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I
PRODUCTIONS
IN
ENGLISH
(A)
PRE-1850:
UNLESS
OTHERWISE
STATED,
Ry
LOCALBRITISH
COMPANIES
ATIACHED
TO
THE
THEATRES
IN
QUESTION
23-30 December
1780.
Othello.
Catcutta
Theatre
Advertiscment
h
The Bengal
Ga.ete,
no_
49
'The
Managers
of
the Theatre
having
generously
offered
ro
give
a
Benefit play
ro
Mr Soubise,
towaids
the compterion
of
his Manage,
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l6
7 Decembe.
1786:
Excerpi
frofi
The Calcuto
Cazette:
'Wc
canflot
avoid
suggeslin ,
though
with infinile
deference
to
the
Director,of
the
[Calcutta]
:Ihealre'
who
is
indefatigabl€
in the
depati-
ment
which
he so
ably fills.
lhat
the
Tragedies
of Hamlet'
Zara.
Venic€
Preserved,
and
Macbeth.
staod
very high
in
public
estimation,
and
thal thcy,anxioutly
hope 10
seehim
fiU
some
ofthe
principal
characters
in these
TragediEs
dunng
the continuance
of,the
cold
season'
IPoddar
25
^Ienuarr,
I
Februsry
f88.
Richa III-
C'lcutta Theatrc
k<m
rf{E
Calanta
Gd.elre,
5 Feb
l78A:
'we
agr6e
i6
,the
gensrd
64ra
ion diat
the
whole
perfonnance
went
off
,vith
l
idl ilrerited
€dat.
'Thc
p '1
of Richad
was
given
in
'lh[l
masterJy
style
which
characrcrizes
'oln
Roscius-
atd though
the
character
r'equires
all the
exe{ions
o{ a
ffrst-rarc
perf(rmer
in
lhe
full
possessio'
of
every
facujty,
it
was
impossible
f6r the
mosr
ffirical eye
to observe
the
srarllest
want
of
activitv,
even
in the
mosl ti{$
iog sceics.
nolwith_
sQnding
the
lale
severe
illness
under
$'ltich
the
genll€'nan who
represented
il,
had so
long
labourcd
and
fIonl
the elIecls
of
which
he is
yei
but
imfJerfeclly
recovered.
."
'Thc
eldest
of the
Princes
spoke
distinctly
and
collcctcdly
but
the
youngest
was
rather
too
young to be
heard.
The scenery
in
general
was
excellent,
particul.rty the
camp-scene
in
whichRichard's
pavilion
was
Yery
ingeniously
contrived.'
[Das
Guptai
Sen
GuPta
gives
dale
of
premiere as
24 Jan,
citing Cal
Caz
of
3l
lan
8
Febr$ry
1788.
Henry
IV
Pa
l. Calcu'la
Theatre
22
February
fiAa.
Henry
IV
Part
2. Calct't^
The'tre
'The
representalion
of
such
a
characler
as FalstalT
requires
vely
uncom,non
and
eccentric
powers
..
The
gentleman
who
perfornred the
part
on
Friday
nighl,
though
he
gave it almost
enlircly
after
a
manncr
of
his
o*n.
conveyed
the
humour
of his
author
Yery
irresislibly...
'The
Prince
o[
Wales's
veNatility
was
well-portrayed'
Hotspur
was
the
character
lrc
represeotei:l
and i0decd
the
whol€
play
was
SHAKESPEARE
ON TI'E
CALCUTTA
STAGE
PRODIJCTTONS IN ENCLISH
t1
more
correctly exhibiled
than
any we have
seen this
season. The
house
was
$in:
scarce
any
ladies. and oi
the few who
did honour
ihe rcprcsentalion
wilh thcir
presence,
several
quilted
the
house
before
it was
half
ovcr,
Irom which
il may be
presumed
thc
"Fat
Knight"
is no favou.itc of
lhe
fair.'
lcal
Gaz
28
Feb
1788.
See
Das
Gupla
19
Nolemb€r 1788.
The Mercha
t
of Venice, Calcutla
Theatre
[Sen
Oupla
1189.
lulius
C&sat, Brisfow
Th€atre
Frcm The
Calc a Ca.ette,7
May 1789:
Mrs
Bristow
won
acclaim
in the role
of
Lucius.
FBncis
Rendell
The key figure
of
the Calcu(a
lheatre
world al lhat limc
was
Dr
Francis Rendell,
who
had ahcady
earncd
somo
reputation
in London
as
a
foUower
of Carrick.
This
handsome
young
phys;ciar
in
the scrvice
of
the
Company.
thc
first to introduce
acresses
on
lhe Calcutta
slage,
organized several
shows oI
Hdrtler, Ki,tg
Leat, Othello,
He t-\ lV an(' Richa
lll.
lsen
Gupra
WiUiarn
Hickey
records
lhal
williarn
Burkc
considered Rendell
the eqlal
of
Garrick
jn
the
presentalion of
Hamlet,
though
nol ()t othello.
1797.
Catherine
and
Petucrrio
(Garrick's
adaptstion
otThe Ta,ni
g
of the Shrew).
Whe€l€r
Place
Thealr€
lchakrubari,
KLLLkatar
NotJachLlft
ha
1812-1814. The same.
Athenteum
Theatrc
lal2-tau. He r IU
Athenaeum
Th€atr€
l.irst
Beek
of
Aprit
1814.
Macbeth.
Cho$ringh€e
Theatre
The
llrst
significan
Shakespcarc
performance
of
the
cenlurv
in
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18
SHAKESPEARE
ON THE
CALCUTTA
STA6E
Calcutta.
The critic
of the
Calcu
a
Go<ette
pftised
practicallv
all
the
actors,
and
was speciaUy
impressed
by thc
night
scene'
'Ofthe
niSht scene
it
is impossible
o
give
a
j
usier
commendalion
ftan
by
saying
thai
i rominded
aU lhose
who
had
seen Mrs
Siddons
rn rhe
pafl oi lhe
magic
loJchcs
uI
hcr rr'
"'
'We shall not
forget the marked
efltct
and
dcep silcnce produced
in
the audience
during
the
scene
in
which,
after
ending
ihe
bloody
deed.
lMacbelh]
camd
before
them
admirablv
picluring thc
horid
workings
of a mind
unaccustomed
to
guilt,
and
terrorslruck at
i1s own
cvil
acts. trf
the
truth of
the
picture
could
be
judged
by
the
elfccl
it
produced, it
was here
tully
declarcd
by
(he
elecric
ttcling
which
ran
through
the
assembly.
..
'...all
who
like
ourselvcs
wenl
10
thc Theairc
with
no
small
apprehcnsions
of a
failure
in the
undertaking.
left
it with
a conviclion
;;1
it is
at lasl
possiblc
for
a deep
tragedv
to
be
attempted
without
being
murdered
by
a bodv
ot
anuteurs
in
Clllurtra''
rcal
Aa.]
LPt
iSl4
See
A'
Mitra
23
J
r
1814.
Henry
IU Chowringhee
Theatr€
lDas
Gupta
1815
(dare
uncertain).
Cath'erine
a
il Peiuchio
Chowringhee
The'
Frcm
The
Cabutta
Mo
thb
Jol' aL'
March
l8l5:
'Wc
cannot
say,
that
we have
any
great rclish
or
respect
for
trny
oi
rhcse
mangled
cditions of
thc works
ofour
immorlal
poel
which
seem
to have
obtained
possession of
the slage.'
1816
(datc
uncerlain).
Il?no
lz Chowringhe€
Theatrc
Bencfit
performance
for the
la
ilies
of soldicrs
killed or
nlaimed
at
the
Batlle
of
waterloo.
[Sen
CuPla
25
September
1818.
The
Mefft
Wives
of
Witdsot
Chowringhee
Theatre
lDas
Gupla
PRODUCTIONS
IN
ENGI-ISH
7 Mry 1819. He'|ry
Iu.
Chowringhee
Theatre
(sce
also above,23 July
l8l4)
'The
play
ol Henry Mas been so fiequently
pcrlormed
al lhe
Chowdnghce Theatrc,
thal
splendid and
powcrlul
as the
exhibilion
wus, no
particular
degree ol
intercst was
cxcitcd
by
ils
announcernent
lor
rcpresentation
on
Friday
Iast.
Therc
was another
reason
why
it
was not hailcd
wilh
pleasurc.
The Falstaff we
have been accustomed
10 see, and whom
critics
admired, was to
be
supplied by another
person.
eminent indeed in other walks ol drama, but
whose
success
in rhis
particrlar
character could not bc imagined even by those who
knew his talents the besl-
...
The
King
was
repilsented by an amateur
who
had
distinguished himself in olher
characters
of a widely different
dcscriplion..-.
'OfFalstafTmuch nright
bc said.
Thc
conception
of the charrcter
dillcred in
some
degree from lhe
one
given
by the
lb ner
represen-
tative. He
was
less
a
laughter
loving knighl.
and
lhere
was
lcssjollity
in his
composilion. His
predecessor
lvas remarkable fo. his clear
cnunciation. .-. The Falstafl
ol'last Friday night had not this natuml
advantage. but he undelstood thc characrer
pcrfeclly,
and
in
spile of
indisposition went
though Ihe most conspicuous sccncs
oi
thc
play
wilh admirable
success.
Nor a single
point
of
wit was losr.'
lThe
Cdlcuttu
Jo
al
15
May 1819.
quoting
the Covernment
Gazette
ot'
13
May
ITiI
1833,
the
so rce
fot
the
foUowing formation
is
Se Guptaj
18
January
1824. CorioA rs. Chowringhee
Thcatrc
27 February 1824,
Macbeth. Chowringh€€ Theatre
19 December la2a. Riclnftl
II.
Chowringhe€ Theatre
2
January
1829. The
Mercha
t
of
Ve
ice. Chowringh€€ Th€atre
27
February 1829. Othe
o. Chowringhee
Theatre
The
cast included
Mrs
Esthcr
Leach rnd
J.
H.
Stoquelcr.
1830
(date
uncedain). also Nvicc
morc
between
1830 and
1834,
accordin '
to
Ahsan. Ma.,erl' ChowriDghe€
Theatrc
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10
SHAKESPEAI{E
ON
THE
CALCUTTA
STAGE
{,:il}H:
t ff
#il
l:;;,ii
-itti:"
iiii
'i)"ii
,lii.
ru'.-i,*
"*r'sr
rAct
v)
cho\tnnshcc
IIlilT".
,,
tr"
",nr
incluried
Mrs
Lcach
(Tilinru
Lotr
ilJ;, ;;;;;".
