SUNDAY, MAY 12, 2024
To pay rich tribute to the departed soul of Comedian Selvy, two shows of his tiatr ‘8 Dis’ was staged at Ravindra Bhavan, Margao. Both the shows staged at 3.30 pm and 7.30 pm were declared houseful, with many of the director’s fans and well-wishers returning home teary-eyed.
This time around, comedian Selvy’s role as a rickshaw driver was played by comedian Joyel, an artiste of the Roseferns’ dramatic troupe. With just one rehearsal before staging two shows of tiatr ‘8 Dis’ in memory of late comedian Selvy, this young and enthusiastic comedian gave a fine performance, winning the hearts of the audience, including the artistes of
the troupe.
Before both the shows kicked off at the scheduled time, all the artistes of late comedian Selvy’s troupe wearing black, including musicians, backstage personnel and lightsman, assembled on stage in the presence of the full-house audience. A one-minute silence was maintained in memory of the departed comedian and after seeking blessings of the departed director, the tiatr rolled out on stage.
At the onset, Saby de Divar, who would otherwise render political songs on stage, came up with a decent solo this time, a befitting tribute to Comedian Selvy. It was well received by
the audience.
Comedian Joyel, with his long and curly hair, a close resemblance to comedian Selvy, gave a fine performance on stage, teaming up with Pascoal Rodrigues and Pradeep Naik, as partners in the rickshaw driving trade on stage. Some of his comical acts, besides witty dialogue delivery, did leave the audience, young and the old, in a splits.
When asked about stepping into comedian Selvy’s comical role, Joyel said, “It was with the blessing of Comedian Selvy that I could deliver on stage. And of course, support from my fellow artistes on stage made it even easier for me. Earlier, people associated me with Comedian Richard. But now, many spectators started associating me with
Comedian Selvy.”
“Although the troupe members suggested several names to substitute comedian Selvy in the tiatr ‘8 Dis’,” comedian Joyel shared, “Comedian Agostinho chose me to do justice to the role. He said that I would have to work hard and deliver the best. The spirit of Comedian Selvy was with me throughout to carry forward his work on stage and hence the success of two shows put up in his memory,” he said.
Pascoal Rodrigues, who was teaming up with Comedian Joyel and Pradeep Naik, said that Comedian Selvy’s substitute gave his best on stage and it helped for two shows to run smoothly. “A few clippings were shown to him earlier, followed by just one rehearsal and he picked up the nuances very quickly. We had no difficulty in coordinating with him and two successful performances followed,” he added.
Child artiste Crizaila Fernandes, the daughter of Malita Fernandes who is a fan of Comedian Selvy, was found seated among the musicians. After the show she said she did enjoy the performances on stage, but missed Comedian Selvy among
the comedians.
Myron Correia, son of late Comedian Selvy, who was satisfied with the performance of Comedian Joyel, said, “His entry and exit on stage reminded me of my dad and I couldn’t control my tears.” Recollecting the big fan base his father had, he stated that “the show must go on in memory of my father”.
Cia, another artiste from the troupe said that she was acting with comedian Joyel for the first time and she affirmed that as per the script, he gave his best in tiatr ‘8 Dis’. “But during both the shows, Selvy’s absence could be felt, as he would make fun of me on stage in most of the scenes. There was silence in the green room with absence of his silly jokes. It’s difficult to get over him and I wish it was a bad dream,” Cia said.
Another spectator, Filipe Dias from Maddel, Margao, a close friend of late Comedian Selvy, shared his experience after watching the show sans his incomparable and irreplaceable comedian, stating that he laughed, but with a heavy heart. “Tiatr ‘8 Dis’ without Selvy cannot be the same. But, to my surprise Joyel gave his best to imitate Selvy to the best of his ability. With just two shows, his acting was impressive. At times, he did exactly as Selvy did, which brought tears to my eyes. Selvy must be joyful in heavenly abode watching Joyel playing his role and his wish is fulfilled of staging the show. Selvy’s son imitating his dad was best and he must continue his father’s legacy and keep him alive among us,” Filipe added.
