As literature is a mirror to society, a tiatr brings the realities of society on stage.
After his last tiatr, ‘Ibadd’, which completed 27 shows, John D’Silva is back,
drawing attention to a common trend happening in Goa. Known as the Emperor of
Konkani Stage and Superstar of Konkani Films, John released his new tiatr,
‘Aponn’, on October 13, at Orlim. The tiatr is based on the current situations
in Goa. “The story revolves around three friends, whose lives are entangled in
the current affairs of Goa. It highlights the plight of Goans, as Goa is
overtaken by immigrants. Like every commercial tiatr, ‘Aponn’, has decent and
clean comedy with a variety of songs, like solos, duet, duo, trio and quartet,”
says John.
The cast includes Aloma, Meena Goes, Socorro de St Cruz, Peter
de Pedda, Anicete, Milagres de Ganpoga, Ivan, Comedian Kenny, Remie, Elvis and
John. The musicians include band leader Cristo (trumpet), Natasha (saxophone),
Jose Carvalho (keyboards), Movin (drums) and Twiggy (bass). The lights are by A
P Rojols while Remie and Elvis de Xiquetim are the stage managers.
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Explaining the concept, John says, “The script is well written
with a message to ponder upon, cautioning Goans about their future. My tiatr is
about the change of names. Many immigrants change their names and this has an
effect on Goans. The tiatr shows how Goans are affected by this. Till date,
there has been no tiatr or film made on the issue of change of names by
immigrants. Today, Goa is taken over by immigrants. How and why is shown in
‘Aponn’.”
Besides ‘Aponn’, he is also excited to share the news about his
tiatr, ‘Vell’, which is back by public demand and will be stage for three shows
in the United Kingdom in November 2019. “I am showing my bumper hit tiatr
‘Vell’ as it was a huge hit when it was released in 1996. It had houseful shows
in Goa and was also staged in Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Dubai. By public
demand, it was re-released after 20 years in 2016 and again received a great
response and applause. Now it will be shown at Wembley on November 8, 2019,
Hounslow on November 9, 2019 and at Southall on November 10, 2019,” says John.
John
has also entered the prestigious Limca Book of Records in 2010. John is the
only tiatrist who is a member of Entertainment Society of Goa and the Indian
Council of Cultural Relations. “My rehearsals are strict. All artistes have to
learn their scripts by heart. We have two rehearsals of the first half, two
rehearsals of the second half, one rehearsal of songs and finally two
rehearsals of the full tiatr to attain perfection,” signs off John, giving us a
glimpse of his work ethic