""ricc
sharrow
Mlrvorio
Pro\nero)
5
April,
15
Mav
1841'
?-i
e
Tani
g
ol
the
Shft$"
Town
Hall'
Salis
souci
il,l'J*"*,""'o'
"n'
n'd
nr:
c
J
nrme
tor
hcr'clr
on
rhe
Autrnlian
-^".
olxved
Katherine'
'''-';[;;;;;;,;i;" de'cribed
het
rurr
cnd
cornm0ndins
apr.ar-
""..'
lif
1,;;;;;,;";
*"",
*",1,:,,[:"1;,
:::
:fiilll#,
.lisnlrv
Inore
ltlacitv
thrn
grace
in
nrton
'
F
i;i;
:;;:,,.J,;;
',".,
r'cen
u'cd
ro a
much
r,rge.Iusc
,han
,hal
nl
(he
Town
Hrll
Theute''
""
#;,,,i;,,
"^""cd
lhar
:hc
$ould
be
J
grear
a(qui'ition
t"
'."
"::":';;;J
sat,'
souct
rheJn{'
rn
nornr
or
rucr'
(he
did
ioin
i;:
;;;.'J*,'""'r'
hut
d'|ed
:rr
er
"
''"t'',I
illT,l"il;,
",r,"
l0 Norembcr
la4r'
Ua'bcth
sans
So
ci
Thealre
i'i.:i:I'J;.#.:
;r:ix:
.y: ::l :,."::^Ill.,$:T;L[":
''1i"ll1ll'iill."llii*olii"
'
n"*
''
'*'*d
'hc
$rorc
we
'J;l:ilT:l;,ii#;;'oertr
-
'
mta
atenrnt
$e
werc
urhc'r
:;';,;;
il;;.
*"''"
ror
rr
was
remrrt'ahr)
wcrr
n(rcd
Mr'
D-
ll ., *" ,*i
t*,
N4r(berh
and
I
muq
\av
Mr
M-
trl'o
cr\
f:i'i:i
il;;';.,
roo'
or
Mucbcrh
is
arwxvi
Prcrtv
anr'
'n
lhe
;il;";;,.
r\n
Erc
r
mzgnrnimir)
in
hu\rn'r
sone
rhcrc'
rhc
house
w35
over-l'ull"
'fhe
B('trnl
H?t'
J
tl4
NovemDcr
rd4l
I
\riJ
of
N4r\
Dcr(le
s
""."*:;l"'il;
,',""'fl
$a'
ndced
Jn
)nthitrou'
'l':]ll,
l::
::::"Ji;;il"
';;;.',"".,instv
nohre
uer
rrrrruaes
$erc
\omerrrncs
:::;";';.,
.
picrures
ana
rull
oi
lruh
and
heJut)"
Mclnuttc
'
[:il;,,;;;;:""''
\rac
arso
crid
'o
h"
"'"rr"n'
,n
Mi,,.
PRODI
CTIONS
IN
ENCLISH
2I
2 November
l&13.
The
Matchant
of
ue"ica
Sans
Souci
Theatrc
James
vining.
newly
arliled
frcm
England,
was
commcnded
tbr
his
interprctltio;
o
I
Shylock.
Other
membcrs
of
lhe
cast
wcrc MLs
Dcrcle
(Por;ia). Miss
Cowlcy
(Nerissa),
Mrs
Leach
(Jessica),
Claudc
Mclnotte
as
Lntonio.
Captaio
Copp
(Bussanio).
Colonel
Brilon
(Gmriano)' Mr
Bartolo
(Launcclot
Gobbo)
drd
Jamcs
Barry
As
Duke/Tubal
lscn
CuPta
The
Cdlcuta.ttdr,
4 November
1843'
gavc
l
dclniled
accounl
of
James
Vining's
coslume
and acting:
He
dtcssed
lhe
Jew
sontewhat
alter
tlre
laJion
adopled
hv Kcan,
nanrely,
the
red
gabardine
and
'We
should
nante
the
scene
wilh Tlbal
as above
(bc
levcl
ol
the
gcneral
perfonnance,
high
as
it
undoubtedly
was' His
reccption
oi
tie
news
of
Antonio's
losses
was
verv
{ine'
and thc
sudden
'lall
on both knees
at thc
words
I
thxok
Codl
I lhank
Godl"
well
nrannged
as i1
was.
was
exlrcmely
ctTectile
rnd broughl
down
a
round
of
applausc.
His
cxit loo in
tha
scene
was
cxcellenl'
and the
words'I
*i]f
rrur" trr"
hea.t
of
him'
were
delilercd
wilh
an
eamcstness
of
purpose that
miSht
make
lhe blo(xl
of
a Christian
crcep
"
'Col
BLiron
as
craliaflo
fairly
emned
lhe
applausc
he
rcceived
on
the delivery
ol each
lriunrphan
tauni
ol
lhe
discomfitted
Jew'
and
thc
part
throughout
was
plaved with
vivacily
and
point' Ba(olo
was
hintself
as
Launcclot
-
whlt nrorc
can
wc
sry?
"
'Of
thc
ladics
we
ntighl
say
rll we
sxid
beiore'
but
as we
could
not
bestow
morc
praise' and
would
nol
bestow
lcss'
therc
$ould
be
no
originalily
in
our
remarks.'
lA.
Milra
20
Deemb€r
1843,
Rotueo
and
Jutiet
Sa,ns
Souci
Theatr€
The
casl
included
Jamcs
Vining
(Romco)' Mrs
Deacle
(Julic )'
Miss
Co$ley
,
LJLI)
C.,pulcrr'
M^
Br
rv
r\u^()'
lsen
Gupla
The critic
of
the
C.lLtita
.t/., said
hc
could
nol
Lrgrec
wilh
Vining's
interpretalion
ol
the charactcr
ol
Romco
Thc
citic
sit'v
no*eo',
mosi
Pronouncc.l
lrait
to hc
wcakness
and
'total
want
of
cnergy',
but
Vini
g
had
po(rryed a
characier
of
passhn' lhat
is
10
say
oi
fove
conrtincd witb
energy,
conkary
to whd
i1
rcdlly
is "'
oilove
coNbincd
lvith
wcakncss.
Howe\cr,
he
praiscd the
qualitv
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72
SHAKESPEARE
ON
THE CALCUTTA
STACE
of
vi8ing's
acting:
'his execulion
was maslerly"
Hc also obse.ved
that 'The
admirahle
m$ner
in which
he
perfbrmed
Shvlock
induccs
us to think
that
he
will
always be
morc successful
ir
charactcrs
of
loitiness
and
cnergy
than
in
scenes
ol lenderness
and
scnsibility.'
Mrs Deaclc\
acling
was also
highly
pmised
bv thc S/ar'
lA.
Mitm
December
1843. Ha
el. Sans
Souci
Theatrc
Claude
Melnolle
as
Hamleti Mrs
Omonde
as Ophelia.
tAhmed
21
Lpril
1841.
Othello.
Sans Souci
Theatre
17
August,
12
September
1848, Otltelra
Sans
Souci Theatr€
(scc
also
Appendix
D)
Baishnav Charan
Addy
as
Olheilo;
Mrs Ande^^n
ns
Desdcnrona'
A landmark
pe
bmance.
For the tirsl
tine in Lhe
history of
English
professional thealre
in
tndia, an Indian
appearcd
on the
slage
among
a
predominarrtly
whirc
casl.
Kiroomoy
Rcha
w
tes
in
BetrgaliTheate
of
a
lctlcr in
The CaLcutta
Stur
in
which was announced
the
'debut
of a
real
unpainied
nigger
Othello'
which set
'rhc
whole
world of
Calcutta
agog'.
'Othello
...
was the
Srcat
attraction
on
Thursday
nighi .. ihe
player
however
and
not lhe
play
Performed
by
Bahoo Brsronr
Churn
Addy ...
all expectations
werc
ofcourse
centercd
in
lhe
young
aspiranl
for dramatic
fame,
who
has
gallantly flung down
the
gauntlel
to
the
res of
rhe members
ol
the nalile
connnunily.
. . Shakespeare,
exiled
liom
fie
counlry he
honours
so nuch,
sceks an
asylum ol1 llrc
Calcu(a
boards.
...
51im. and
symrnelrical
in
person,
his delilcry
was
somewhal
cra
ped, brt under
all
circunstances
his
prununciation ol
English
was for
a native
rcmarkablv
good.
.. The
perlorrner had
subshnlial
demoDstratlon
thal
the feelings
oI thc
audience
werc
fairly
enlisted
lcal
Stagc
on
his side.'
Itse
gal Hlrkarc,
19 August
1848
'In
the
dclivery
the
clTects
of imperlbct
pronuncialion
scrc
bul too
lThe
E
elishnrc
,
19 August
1848. See
Mukhc{ec
PRODUCTIONS
IN ENCLISH
2]
From the
review
in Sambari
Prublaka\
2l August
1848
[lranslated
irom rhe
Bengalil:
'Local
periomer
[e/adlatri)d
,arrai]
Babu Baisnabchand
irr.l
Adhya
pleased
evcrybody through
his rendering of
Olhello's
spceches
and
geslurcs.
He
was not at
rl1 nervous nor did
he neglect any
potential
of
style
or
gcsture.
and words
of
praise
werc
showered
oll
him
iiom
all
sides.'
IRilari
Jatra
me
Enslislt,na
,14
Seplember
1848, also
expressed disappointment
atier the
repeat
perfonnance on
12 Septembcr.
fMukherjee
20 May 1849.
The Merchant oJ
ven
:e.
Saos Souci
Theatr€
The hsl major
production at the
Sans
Souci bclbre
the theatre
closed
down the same
year.
lscn
Gupia.
Das
Gupla
gives
dale
as
2l
May
(B)
EARLY PRODUCTIONS
BY
BENGALI AMATDARS
llt
is EkeU
that,
)here
o specifc
iltfonnqtio
is
availablo,
ottlr
&ttain scenes xtere stagel
rathet than
complete
plofs.l
December
1822. R€citations
from
English.
Drummond's
Dhurrumio[rh
Academy
'fhe
hldio Gdzete rcpotted on 3l
December
that
the English recita
tions f.om
various
autho$
by sludenls
of
this school
were 'extremely
meritorious
and
rcflect
great
crcdit
upon the scholars
nnd teachers
A boy ol the namc
Derozio
gave
a
good
conceplion of
Shylock.'
A
lew
yea$
laler,
Henry Derozio
was to read
thc
plays
of
Shakespeare
rlith
the sludents
of
Hindu
College,
whose
slaff
he had
joined.
A
pioneering Indian
poet
jn
English. he
wrote
a
couple of
sonrcls
on shakespearean
subjecls-
lsen
Gupla
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24
SHAKESPEARE
ON THE CALCUTTA
STACE
27
Jrnuary
1827.
