Do not make others the victim of your weakness, for while you may succeed in liberating yourself from the bondage of addiction, the other may remain its slave forever. This is the message conveyed in the tiatr ‘Kallokantlean Uzvaddak’ (From Darkness to Light) penned by Fr Milagres Dias, directed by William Rodrigues and presented by Panjim Sports Festival Committee, Taleigao. It throws light on modern youth gripped by vice and the consequences of this.
The story revolves around two families. After the death of his mother, Royston (Clint Fernandes) is brought up by his maternal uncle Joaquim (Fr Antonio Alburquerque). While Royston’s father Joe (William Rodrigues) toils hard to earn his living abroad. Joaquim, a tailor by profession, tries his best to groom his nephew with sound principles and values. But stubborn Royston, who excels in academics and sports, goes astray.
On the other hand, Cynthia (Filina Sapeco) is equally careful with her growing son Cyrus (Client Fernandes). But the company of friends leads him to become an addict. He easily ropes in his friend Royston and makes him a slave of drugs and smoking.
Will the duo mend their crooked ways and see the light at the end of the tunnel? Which one of them acknowledges his wrongdoing and treads the right path? Will the repentant one be able to convince and guide his companion? These queries are answered tactfully in the second half of the drama.
Fr Antonio Albuquerque has played a convincing role of an uncle to a nephew. So has Filina Sapeco as a strict mother to her son. Client Fernandes delivers his dialogues well, but robust Clint Fernandes stands out, both in his body language and dialogue delivery. Joseph Pinto as the parish priest and Olavo Dias as Sir Newton are comfortable in their respective shoes. Asha Sonia Pereira is a typical gossip monger in the village, but soft-spoken Divina Dias as a servant could have been more expressive.
For the lighter moments on stage, Internet (Clare Coutinho) and Kazulo (Andrew Rodrigues) form a perfect pair, with timely body movements.
In the category of songs, most of the solos, duets, duo, trio and choral had themes related to environment, profession and family. Two solos by Irene Rocha on peace and St Joseph Vaz stood out among the rest.
John Fernandes and Ravi Raj Shet need to be commended for their creativity at the stage sets and light effects. Roy Menezes and his troupe provided appealing live music to all songs and cantos.
