At Kala Academy’s ‘B’ group tiatr competition the second day was a witness to tiatr ‘Hunvar’ written and directed by Marcos Gonsalves and presented by Barebhat Social and Cultural Association, Raia-Salcete.
The story revolves around a villager Kistu (Marcos Gonsalves) and his spouse, Rosalin (Ashwetha de Souza). They reside in close proximity of a rivulet, which is the livelihood of the couple and daily bread of the neighbouring villagers as well.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
There’s Anton (Saldie Colaco) and Pedrin (Jade Cruz) in the neighbourhood, who take care of the cowshed and cattle of Kistu. Everything goes well with everyone assisting each other in their own little way.
But trouble sets in when the village sarpanch (Avito Pires de Menezes) comes along and with vested interests in mind seeks the rivulet which is in possession of the villagers. Kistu is unwilling to bow down and part with his wicked plans.
Constant trips by the sarpanch and his aide Ruzar (Manuel Baracho) to convince Kistu go in vain. Adamant that he is, the head of the village does not give up. Instead, he finds ways to lay a trap and get what he wishes.
On a visit to Kistu’s house over the same issue, the sarpanch eyes Rosalin and haunts as the couple is childless. Next, Rosalin gets pregnant.
Noticing garbage being dumped in the rivulet and polluting it, Rosalin paves to the sarpanch’s residence in order to stop the menace. But the sarpanch’s aide, Ruzar comes to Kistu, makes allegations and poison’s his mind.
Will Kistu accept his faithful wife thereafter? Will he admit that he is the father of the unborn child? Or will umpteen doubts lead to blunt rejection and result in ‘floods’ in the family?
Tiatr ‘Hunvar’ carries a fine script and sleek direction. There is a good flow of thought and developments in the play are worth the watch during the second half. All the artistes have given a fine performance. Marcos and Ashwetha are apt in the lead roles, while Avito plays the negative role with ease. Other artistes, including the child artistes, Aliva Cardozo and Cassius Fernandes, extend good support to the main cast.
The tense moments are diluted on stage with some comedy pills by Saldie and Jade simultaneously. They are a treat to watch and they tickle the funny bone of the audience quite naturally.
In the section of songs, there was a variety with good renditions. And among all the songs, solos from Holly Rodrigues, Dinora Barretto and Nathan Pinto, a duo from Sherwin Dias and Stefan Fernandes and a duet from Jose Mascarenhas and Anle Barbosa were appealing to the ears. But the cantos in the show fell short of perfection. The band led by Senon de Souza (first trumpet) and his accompanists, Nolvert (second trumpet), Sammy Braganza (trombone), Neville Cardozo (keyboard), Franoy (bass) and Manuel (drums) provided good live music.
The stage sets by F X Pereira and the light designs by Romeo Colaco deserve applause and appreciation. The background music by Yash Maramangallam was equally good, except for high and low voltage in the additional sound system brought in by the director.