Scenes
fmm
Jalius
Cd€sa,t
Hindu
Coll€ge
(later
Presid€ncy College)
Kashiprasad
Chosh,
later
1i:)
bccome
the
tirst
Bengali
poet
in English,
paficipalcd in
this
perfornunce.
lCal
Gaz
I
Fett
1827.
ciled by
Ahmed and
Ahsan
12
January
1828,
The
Ttial Sccne
from The Mercha
t
of
Venice,
CoYemment
Honse
Acted hy
thc
boys
of
Hindu College:
Kashiprasad Ghosh
as
Shylock,
Atulchandra
Ganguly
as Antonio,
Krishoadhan Milra
as
Porlia,
Harishchandra
Das as
Bassanio, Harihar
Mukherjee
as
Nerissa,
Ramchandra
Milra as Gratiano,
Kalikumar
Bose
as
Salario,
Krishnahari
Nandi
as
thc Duke.
FrcIn
The
Calcuta
Ca.ette,
11
Janujry
1828
'Surely
lhen,
this may bc
called
a
remarkable epoch
in
thc
historv
oi tndia,
secing
as
we do,
the
Dative
youlh
of
Bengal
coltiYaling
Lhc
dramalic literalurc
of
the
Wcsl
and even
cncountering
the
diflicullies
ot
theatrical
.epresentations.'
JSen
Cupta
27 February
1828, Scenes
from
IrenrJ v
School
socieav
Studcnts
of
(he
School
Sociely
reciDd
podions
ol-I/€,?D
y.
Madhusudan
Scn
and Harimohan
Mullick
gave r
playreading
oI
the
dialoguc
between Henry
and
thc
Lord Chief
Juslice
lcal
Caz
2a Feb 1828, citcd
by
Sen Cupta
1828.
Performance
oflfmm
The
Mercha,tt
of
Venice.
Rcport
in
Cdl."rra
Mo
thlt
JournaL
1a28.
'I have
now
to
remark
the singular
phenomenon
of a Hindu
nnmcd
Kissen
Chund$
Dutl ...
only
fourlecn
ycal's
of
agc ... his
co.r'cct
pronuncialion and
acLion
in lhe
character
of
Shylock
. drcw
forlh
the
most enlhusiastic
adnrhalion
ol-
the whole
audience.'
lAhmcd
l8 Feb.uary
1829.
Recitations
from
various
Shakcspeare
plays.
Goeernm€nt
Hollse
The
plays
were
H",r,l
y,l
P.I tt 2.
Han
Let
,
Troilut
nnd
C
'"\\irla'
J
ulitts
Caesar.
Macbeth
and
C)t
beline
i it-ll
rarert
,
,'l
I
'n***
r
l.i
i
i,rfl4irffitr
i
J
,.
-,
__
..
r-
I
.p.
---
-.
.
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Rnnpo
a d.ltli.r, Litd.'lhcatrc Cio p,
196.1
./rrn6-
Cr.nrt
Thcua udit.
l9(r.1
e
2
ts;
;
€t
o:
4
E
F
=
a
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,
,'x
PRODUCTIONS
IN
ENGLISH
llr.rl\rsl,
,,
rh.l,i:,1,{n
rn
t.rd
t.r,
Pcrfbrmed by the boys
of Hindu Collegc:
Krishnamohan
Banerjee
as
Horalio. Ranrtanu Lahid
as Brutus,
Ramgopal Chosh
as Malcolnl,
Shik-handraDcb
as
Beiarius. Rrdhmath
Sikdtr as Guiderius,
Digambar
Minz
as
Cassius. Maheshchandm
Sioha
as Ross. Dakshioaranian
Mukherjcc
as Macdult.
lcdl
Gd.
19
Feb
1829, Sen GuPta
Fcbruary
1830. Recituaions
from Shakespeare.
Hindu
College
Reporred
in
Sand.idr Darl,ar,
20
February
1830.
iAhned
13 Mnrch
1810. Scen€s from.rrifirr
a'aesdr.
Gopimohan Dcb's
hous€,
Sobhrbazar
Acred
by
studcnts ol-
thc School Society
on the
occasion
ol their
annual
lunction: Gangunarayan
Chandm
as
Octavius,
Unracharan
Basu
as Antony.
Madhusudan Pramanik
as Bru(us. Bularam
Scn
as
Cassius.
Ftum
fhe Calutto
Gd-??re,
15
March
1830:
'The
wholc of lhese
werc
dclivcred
with
good
cmphasis and
discre-
tion, and in some instanccs
wilh
a corrcctness
of
enuncialion,
erergy
ot' manner
. rd
graccfulness
ol deporlment
which
would have dooe
credit
to
any
school in England.'
t2 februrry
la3l. The Merchant
of Ve.tice,
III.i.
Town
llall
Acled
by the boys ot
Hindu Collegei
Kdlash Chandra
Dalta as
Shylock,
Rangopal Ghosh
as
Tubal.
Taraknath Ghosh as
Salanio,
Bhubannrohan
Mitra
as
Salarim.
[a:a/
6d.
t4 Feb 183t.
Darpln l9 Feb
l83l; Sen GuJ,ra
28 December
1831.
"/.rli
s
Caaar Act
v
(along
\rith
Bhavabhuti's
Utta&-Ro,idcharita,
A.ct
I).
Hindu Thcatrc
A rhcar.icxl
lroupe was
fbflned by
Prasanna
Kumar Tagorc
at his
garden housc al Sura
speciiically
to stagc Shakespcare
plays.
The
casl
lir thi
pcrlormance
includcd
Gangacharan
Scn.
Ramchamn Mitra
and
sludcnls
ofHindu
Collcgc
and SanskrilCollcge
l
vited
audicnce.
lDarya"
7
lar 1t332
F_Loiz.l r d I'ciditr
in
I/? Wnrl/ r ,1,/r
Engllsh
ShalicsIcxo Conrp.ny.
l9rl
7h.
(\htl\
t)l ltt1,r
RoyrL
SLik.sNrL._ C.mnu .
i 997
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26
SHAKESPEARE
ON THE
CALCUI-IA STACE
March 1833.
Scenes
from
The Tvo
Genlene of
Ve.ona and
Othello. Ilindo
College
Ramlanu Lahid was among
the
actors.
Ltvlo
thb March 1833,
Sen cupta
7 Marth 1834.
fsrrr)
Y1.
Town
Hall
P
ze-giving ccremony
ofHindu College
ar rlrc Town Hall lolkrwed
by
recitations. Madhusudun
Dutt
(hen
a
boy of
l0)
playcd
fte
Duke
of Gloucester, Ishwarchandra
Ghoshal
Hcnry
Vl.
IDdrya
12
Mnrch 1834. Mo,/fli
March
183:1
29 March 1837.
Recitations
from
Shakespeaft,
and
Trial Scene
fmn
The Merchant
ol Uenice. Gore.nmcnt
House
Prizc-giving ceremony
of Hindu
College.
Umacharao
Milra
as
Shylock,
Kali
Kdshna
Chose
as
Anronio. Abhay
Charan Basu as Po(ia, Rajendranath
Basu
as Bassanio, Rajendm
Narayan Mirra as Ncrissa, Rajendra
Dartn as
cratiano. Gopalnarh
Mukheriee
as Salarino, Rajendranath
Sen as lhc Duke-
LDarpa
) Aptil
1837. cited by Das
Cupra
1838.
Sofiloquies
from Hatrr
y,
Riclru
III
and
Eanlet-
Hindn
Coll€ge
Shyamacharan
Basu
as
Henry
Y
Rajcndranarh
Basu as
Richad
IlI.
Abhay
Charan Basu
as Hamlct.
[Sen
Gupt]
Msrch 1840, HentJ IU Pafi 2.
St Xavier's College
From lhe repon ;n he Be
s )l
CathoLic
Expositor,
March
1840:
'The
sludents and
scholars of the Collcge
of Sl Xavier's had the
gmtiiication
ol
cxhihiting
(heir
dramatic lalcnls
ir lhe second
parl
ol'
King H€ru) IV
(sho.n
ol its imperleciions)
on Tuesday
evening
lasr.
1o a delighled and respcctxblc
po(ion
ol the communily.
among whon
we
obseNed
{hat
talenled
and
scientillc ofiiccr.
Sjr
Fl.
Jerningham, who
Nppeared
ntuch
pleased
with
thc
d
$,ning
mcrits ol'the
juvenile
actors
'We
havc it
on
the aulhoity
of
I'trtrdtorn that
Jzlirrr Cr€rar
was
sraged
ar the MetropoliLan
Acadony in 1852 by fie ex-sludents of
the
Orienlal
Scnrinary
lbrnrcrly trained by Jcilroy
and Reshi
{i.e..
Geofliey
and Richie, according
to
Sen
Guphl,
thnl
Mcssrs.
Clinger
nd
RoLrerts, lomrcrly
ol
lhe Sans Souci,
gave
lhem
iraining,
and thal
tickets
wcrc sold at lhe
perlb.marce-... Pandit Mahendm Nath
Vidyanidhi in his "Sandarhha Sangraha"
and Pandit Saral Chandra
Ghosh
ir "Namyana
asse the
same.
... From all
sources
we
hrle
in
hand
we
rhink
that Jttids Caes
was playcd al
Mctropolitan
Acade
ry, and The ll,Iercha,i of
ue ice nl thc David Hare Academy.
and
rhar sale
of rickets
ar the
Orienral
Thealfe in
1854
lvas
mistakcn
h\
pc.plc
l.,r 1h.,,
i r,rc
Mcrropolrrrn
A(-dcrn).'
lDas
Gupta
15,
24
Febnrry
1853. Scencs
froon
Tlre
Merchant
ol Uenice. Da\id
Dircctcd by David Clinger,
English
teacher
al
thc Calcutta
Madrassa-
Acred by
boys ot
David
Hare
Academy.
S.,,/r.r.1
Pnbllakl\
tl)
Februar)
1853, says il is lhc first such
pcdo
naoce by studenls
ir
an
educational
inslitution.
Notice
in
lhe
Bensal H rkaru,
15
l:ebruary 1853:
'wc
arc rcqoested 10
mcnlion lhat lhe tirst
public
cxaminrtion
ol lhe
pupils
ol
rhe David
Harc Academy will
takc
placc
this
rorning
at
the
Town
Hall.
...
InsEad ol
lhc
customary display
of
pyrotcchrics.
ihe
pupils
have resolved
to celebrale lhe examination
by enacling. at thc
school
ptenriscs, a iew scenes
fionr
thc Merchanl ol
Venicc.
Reporr
in
Sd/rrd./ Prabhakar.
26
Februao,
1853,
on
the
second
pcrio
nance
llranslated
lionr the Bengali]
'l-an Wcdnesday evening,
thc students ol' Hare
Acadcrry again
regrlcd a large audicncc
by thcir
perlbrmance
oI
Tha
M?rcha
t.f
yai.c,
thc
work ol the
greal
English
poel
Shukerpcarc
Sahib. About
6U 700
lcamcd, establishcd and
wcalthy Indiuns. and
rn.rn) high-
ranking
Englishmerr and
E
glishwonen lvere prescnr. A1l
ol them
pl.aised
lhe sludcnls highly.
