya Niketan, Margao only confirmed the involvement).
Band leader Dexter Furtado’s opening solo, a first in the history of traditional tiatr, was among the high points. The drum solo by drummer Manuel that followed also had able musical support from Macroy on the 2nd trumpet, and Marian on the base guitar. True to the professional tiatr circuit, the cut to cut production and dialogue deliveries allow room for the tiatr to appear pretty fast paced with its entertainment content.
