Play mesmerising

News From GULF DAILY NEWS

TWO weeks ago, an English drama Mozart Salieri was performed at the Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam. It was a unique experience.

An English drama, on the life of two great music composers, who lived in the latter half of the 18th century in the musical city of Vienna, is a daunting task for any director. But Mohan Raj successfully managed to convey the fierce rivalry between Mozart and Salieri.

It is based on the stage play Amadeus by Peter Shaffer which was inspired by the short play The Little Tragedies by Alexander Pushkin, who is considered to be the founder of modern Russian literature.

The fictional element of hostility between Mozart and Salieri is taken from Pushkin's play. In reality, there was no evidence to prove it.

The lead characters enacted by Ben Sugunan and Tiji Mathew performed brilliantly. Ben as Mozart was outstanding. The boorish behaviour of Mozart with a childish laugh was praiseworthy. Tiji, a debutant in the drama field, did justice to his role. Vishnu Priya as Constanze Mozart and P T Thomas, who did the elderly role of Salieri equally supported the main characters.

The play was unique in the candle theatre style. The concept, a first for the samajam, yielded a theatrical play, which mesmerised the audience with its period costumes, lighting and performances. Credit goes to the director for having made it an incredible visual treat.

The play with a cast of more than 40 performed really well. The Whisperers' entry in the first scene with candle lights, providing insights was innovative and attention-grabbing. Then their grand entry onto the stage, moving in single file created a strong opening to the play.

Kudos to Mohan Raj and his team for their noble attempt for charity.

Ajay Nair