... Sccing lhe
sets
ftr
lhc courtroon, and
hearing
the dialogue.
nranl
rnistook
the
Hare Acadcmy
fbr
the
Sans
Souci
Thcrlrc.'
lDas
Gupu
PROD
'IIONS
IN
EN(iI-ISH
1a52-
Julius
Caesar.
\letropolitan Academy
lNambcldiry
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23
SHAKESPEARE
ON THE CALCIITTA
STAGE PRODUCTIONS IN
ENCLISH
lMa
r
of the
foltowins
productions
nal be ca ed
tamtteut-
com,nercinl'
productio,rs:
thef werc acted bf a tatew lndia,8, but
entry
vos bt
pal
e t. Thej represent
a anefipt b
E,tglkh-
educated Bengalis to set
up an
Engli blang age
theatre.')
26 Septemb€r 5
Octobet fi53. OtheUo. Oriental
Theatre
If we
discount
Julius Cdesff
(1852).
lhis
was the
tirst
publjc
perfomunce
of Shakespearc in Calculla exchrsivcly by an lndian
troupe, under the
general
sul)ervision' of Mr
Clinget
fbrmerly of
the
Sans
Souci Thentre. Thc actors wcrc
young
Hindus,
lbrorcdy
pupils
of
the O
ental
Seminary.
They
were
lrained by Mr
Roberts,
formerly
of
the
Sans
Souci, and Mr
Pa*er
and
M.s Ellis, tbanerly ol
llrc
Chowdnghee
Thcatre.
Dinanalh
Ghosh as
Othcllo,
Priyanarh Dalta
as
Iago, Khagcndr.ualh
Mallik
as
Brabanlio, Rajendralala
Mitra
as
Desdemo,ra,
Radhap.asd
Basak
as Emilia.
fto.n the Be'$,1 Ht'^ora. .?8
Setrcnrher
lE5.r:
'The characler
which we
h:rd feared
would
be rhe
wor$ represcnlcd
,"as ftc
bcst
lcprcsentcd- /a8o hy Baboo Prconath Dey
hi.l,
was
aclcd with nn evident knowledge ol lhc ch:t.acrer, ... the mode in
which ahey
acquitted themsel es, musl havc
givcn
much salislaclion
ro cvcry
member of the audience who carcs lbr rhe intellectual
improvcment
ol his
nati e lcllow
citizens.'
[Hx*a.a
28 Scpt 1853. citcd b] Bnrcrii and Ahnled
2, 17
N{arch
1854, The
Merchant of Veni.e.
Oriental
Theatrc
From ildverrilemerl in Tlrc Citi.e
.2
Mrrch 11354:
'The
Odcntal
Theatre /
No.
268, Gurrarhaita,
Chilporc
Road, /
nre
Merch.
t of U? iu lWill be
pcrlbrored
at rhc rbovc Theirc / On
Thu6day,
thc 2nd March. 1854, /
By
Hindu Anratcurs / Doors
open
8
p.m.
/ Perlbnnance
to
commence at 8
l/2
p.m-
/
Tickcls 1o
bc
had of
Mcssls. F.W. Brown & Co. / and Baboo Woorncsh Chunder
Bnnerjcc,
Cashier.
/
Spcnccs
Horcl /
Pricc of'Iickets Rs.
2/'
each. /
Thc Tickcls dislributed will avail on thc above cvening.'
Priyanarh Datta
as Shylocki Ridhapnsad
Basak
as Pol1ia
on 2
March.
Mrs Griggs on
17
March.
Frc]m Tlle tlontils CTrronn'lr, 2 IIarch 1854:
'Those
who are
desirous
of seeing
how
young
native
gendemen
can
wear
{he buskin
[rr.]
should
ane
d
lhc Oriental
Thcatre lhis evcning
and
we
promise
them
ltut
they
will
come
away
with a higher
imprcssion
of
,]alivc
lrlgic
lalent
than
(hal
wilh
which lhcy may
possib,y,
al
prescnt,
be
imprcssed We rccollect somc
nronths
ago
witnessing
al
lhe
same
Theake
a
perlbrmaoce of Othcllo
and
tlc
prcsunre the samc
company
will
appear
to_nighl
Wc have no doubl
that thcy
will be
well
worlh heaing.'
lAlso
Hurkar|
16 March
1854
Das Gupla
1853,
3
Ivlal
t854.
Julius
Caesat
Jorasanko
Thentre
Brajanalh
Bas
was lhc
nrosi nolablc
actor in
1853.
lsen
Gupta
Mohendunath
R,rsu
as Caesar,
Krishnddhan
Dutt as Brutus,
Jadunath
Cha(crjee
as
Cassius.
According
to
, d,,/rdd
Prabhakrlt.5
M^y
185'1, there
was
an audience
of so
c
400.
including
I
oumberof
Englishmen and
ladies. The
paper
appealed
fo.
rcduction
in
admission
l-ee-
The
HnnLtu
P.nriot
^dvised
boih thc
Jorasanko
Theatrc and
the Oriental
Thealre to
slage
plays
in Bengali.
Frolr,
The
Hitiloo
Panitr,
ll Mav
1854i
''Ihe
sccnery
and stage decorations
were
exlremely creditable
. .
with
rhc exception
of
Cassios
and
Cnsca
the \Yholc
of
lhe
Prrlbrnrcrs
sang
orblustc cd
tbrough
theirparls
in ulter nranglcmcnl
ol
Will
Shakespeare.
...
The
young gentlem
n
{playing
Cassiu$l
seemed lo
fecl what
he
acled
and having
by
nnturc
thc advantagc
(l)
of
a
'lean
and hung.y
look" hc did
very
well
indeed for
ihe Roman conspiralor.
we
could
wish that
the other
aclo$
kncw their
parts
as
well.
Brutus,
though
acled
shockingly
cnoush
by a burly
young
man
with
a
v€ry thick
muslachio,
was ncveihelcss
nol
so
grating as
Caesar
or
Calphurnia
Thc
former
roftcd anr.l Bvcd
likc eithcr
a maniac or
a d.Llnkad. lhc
lancr
ho
ibly
coated
ovc.
with
painL
anC
varn;sh squeakcd
likc
a
pig
or
r
ninny.
A1
iir lvlark Anlhony,
by Ji'go
he looked
n)orc like an
unJcrrJ\fl
rhrn .r
rltrtr Rorrr n ,nd
hi'
.pccrtio,r,
rhc
dcrd
hod)
of
Crcsar
so
thoroughly
disgustcd
us liut
we
left
thc
lhealre belbrc
the
weepirg
and
wailing was over.'
lBcnc.ji
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30
SHAKESPEAIiE
ON I-HE
CALCI]'MA
STACE
15 February
1855. Henry
/y
Oriental
Thearre
Keshabchandrr
Ganguly
$
Henry
ly
priyanalh
Data
as
Falstaif.
Nrityanath
Ray as Horspur.
Fn\r
rL,
B"ranl
H,/l
,/d.
t5
Frbruxr)
1855.
'The
O.ienlal
Theatrc
is
purety
rhe
ofi\pring
ot
native
cxertion
and
allitrds
rhe
best
evidcnce
oi
rhe growing
perse\emnce
ol
onr
counlry'nen
in l.rudable pursuirs
and
rhen..rpprecifltion
of narional
amuscmcnrs.
Thc acbrs,
ii
is
we
known,
had
acquilred
ficmselves
on
thc lasr
tlvo
occasions
whcn
lhey appearcd
on
thc
srage
wirh
Lhe
lragedy
ol
Othclb
and
Mcrchanl
oi
Venicc...
to
rhe
sarisfacrion
of
lhe
public
and
won
nrcriled
rpplnuse
irom
individuals
from
whom
a
word
ol
favour
is
an honour
We
sirccreJy
wish
lhem success
thir
The
llifldoo
Ptt'.iot,21
Febfua.y
1855. pmiscd
the
pcrlornrancc
bul
,egrcLted
lhc hck
of
publ;.
enrhusiasrr,
and
rcpcnlcd
its
sppeal
for
{agjng
ol
Bengali
plxys-
Mafth
1857.
flrnlet
Resid€nce
of
Keshnb
Chunder
Sen
ar
C,nuribha vithSe
in
Hooghly
Distrkr
Kcshub
Chundc,
Sen
as Hamlet.
praup
Chandl.r
Maiumdar
as
Laerres,
Akshay Kunar
Maiumdar
as
Horalio.
Mahcndnnar.h
Scn
as
Ctauilius_
Bholanalh
Chakraharri
as Polonius,
Narcndranarh
Sen
as Ophetia.
Coslumes and
lcls by
KeslNb
Chundc.
Sen.
lchi.anJib
Shalnla,
KeshabLrnrit,
p_
5
M^y
1810.
The Me.chant
rl
yerri...
Sahityj
parhhad,
Krishnanagar
Thc
Srhitya Prrislrad was ian
associadon
of
otd and ncw nrddrrq
lE.lu.atio
Ga.e
e an.t
Sd .ttik
&tiahnhhk
29
Juty
1870,
Scn
Gupt:r
1880?
Thc
Merclnnt
of
Ve
ice. Lity
Corlage,
Keshub
Chunder
Scn's
house on
Upp€r
Circnlar
Road
Nagcndixnath
Guptd
as Shllock
und
Launcebt
cobho.
Karun.r Sen.
Sxr.rl
Sircar
Fr1,Ir lhd reminisccnces
of Nrgendranalh
Guprr:
'Aorong
thc young
cnthLrsiasls
who
look
tad
in
the
plny
were Kamnn.
thc clden
son
oi Kcshub
Chundcr
Scn.
Saral.
fie
youngc$r
son
ol.
PRODUCTIONS
IN
ENCLISH
]I
Tarak
Chandn
Sircar, ...
a
son ol
Pcrry
Charan
Sircar. and
seveml
othcrs.
Thc
doublc pafis
ol
Shylock
and
Lancetor
[ri.l
Gobbo were
assignod
(o
mc. Wc
zealously memodsed
our parrs
and
vigorousty
irhcarsed
and
allitudini/-ed
ar
home
belbrc
our
astorjstrC
and
scandalizcd young
rclarions.
One cvcning we
wcrc
having .r rehearsal
.t
the house
oiTamk Chandra
Sirca. in
Beadon
Slreer in Sa.:rl
s room.
Sonreone
was
declaiDring his parr
with aJ,|ropdarc ge(iculaiion
whe
the
door was
qu;etly
opc.cd
und ir
carne
Bankinr
Ch.rndra Chalreii
accompanicd
by lhe nrasrcr
ol the house
... Bankim pusscd
our
oi
the
rooin
with
a word oi
encouragcnrent.
