The versatility of any stage artiste lays not only how he orshe acts or adapts to the stage but how good the artiste is in bringing to lifeany given character on stage. A veteran of the Konkani stage, Annie Quadros,qualifies as a complete artist in every sense of the word. A member of PrinceJacob’s troupe for the last 25 years, she has served the Konkani stage for thelast 37 years.
In Prince Jacob’s latest tiatr titled ‘Amchea GharantTiatr’, Annie is called upon to play a role that demands exceptional actingskills and presence of mind. Annie Quadros, it is safe to say, carries herselfelegantly as she plays Mrs Priti Mendonca a semi-literate dominating wife, astrict mother and overzealous mother in law. The character penned by theplaywright demands a lot of creativity and spontaneity, and Annie lives up toher reputation, bringing the character to life in minute detail.
Discussing day to day matters with her family members inbroken English, Annie Quadros brings peals of laughter to the audience. She isvery well supported by her chauffer, Comedian Humberto. Being fluent in spokenEnglish is one thing, but being excellent and flawless in broken English issomething exceptional. Annie is so comfortable uttering sentences in brokenEnglish that it makes one wonder whether she is natural or puts on an act.
As the mother in law of a young professional model, Annietries to compete with her in terms of dress code, style and elegance. This issomething to be watched to be believed, especially in one particular scene whenshe returns after attending a fashion show organised by the ‘Ladies Club’. Herdress code is evident to justify that she has invested heavily in the trendyand fashionable wardrobe that the role demands.
Speaking to ‘The Goan’, Annie Quadros said “On reading thescript of ‘Amchea Gharant Tiatr’ I knew I had a challenging role on my hands. Iloved the opportunity to do justice to the same. Accordingly, I set to designthe wardrobe that would go with the character. And while it is a different rolealtogether, the thought of it being difficult never occurred to me. Mysatisfaction lies in the fact that many people after watching the show taketime to come back stage and complement me for the ‘one of a kind’ character ofMrs. Priti Mendonca.”
It can be safely said that the central plot of ‘AmcheaGharant Tiatr’ rests heavily on Annie Quadros as Mrs Priti Mendonca andComedian Humberto as her simpleton chauffeur. It is not always one sees Anniein such a different role, and her fans should not miss her performance of alifetime.