Wc
p.oduccd
rhe
play
ar
Lily
Coltrtgc.
...
There
$as a lairly
largc audience
and our
prcscnrdion
ol the phy
w.rs well
receivcd.'
IMuch
.rf
the
infornatio,t
b.ton
tiat
derived
fro'n
Se Gupta
a d
M
hedee.'Ihe
pefon
antes
i
the
lrti'e6it
I'tnitutu
Hatt
ven
thietlt
bj
co
cge
stude
ts,l
27
JaDuary
1899.
Juius
Caes
University Insritute
Ha
Pe
brmed by
a
group
ol
studenrs
who larcr
lbmre.l
rhe
.shakcspearr
Conrpany'.
tgtttl.
Macbeth.
University
tnstitute
gall
Jnan Basu.s
Mrcbclh,
Kiron Dulr
as Macdull'
Ttu
Shakespearc
Socie(y
A
Shakcspearc Sociery was
sct
up
i,r t90t in
his horNc
al
l0 Ananda
Cha(c{cc
Lane
by Salishchandra
Muthopadhyay
r.nJ 1
rrc
\ohri.ru.{
J.
Irnn\rn.'r"lhcsn.,el)
$r.r",ve
lill
lhc l9l0s.
Ir
ef.ucd
ptrys
rr
rhe Enrpirc
und Corinlhian
Irrom
Prrbharch ndra
Grngopadhy y
s lrlictc.
.Thc
'Shalicspcalrr
Sociely
at
Ananda
Chauc cc I-une
.,rf.,rrdr,
l9
Apdl
196.:l
llrrrslltcd
tioln
lhc
Bcngalil:
'L.n
nc linrlly mcntion
a ncarly
Jbrgo[cn connoisseur
He
slnNld
hc
r€nrcrrbcrcd
nol
only ior
his
Iirc
acling in
English
but
ii,
his unlning cllal1s
lo scr
up a Shnkcspcare
Socicrl
ii
lhis counlry.
... Hc
clearud
lhc
parh
l'o].
lhc yourh
ol
the
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12
SHAKESPEARE
ON
THE CAI-CUTTA
STACE
countrl
to cultivale
Shakespeare.
His chief
suppo er in this
project was
my
clder brother
the lale
PraPhullachandra
Cangopadhlay.
Premankur
lPremanktrr
Alarlhi. the
well-
known
wdterl and
I
would oftcn
visit
the Socicty,
though
we
wcre no1 members,
io lislen
to
lhek
discussion.
We also
had
lhc
good
fortune
to
sec
their
producdons
in
the
auJiloriun
of fie
Sangil
Samaj
lKailash
Bosc
Srreel]
and
fte
Emph€
and
Corinthian
Theatres.'
In
the same
article. Gangopadhyay
also
mendons a
pefbmancc of
Or,€/1.,
by
s(udenls
of
Scottish
Church
Collcge
inspired
by
lhe
productions of Matheson
Lang
and
Alnn
Wilkie.
See
bclow. seclion
(C),
eDries
lbr
l9ll,
1912.
IMailra
Da*n Soci€ty
(1902-1910)
The Dawn Society
was
lounded by
Salish
Chandm
Mukhedec
(no|Funnyman')
nnd
his associates
srrch as
Brahmabandhab
Upadhy^ya.
Rabindranath
Tagorc
and Sister
Nivcditr
werc
amoilg
the
patrcns
ol fie
sociely.
Keshav
Chandra Gupla,
Hriday Lal
Bane{ee,
Salish
Chandra
Baneriee
aid
others
were
fte
cnthusiasls
in lhe
nratter
ol
putting
on
boards
Shakespenrc
plays
in lhe original.
Thcy usually
gave
lhcir
perlbmanccs in
thc
Ove(oun
Hall or in the
audilorium ol
lhe
Sociery.
which allerwards
came to
be
known as
thc
Univcrsity
trsritutc
Hall.
Alerander
Thomas.
a lecturer
in
English
at DuffCoUege,
trained
the membcrs
and
olcasion'
ally
Prcfessor
Benoy
Sarkar
taughl
thcm a
geslu'€ or two
[[4Jiri
25 tr{arth
1905.
Tvelf
,
Night, University
Institute
Hall
Kanti Mookerjee
as
viola. Rajendm
Prasad. iuture
Prcsident ol
lndia'
took rhc
fart
of a
Cou(ier
From an
inrcrvicw
with Kanli
Mookerjcc
irr O,t]'.(sn
Nrlvr. Jan
Jun
1964.
'Sir
Alexa der
Pedlar
(theo
Direclor ol
Public Inslruction)
was so
sccptical whcn
lold
that
it
was a boy
who
did
lhc
part
that
hc
came
inN
fte
grcenroom
alier
thc
pcrtbrmance to nuke sure tbr
himsell'
PRODIJCTIONS
IN
ENCLISH
1906.
lutius
Caesar"
Univcrsity
Institute
Hall
1l
l9{ts.
.lulius
Caetar.
Acred
by
the
sudenls
ol
Gcneral
Assemblies
Instilution
(later
Scottish
Church
College): Sisir
Kumar
Bhaduri
as
Brutusi
Ananda
Krishna
Sinha. Sachindranath
Basu. Jalindranath
Ganguly.
The
lulure
scholars
of
English
language
and
liieraturc, Suniti
Kumar
Cha(crjee
and
Sree*umar
Baner.jec,
were
involved
in
the
production.
suniti
Kurnar
Chatterjcc's
reminiscences
in
Pdri.rd)
[t.anslatcd
tiom
1he
Bcngalil:
'sisir Kurnar's
actiog
was
wonderful. Men
oljudgment
laughed
al the
costumes,
bul that could
not impairour
enthusiasm
And Sisn
Kumarh
acting
was
oo
a differenl
plane altogether.
We ioo slood
among the
ludience
to scc
him acl
aod hca. hirn
dcliver the
lines.
...
The English
prciesson
and o6er
elders
praised
him highly.
This
was
Sjsir's
firsr
triumth
at
college-'
l9$9,
The
Merchd,tt
of Venice.
Acled
by the students
of
General
Assenrblies
Innilution:
Sisir Kumar
Bhaduri u.
Anronio, Nare.h
Virm
ar Shyl.ck.
17
Mrtch
1909.
Hanlet.
University Institut€
HaU
sisn
Kr
rar
Bhrduri acted as Claudius
and
lhe
Ghost.
lThe
fo\otti,rg
ptoductions
at
ot haw bee',
a ateur, but bclo
g
to this
pefiod
of
e actne ts
of
Slrakespearca
seenes.l
I
NIay 1910.
Recital
by
'Mr
Jno.
l. Wenyon'
of
scenes fmm
shakespe6re
(Md.reirr
I.\;viiiRicha
III
ActY;
Roneo
ad
Juliet
Act
V). Star Thcatre
lBhatlacharya
27 Septcmber
1916. Sclected scenes
from Macbeth. Star
Theatre
Advefised as
'The
Dagger
Vision
and thc Blo(rly Acf.
Monmohan
Goswanri as Ma.bcth.
Kusumkumad $
Llldy
Macbelh.
2,
8 August 1917.
Macr?rr, Ivturder Scen€;
Richard lll,
wooing
of
Lady
AnDe.
Star Theatre
Monmohan Goswami
as Macbelhi
Kusumkunrari as Lady
Anne-
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u4
SHAKISPEARE
ON THE
CALCUTTA
STAGE
From
the
adverrisemcnt
in
Atnrita
Bazat
Patrika'
8 August
1917:
'The
rcndering
of
a
Shakespearean
scene
in original
English
by a
Bengali
aclress
is
a wonderful
thing.'
lBhaltacharya
(C)
BY'
TOURING
COMPANIES
1870s,
Lewis
Th€atre
Company:
Public
perfoffnnces
of
Shakesp€ar€'
calcuttaMaidan
rsen
Gupta
1882-85.
Maurice
E
Bandmann's
Companv:
Ilamk',M@beth,Ro
eo
a d
Juliet,
Richa
III, Oth?[o.
Theatrc
Roval
Review
of
fidrl€l
in
Reis
dnd Rd)'ret.2l
January
1882i
'Mr Bandmann
is undoubtedly
a considerablc
actot
but his
Hamlel
was,
lo our
thinking,
somcwhat
of
a disappointmcnt'
Thc
tumult oi
a
great
passion
...
even
the slrnggle
of
conflicling
resolves
'
was
hardly
jusiificalion
enough
lbr
the encrgv
of
vociferalion
which he
exhibilcd.
He
actually
shrieked
lowards
the
close,'
From
lhe
reminiscences
ol
Nagendranath
Gupia:
'tBandmannl
drew
crowded
houses
in Calculta
by
stagitg
somc
Shakespeare
plays al
the
Corinthian
Theatre
on
Dhurrumiolah
Street'
I
went
to
see
Macbeth
perfbrmcd bv
his
companv
'
I
saw
Kcshuh
Chunder
Sen
and
Bankim
Chandra
Chattcrii
in
the
audienc€
kecnlv
following
the
play
Her
Bandmann
himself
appeared
in
the
role
of
Macbeth.
He
was a
splerdid
looking
man,
big and
blond
as a
Mking'
wi(h
a
Iincly
modulated
voice
xnd a consummate
power
ol
producing
stage
effect.
In
the
murder
scene
... the
whole
house
was thrilled
by
the realis
ofllte
actirg
and the
intensily
of ttte
horror
The
toollights
had
been
turned
down,
leaving
the stage
in
€omparatile
darkness'
but
,i strcam
of
lighi
tiom
the
wings was
skilllully
turned
upon
the
iwo
figures
on
the
stage.
Mncbe$
and
Lady
Macbelh,
and
playcd
upo,
itr"it
r.otr...
with
a starlling
elTect.
The
poniard
in
th€
hand
oi
Macbeth
had
a
hollow
handle
filled
with a
iew melal
pellels
and
linkled faindy
as
(he hand
of
thc
actor shook'
The
eyes'
widc
and
PRODUCTIONS
IN
ENCLISH
35
wild with tenor,
were
rcving
in
every
directior,
while
the
hands and
lhe
whole
body
quivered
as an
aspen
leal
'Lady
Macbelh
stood at a li$le
distance,
cool and cynical,
ilasbing contempl
from her magnificenl
eyes
at her husband, un'
manned by
the
bloody deed
he had done. We
realised
lo
thc
full
lhe
penelratile power
of
a
siage whisper
whe,
Macbelh
said:-
''Glamis
halh murder'd
sleep,
and therefore
Cawdor
Shall
sleep no
nDre,
Macbelh
shall sleep no more "
'The voice
was no
louder
than a
quaking
whisper. bul i ran l;ke
a
long
drawn sibilant
hiss through the
remotesl
paas
of lhe
theatre
and
elery
word was
as
distinclly
heard
as
if
il had be.n
shouted
out. Again when the aclor
cried,
'will all
greal
Neptune's ocean wash
lhis
blood
Cl€an fiom
my hand?
No:
this
my
hand
ryill
rather
Thc multitudlnous seas incarnadine
Making the
green
onc
red."
and
spread
oul
his
palm
with
ultcr
hopelessness stamped on
his
face,
it
was
a
great gcsture
ol tragic
despait
'In
the
sleep-walking scene
Lady Macbeth, lighled
taper
jn
hand,
somnambulistic,
with
her eyes
wide
open,
glassy,
and
wilhout
a
flicker
of
the
eyelids. was
vcly dramatic. As
she
put
down
the lighl
and
rubbed hcr hands as
if
washing them,
she declaimed,
"Here\
the
smell
of the blood slilli
All
the
perlurnes
ol
Arabia will
not
sweeten
this
liltlc hand.
oht
oht oht"
The opening words were
utlered
in
the colourless monolone ol
a
person
ialking in
sleep,
bur when the
final
exclamalion
was
reached
and
rcpeated
three limes,
fie
voicc of
the aclress rose
to
a cresendo
ol
agonized
despair
and
brought down the
house
in
repealed rounds
of
tempesluous
applause.
1898.
Henry
Drllas's South African
Dramatic Compan]:
As
Yo Like
It Corinthian
Theatre
IBilati
Jatra
23 Sept€mber 1909.
Hanlet. Star Theatre
Charles Vane as Hamlet;Miss Blanche
Forsythe as
ophelia.
Organized
by
Bandmann,
lBhatlacharya
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36
SHAKESPEARE
ON THE
CALCUTTA
STAGE
PRODUCTIONS
IN
ENCLISH
l7
1911.
Alan Wilkie's
London Rcpertory
Companyt
Othe o, Roneo
and
Juliet,
Hank4
Julius
Aera\
The Merry
Wires
of Wi,rdsot,
Twelfth
Nisht. Opera
House
Leading actor:
Alan Willie.
Leading lady:
Miss Frederick
Hunler-
'A
triend
had writtcn
ro
nre while I was
al Bhagatfrur
spcaking
in
eulogislic
lems of Wilkie's
perfonnancc.
[So]
I spenr allof
that
X,mrs
at Calcu(a
axending Alan
Wilkie
s shows
nighl
afler
night. I
rcad
up
ihe
plays
in
the dayrime
10
get
thD full
benetli
of the
pieccs
as
J'resenled
by wilkie
ar
night.
'Wilkie,
rhough
by
no
means
one
of the
.1ops.'
in
llre
Shakespearean
scroll,
opened
a
new world
lo me; and
I
was
quire
lost
in
the
wondedand
of
the
Mastcls fanrasies.
I
moled
about
mentally as "Shybck',
or "FalsraIf'.
or "Othelld
through my
daily
rouline
of
College
and
home
lives.
In
lact,
I
did
not
get the
fcvcr
off till.
atlcr my return
to
Bhagalpur,
I had
presenred
somc
of rhe
selected scenes on
the College
srage.'
lAsudc
(Asu
De),
Antrito Bd.ar
potrita,
3 May 1964
1911, 1912. Matheson
Lang's
Company: rre Tarri,rs
ofthe
Shrew,
Hamlet, Roneo
a d
Juliet,
Mttch
Ado abo
t
Nothine. Empire
Theatre
Leading actor:
Malheson Lang.
t,eading ladyi
Miss Hutin
BritroD.
'In
lhe
s
inrer
of rtJr
)(Jr
I
Iv I I
'.
rwo
ShJke.pedrcin
.omtrnie,
camc
1o
Calcurta...
[Onc
was
rhe London
Repe(ory
Companyi]
the othcr
Iwas
ledl by
Mr
Marhieson
trnJ
Lang
wilh
his
wife,
Miss
Hurin
Britlon filling
a
similar rolc.
...
Later.I heard
rhat
Wilkie\ shows werc
no1 a
patch
on fie
performances
of Shakcspeare's
dranras which
were
beingprcsented
by Mathicson
[ri.]
Lang simulraneously
ar the
Empire
tAsudc
(Asu
De),
Amrita
Ba&t Patrika,3
May
1964
Prabhatchandra
Gangopadhyay recalh
in
J
aaxldr,
t9
Aprit 196,1
ltranslated
liom
tlre
Bengalil:
'[Lang's
perforruances]
arouscd
such enthusiasm
in
the
tocal yourh
ha1 some
of thcnr wr
ote
letlen ro
Lang,
asking
him
for enlighrcnmert
on
all
kinds
of
martcrs.
Lang
was
plcased
ro publish
beaurilut
and,
charming
replies
in
rhc rewspapers
to
sarisly this thirs
lor knowt-
edgc.'
Prabhatchandra
remembcrs
how he
himselfwrote
to Lang, asking
lbr an interview
whi€h tnng
grantcd.
Over
lunch.
rhey discrssed
Shakespearc, the interpretation
of
Shakespcare,
and
cunenr critical
trends.
Of the combined impact
ol
Wilkie's
and
Matheson Lang's
companies on
rhe
local
audicnce,
especially
lhe
youlh,
Prabhalchandra
writesi
'Such
power
ro aroosc
emotion, and
such
flawless
acling,
created
a
stir
in
the
land.'
It
also nlade
the srudent communiry
of
Calculta
undertake
Shakespearc
performances
with
rcnewed
\igour:
'After
seeing
the
produclions
olWilkie
and
Lang,
there was grear
enthusiasm
among
ihe
college sludents
of Calcufla to
perform
the
plays
ofShakespeare.
St
Xavier's Collcge and
Scoltish Church College
showed
greatest
inrercsl
in
lhis regard. The Europcan
reachers at th.
collcges
would
train thc sludents
in the
art
of
acting.
'A lilIlc
larer, when
I
was at
Scotlish
Churcllcollege.
rhere
was
a
collcge
periormance
of
Othe
o.
I
cle.fly remember thc
splendid
acting by Raghabendra
Bandyopadhyay
as Orhello and
a
student
named
Henry Khondakar,
the
son
of a Scotdsh
mother
and an Indian
Muslim iather,
as Desdemona.
... Nareshchandra Mitra
also won
considerable
acclaim
as
Shylock in
The
ll,lercha
t of Venice.
...
Wilkie
and Lang's
acting also had a
grcat
influence
on Sisirkumar
lBhaduril.'
lltfonation
about
the
performances
below
takefl
to
Bilati
latra,
ythi.h
cites Das
Cuptal
1912.
Alan Wilkie's London
Rep€rtory
Company: Much Ado abou,
Nothing, Ha
let. Empire Theatre
1918.
Charles
Hewitt
and
A. Phillips
Company: The Me.chant
of
Ye
ir".
Crand
Opcra
House
1918.
Richard
III,
Ihe Merchatlt
of
yenice.
Grand
Opera
House
Featuriog
the Shakcspearean
aclor Charles
Hading.
1919.
Ro
rco
a
d
J
liet,
Empire
Theatre
Fealuring
Charles Vanc,
al
the invitation of
Bandmann.
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SHAKESPEARE
ON THE CALCUTTA
STACE
PRODUCTIONS
IN ENCLISH
lThe
chief
source of informatio,,
fot
the Bitish
'tisiti
g
productiofis
belo\'
up to c. 1970
b Bilati
latt&,
i,hich
in tu t i,tdicates irs soar.e
ol i
lormanon
as tlv
Rritish
Council,
Calc tta. h{ornatio about
Geoffre
Ke
dal's Shakespeaftarru is
fou
d in his
book
The
Shrkespeare
wallah
fll i,
Felicitr Kendah White Crrgo.l
October
1947-J8nuary
19,18. Shakesp€areana: Ha let' Othelln,
lulias
Orcsat,
Old Garrison
Th€atr€. Also Ma.rert on
9 october,
scenes
fmm
The
Merchant of Venicr
and
Jutius
Cderar
on
l0
Octoher,
Othctlo on
I
January
and
Julixs
Ca€sdr
on 6
Ja
uary
at
St
Xavier's Collcge Auditorihm
From lhe
rcview by R. H. Lesser
in.Sl Xduieri Maaa.ir,p,
December
r917:
'The
plays, direcled and produced
by Gcofficy Kendall
fri.l
caused
a
sensation
in St. Xavier's,
the
acbrs
fully dcseNing
thc
greal
applause
accorded
them. Considering
thc
difficul(ics
regarding
scen-
ery, thc
effects
were
magnificenl
and
reflect
conqi'lerable
credit
on
the
adaptab;lity
and
ingcnuity of
the
stail --.
many
of us Iremblcd
at
fte
weird sctling of
ihe
wilches,
a
subtlc
lightning
cffect having
'The
acting. 1oo,
surpassed
anylhing
we had
cver
seen
with
Geoftiey
Kendall
tri.l
giving
a
masterly
rendering
of Lord
Macbclh
...
and Olheuo
the Moor
whereas
Miss L;ddell
iived
up to our highest
expectations
in her various
roles as
Lady Macberh
,nd
Desdemona.
Pe&r Meriton
also
gave
a
very convincing
displav
as Shvlock
the
The
Anrita
Baza, Pattika
of6January
1948 biuedJe/tur
Cd"ffr
as 'rhis mighty
spectacle
of ancient
Rome'.
From
the review
in
The
Snkimt.6
Jatuary
l9'{8:
'[The
pcrformance
of
Juli
s
Caesat
at
St.
Xavier's
Couege
Audito-
riuml
combines
nlorc than adequaie
handling
of
the
major
roles with
perfcction
ot
production which makes
some of
thc crowd
scenes
especially
in
the
lirst
Act, remain
in
lhe memory'
As Brutus,
Pctcr
MeriLon
gives
a supcrb
portrayal of'the ablesl
Roman
oi thcm
all".
In
the
hrewell
sccne
with Cassius
he
was rcally moving.
The
speech
to
rhe
crowd.
a loil
to
Antony's,
was excellendy
delivered. The
sccne
with Po[ia
was marked
by
aitraclive
acting on both
sides Geoflrey
K€ndal
gavc
Anlony's
famous speech
f-ull
value,
but
was even betler
in
rhe
earlicr
"dogs oll
war"
Inonologuc.
From the
masker and reveller
of $e
opcning
he dcveloped
through
violence
to lhe
magnificent
luneral oration
of
Brutus.
At
the
close Cacsar
himself is
a
minor
part
perfomred with suitable
indolent digoi(y
by Frank
Whcallcv who
was
good
bu
whose
enunciation
la(er
was weak. Ol thc
conspirators,
Geotliey
Rich,trds
as
Cassius
gave
his usual
accomplished
rcndcfing.
Carlo Basil
(Casca)
is rapidly
developing
into a useful
and rcliable
member ol thc
company bcing
especially
good
in
describing
lhe
rcIusal
ol the Crown.
Ulpal
Dutta
[sI.]
was
also
conlpete t. Tbe
large
cast,
cKNd
and
batde scenes
required help
frc'n morc
ainalcurs than
usual to
whom
Mr.
Kendal
at the end
gnre
deservcd
credk. This
producrion must have meant
very hard
work. The resuk amplyjuslifies
',
lSikdar
ShakespearcaDa
Thc
company
Shakespeareana
was
born
ou1
ol
a lravclling
lroupc fbr lhe entertainmenl ol'fie
forces
during
World Wa.
IL
As
part
of
the Entenainments National Service Associa
tion
(ENSA).
Geolliey
Kendal
and
his wilb Laura
lrad
alrcady visited
Darieeling
and
Calcutta.
Now, after
the
fornution oflhe
company, thcy went on a tour
ol Daieeling
(St
Paul's School
and t-oreto Convenl) and
Kalinrporg
(Dr
Graham
Horres),
playing to
audienccs ol
rapt
schoolclril-
dren.
By
Oclober
1947,
dre
oupe
was staying
at
the
Fairlawn Hotel in Calcutla
and
drawing
adult
audiences
as
well.
Their warm reception during this tour led 1()
a
pdongcd
Indian
sojourn lio June 1953 to
Deccmhcr
1956.
During
this lime. they
performed morc than oncc in Calcultn.
and
also
al Burnpur.
Asansol
and
Darjccling-
Thcy
visiled
Santinikeran
in
I954. Thc
plays
they oflcrcd during lhis
tour
werc
Othelh,
Tlle
Methant ol
Uenice,
Hal
et,
The Toni,lg
of e
Shfth,,
Mocbeth, Roneo
a,d.luliet
antl
Ttrelih
Nisht.
Thc troupe
gradually
dwindled,
but
a small
core
group
went
on
visiting
Calcuua and
othcr Indian lcnues
till
the
late
1960s.
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40
SHAKISPEARE
ON THE CALCUTTA
STAOE
FrcrJl
The
Shakespeare
Wallahl
'By
October
it seemed
safe
10
go
to Calcutta'
where
we stayed
unlil
January
1948,
playing at
the
old Garison
Theare
in
Park
Streel'
:
Two
pronrising
young
actors.
Utpal
Dutl and
Pratap Roy'
ioined
us
for
a while.
The Calculta
audiences
and cdlics
were enthusiastic
The
.tlar€rfla,r
critic
wrote
ol
O,lcllo:
"Nobodv
appreoialive
of
good
acling
and
fluent stage-managemenl
should miss
this
periormance. .
'
We
came
away fronr
fie
Garrison
Thcalre with
a
feeling ofintegration,
which
no
olher
available
form
of amusement
is able
o
provide
lor
the
residents
of
lhis
cilv,
and
haviog oncc
enjoyed
it
^ve
ca,not
but
wish
that
thc
English
Repertory
Companv
would
prolo,ng
thei'
slav
here
indeiinitelY
'
"Their
presence
in
Calcutta
has raised
the cultural
level
ol'
the
city,
and ooulil
they be
persuadcd to
makc
their home
at leasl
durirg
every
winter.
CalcuM
would be
lcss
cut
ofl
irom
the
rest of
thc
world." '
IKcndal
December
1950.
Norman
Marshall's
ComPany:
Scen€s
from
Shak€speare.
New
Empire
5-10
December.
Scenes
from Maebeth,
Henry
V,
The
Mercha't
o
Venice,
Romeo
a
d
,Iuliet,
Julius
Caesar
12.16
Decemb€r.
Scenes
fmm
Hamlet,
As vou
Like
It' Othello'
Anto
j
a il
Ckopatra,
Henry
VIII, The
Tempest
David
King-wood
as
Ha
let;
John
wvse
as Othello
and Polonius:
walter
Fiizgerald
:L
Claudius
and Iagol Judith
S1o(
as Ophelia
and
Desdemonar Frances
Clairc
as
Genrude, Cleopatra
and
E,nilia;
Jonathan
Meddings.
Deirdre
Doon.
But see
below
on
possible
variations
in
casting.
A
review
ol
the second
seleclion
of
scenes
appeared
]n Anrita
Baur
Prtrik on
15
December
1950,
entitled 'Dramas
llom
Shakestearc
-
New
Programnre
ol Coorpressed
Rccitals':
'At-ter
a
week's
progmmne conrposed
ofausterily
Lricl
selections
lrom
'Hcnry
V",
"Macbeth",
"Julius
Caesar".
"Romeo arid Julief
and
"Merchant
of
venice",
Mr
Norman
Marchall
..
treaEd
us to
a
thoroughly
new
bill of
fare.
...
Ii
cornprised
dramatic
r€citals
of
colleclivc
[s/c]
scenes
from
"Hanlef'
and
"Olhcllo"
and
an excerpt
each Irom "An(ony
2nd
Cleopara",
'Midsummer
Nighfs
Drcam"
and
PRODUCTIONS
IN
ENCLISH
'As You
Like
lt".
lTbis
does
not agree
with
the
list
above'
which
i$
takm
from
the
adxertisement
in
Anrba
Balnr
Patika
on
16
December.
Perhaps
$e
sciection
varied from
day
to
dayl
'Bu
ihe
crearn
of
[thc
periormance] was
reflected
in
the
scenes
from
the
lwo
deathtess
lragedies,
"Hamlef'
and
"O$ello"
Being
shapely strings
of
composii€
scenes
rathd
than
stray
abbreviations'
ih"y
"iry
tro-ugrt
o*
,tt"
compact
reptesentative
calibre
of
fie
plays-
...
indeed,
both
the
plays are condensed
to
suit
the
small
compuy
lThere
follows
Praise.
in
emphalic
but
somewhal
general terms'
of
fie acling
ol
King_Wood,
wyse
and
Filzgerald'l
'fhe
troupe
is.
however,
nol
so saong
on
its distaff side
'"
The
decor
crcated
by
a simple
stage
contented
itself
efficiently
with only
slight
suggeslions
of tl]e
diftcrent
periods through
Elizabethan
cos_
,u*"r.
n"r",
bothering
aboul
any
insistence
on
naluralism'
'Mr
Marshall's
introductions
were
a
lively
foil to
the
reperloire'
January
1954.
Shak€speorcana:
Macbeth
^nd
The
Merchant
of
Y?rdce.
Santiniketan
From
the review
h The
Statesnlan'
15
January
1954:
'shakespeareana,
the traveling
repertory
company
under
the
direcdon
of Mr.
Geofliey
Kendal
gave
two
highlv
appreciated
performanccs
ot
Macbeth
and
The Merchant
oJ
Venice
to capacity
crowds
al the
Santiniketan
open
ah
theatre
last
week'
lSikdar
12-19
Februery
1954.
Shakesp€areana:
The
Merchant
of Venice
(12
Feh),
Macbeth
(13
F€b),
r,,e
Taning
of
the
Shrcrt
ll4
Febt'
Othe
o
(1,5
Feh\,
The Taning
of
the Shrcw (17 Feb
by
special
request),
Rorre.,
a d
.tutiet
(18,19 feb)'
New
Empirc
Aciors:
Geollrey
Kendal.
Jennifer
Bragg,
Laura
Liddell'
Nancy
Neal'
Frank
whearley,
wendy
Beavis,
Conor
Farrington'
John
E Day'
Brian
Kellelt,
UDal
Dutt
Anwar
Mhza
Istatennn:
advertisemenls,
2
and
14
Feb
1954
1954
(date
unceriain).
Norman
Marshall's
Company
Othello'
Tonr
of
Santiriketan
llrnrl Dutl
$orkcll
sirlr Norma'r
Mrr\hull
in
thic
lroducrion'
lB.
K.
Bhdrrachdrva
Shul'c\pcare
lrdn'lrrion'
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,12
SHAKESPEARE
ON THE
CALCUTTA
STA6E
D€c€mber
1956. Shak€spearesna:
details
lrncertain.
N€w Empir€
The
repertoire
included
Shaw
as wcll
as
Shakespearc:
'[Owing
to a misrakc
on
rhe
parr
of
the rnanagemen{.
rhere
had
been
a
doublc
booking.l
Prilhviraj
lKapoorl
and I
arrived ara
compromise:
we
would
both
perform
during
rhe season.
On onc
day &ere
would
be an
Inditrn play performed
by
the Kapoor
acbrs,
and
on
ihe other
the
Shakcspearcan
or
Shavian
of
ihe
Kendat
actors. Each
company
would
remove
rheir scrs
ard
hand
over
the srage
ro the
orher
at the
end
of
the
day's performaooe.'
IKendal
14, 15,
20j
21
March
t958.
The
Erglish
Comediar6t
Shakespearc
ot What
Yoa Wir,
(cxceipts
lrom
urious
ptays).
New Empire
The
Shakcspearean
seleclion
was
compiled
and p.escnlerl
by
Marius
Godng
togclher with
anorher
compilarion
cnritled
rre
Mnrot
oJ nne
or Rtiel
Chrunicles.
'Inrroduced'
by thc Bdtish
Council.
Actors:
Marius
Goring,
Yvonne
Furncaux,
John
Lauric.
Rachel
Curney,
Jenniler Wilson,
Roger
Gage.
[.t
a,errun,
adverrisement
on
t8
Fcb.uary
l95g
From
the
revicw
in The
Statesman,
15
March
1958:
'The company
s litle
derives
from 1503,
when
one
John
Engtish
axcmpted
to
rival
abroad
the con(eorporary
tdumphs
of
the
Itatian
Commcdia dell
Arle. But.
whereas
rhe
talter
rclicd
prinlarily
on nlinre,
Englisfi prcscnred
lue
drama
in
his
native
language,
apparen
y
eked
out
for
overscas
audiences
by rhc
actor-manager,s
runl]ing
commcn
tary. When
in 1957
rhe Theatre
Nationat
populaire
in
paris
invjred
a
Shakespearean season,
ir
occuned
ro
Mr
Goring
thar
sinlitar
merhods
might with
advantage
be
adopted,
and such was
the
success
in France
and elsewhere
as
late.lo
suggesr
tbat
the
cxperimcnt
might
be equa
y
successtul
evcn wirh
English-speaking
audiences.
'Brilliantly
successlnl
indeed
it is, tor
thc mclhod
does much
to
conveft
whal
nighr
otherwise
appear
a
disjoinred,
however
compelently
prcsented,
series ofexcerprs
inro
a rounded periormance,
and to
peanil
a small
company
wilh
the limiled prope(ies
which
alone
can
be ranspotted
by air
ro
act
as
true conrempo.ary
succcssors
ro
the barnslorming
tradition,
whethcr
ol
rhc
Lord
Admiml,s
Men or
of
Mr
Crummles.
...
'In
grcat part,
no
doubl,
this
succcss
is
due 10
ihe
hriliiance
of
Mr
Coriog
as comperc. .-.
With
gaiety,
wit
and irony bc
glides
irom
aspect lo asp€ct of
the
genius
which
ir is
his business to
prcsenl
and, nevcr
ovcr-playing
yet
seldonr
miss;ng
a dramalic
poinl,
however
subtlc, into
and
out
ot
(lre
parLs
he
himself
lakes.
I(
was,
lor
inshnce,
an
educalion
to
watch
hi,n
ease
his way into thc
part
of
Richard
Crouchback
-
and at thc same
time
the
crilic
had never
prcviously
realized
quile
how uproariously tunny is the
great
scene with Anne
of
Warwick. Again,
as Caesar
he
conveyed lhe
pomposity
evidenl
in
thc
parl.
wilhoul,
as
do
so
many
actors, carlsing the
a0dieice
to
wonder
how
such
a
pas{eboard
colossus ever came
to
bestride
rhe
'But.
il
Mr
Goring
was
able
to
oarry the continuity of the
perfbrmancc
on his
shouldcrs, rhis was becarsc thc supporting roles
seldorn
lell
below a high average ol excellence, and
in
some inshnces
reached indcpendenl
sunrnils
...
the
whole
conrpany perhaps
appeared
to
best
collective advaDlage
in
the
Tirelri NArt excerpls.'
l-3
January
1960. Oxford Playhouse Company:
rre$th
NighL Neln
EmpirE
Organired
by
the
British
Council.
Cast: Brian Haffison as Orsino, Harokl Lang as Malvolio.
Frank
Windsor.rs Sir Toby aclch, Nicholas Amcras
S;
ADdrcw Aguecheek,
Eric Thompson as Fcste. Patricia Heneghan as Viola.
Fron
the
rcview
in
Th?
Stdes
ntl,3
January 1960:
'In
the
thea1rc
abundance may
be
a burden and its
absence
a blessing.
.-.
Oi
necessity the
group travels
wilh
a minimum
ol
bolh
actors
and
equipment. In the
production
of Tnefth Night... the
result
of
this
austerity was that
delighled
audiences saw the
play
which
Shakespearc
wrote
wirhout
the disrractions
oi
elaborale scenery or extravagant
'l'rank
Hauser's
production
ir
a simple
settirg
was
able to move
'The production
was
chrmcterized by a licshness
and
joylulness
on thc
par
of
lhis
prcdonrinantly
young grcup.
Only
the costumes
l)ilcd
to cndorsc
the
general
inlpression...'
PRODUCTIONS
IN
ENCLISH 43
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4, 5, l0 February
196]- The Bristol Old Vic: Harrler. New Empir€
Organized by the
British
Council.
Cast:
Barry warren as Hamlet, Sarah Badel
as
Ophelia, Oliver
Nevile
as Claudius, Yvonne Coulette
as
Gertrude. John Ringham
as
Horatio,
John Morris as Polonius. Scbastian Breaks as Laertes. Gcrald Curlis
as
Rosencranlz.
Chrislophcr
Burgess
as
Guildenstern,
t-eonard Fenton
as Player
King
and Marccllus, Pat Kean
as
Player
QueeD,
David
Trevena as
Lucianus
and
Second Gravedigger
John
Steiner
as
Fortinbms,
Robin Culver
as Francisco.
Jon Laurimore as Bernardo
and Captain, Christophcr
B urgess as First Gravedigger, Hugh Manning
as
the
Ghost,
Kenton Moore as Priesl, Robin Culveras Osric. Directed
by
Denis
Carcl
designed by Patriok Robertson. lighting by
Brian
Freeland.
From the review
in
?he Stotesntut\ 5 February 1963:
'The
difiiculty in
staging any
gcat
tragedy doesn't usually
arisc until
after
rhe
denouement ..-
this
happened
last
night
nt
the
Bristol
Old
Vic
Company's
presenlation
of Ad,nl.r at the
New
Empire when
all
the
principal
characters
had
perished
and thc
play
was lcit to
peter
'...
this
was
essentially
a
one-man
show. Suocess
hinged almost
entirely on
Barry
Waren
who
toured
the
Wyndham and
Lcwis'
circuit
in
England
in Fire Frrger f.vrcire some three
yea.s
ago and
brought
10 the
part
of
the Prioce
of
Der,mark lhe
same
gamin
charm
(perhaps
unconventional
in
a
portrayal
of
Hamlet)
and
lhe
same
*ility to
g.ip
rhe audience
with voice and
gesture.
An
aclor
of definite
moods,
his
failures,
if
any,
were the
f.mous scenes oi
indecisioo, but olherwise
he
gave
to
the
pan
a
coherence
thal
one
ofien
misses even
in
reading
the
play.
'The suppo(ing
cast, coping wilh restricted space and a slage
set that looked rno.e
likc a builder's
scaffold than aDything else,
wcrc
capable rather
than
good.'
Review in the Hr,,./trsrrd
Statdard. 6
Febr$ary 1963 by
'ROYNK'
(N.
K.
Roy):
'...
the
Bristol Old
Vic
Company once agaio
prorled
that aDy
programme of an
English touring
lroup€ will look shom withoul
a
Shakespearc....
'Mr
Dennis
Carey\
direclion
on a
practically
denuded slage lvas
SHAKESPEARE
ON THE
CALCUT"TA
STACE
PRODUCTIONS
IN ENCLISH
very capable-
He
gave an
unexpurgaled
version
of
the
play'
lle'
requires
no apology
for
ltle
string
oI dramatic
caiuallies Dor
for the
lcngth
of
the
PlaY.'
Decemb€r
1963.
Harold
Lang's
El"ottr:
Ma'betl
(in
ca
era)'
Bbwarupa
From
the
rcview
in The
Statesrnn.
l5
Dece$t'et
1963:
'Mnrbeth
in
Cam?ra
is an eflbt
made by
Mr
Lang
1o
discuss
Shakespeare
or one
of
his
plays
from
the
aclor's
point
of
view'
'As
the
curtain
raises
[Ji.]
one
sees
a
group
ofplayers
'ehearsing
scenes
liom
Md.r"r?.
Thcirenrplover
who
is a
Shakespearean
scholar'
drops
in
and
is
horritied
io see
the
way they
a'e trying
lo
tactle
the
ioanidable
problem ol
producing Shakespeare
while he is interested
in the
play's verbal bcautyi
the actors
are
not satisfisl
wilh
mere
words
,nd fe;]
that thesc
cannot
be
given full
expression
without
appropriaG
action and
movemcnl As
against
the
academic
approach
lhcy
gi\e
practiced
tsrl
demonstmtion
to drive
home
their
point
that
in
their
ettorts
o
iaenL;fy
themselves
with
fte
chatacters,
they came
to know
things
abour
a situalion
or
dialogue
which
are
missed
bv scholarc
and
criiics.
'Wha1
lbllows
are
revealing
interpretalions
ol
the behaviour
of
Macbclh
and
Lady
Macbelh
in
difterent
siiuations
and
thejr
psysho
logical
problenrs, and
brilliant
performances
of
sevcral
kev scenes'
Ma&efi
can be
considered
as
nothing
more
than a
vcry exciting
murder
play written by
a
greal
poel
and dranratisl.
bui
the
group
s
method
is able
to
g
ide
thc
audicnce's
imagination
and
to
make a
deep
intpression
on
them-
'The
setling
was
typical
rehearsal
room
with
heaped
up furnilure
The
aclor's
casc
was
presenled
not
withoul
wit''
tSikdar
December
1964.
The N€w
Shakesp€are
Company'
New
Empire
19,
20, 21
December.
The
Tenqest
22,
23,
24
DecembeL
Richard
II
26,
27 December.
The Ta
ing
ol
the Shrei'
TIN Te
pest:
Cast: John )Vyse as
Prospero,
Amanda Reiss
as
Mirunda,
Edward
Arienza as
Ariel.
Wollc
Mo.ris
as
Caliban
John
Casde as
Ferdinand'
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,16
SIIAKESPEARE
ON T}tE
CALCUTIA STAGF
Murray
cilmore
as
Conzrlo,
David
King
as Alonso,
Richant
Kane
as
Sebastian,
Chrislopher Burgess
as
Antonio,
Arrhur Howa.d
as Trinculo.
Ronald
He.dman as
Slephano. lohn
Cay as Francisco,
S,mon Carrer
as Adrian.
Henry
Manning
as
rhe Master.
Langton
Jones
as Boac
swain,
Maion
Desmond
as
Iris,
SheitaBa
anrine
as
Cercs. Zoe
Hicks
as
Juno.
Direclcd
by David
Witlian],
sers
designcd
by Henry
Bardon,
coslumes
designed
by David Walker
From rhe
review in
The
Staterna,t,20
December
t964:
'.-. though
the cosrumes
and rhe
use
otmusic
(roselher
with
some
efieclive
intemction
olillusion
and
rcatiry)
were
rich
and imaginarive,
their
eflect
was
dul,ed
by a harren
and cramped
set.
'... Edwad
Alienza's
Ariel was
beaurifut,
but
rather
too
tortured
and
reptiljan tbr
the spirit
of
rhe
air
he shoutd
be, bur rhe
writhjng
and loalhsomencss
were
supcrh
in
the bcstialily
ofCalihan,
biliantty
creared
bv
\ojlt
Mo
^
rnd
rhe.osl|lnp
delignur.
'I1 was
in Prospero,
howevcr,
rhar lhe tone
tell. _..
[On
thc island,]
John \ry'yse
wa-c
still thc
liail
unworldty
scholar
who was
so
easily
prised
out of his
dukedom;
he
lacked
the
nccessa.y
aulhorily,
and
lhe depth
of
character,
to bc rhe
nrastcr
ol the istrnd.
in conlrol
ovcr
both the baser
and rhe more
ethereal
spjrits.
He
came
iDlo
his
own
mosl
eftecrively
in the
genuine
sadness
wilh
which
he
abjured
his
magic, and
look
leave
of
the
island.
...
'
'...
Thcre
were
some
grear
momenls
.__
but thcy
were
isolared
monrcnts
-
the
play
as
a whole
coutd nor produce
rhe impact
il coutd
have done.
This is
not
just
anorhe.
Midsummer
Nighfs
Dream;
rhe
threats of
evil and violence
arc real
lhrears.
... Bul we
had
no
rcal
awareness
of
rhe
power
oI
iove and
hununiry
which
redeems
,ll
the
characlcrs,
excepl
in
Prospero's
momenl
of rruth
ar rhe realizaiion
that evcn
a
non-human
being like
Arlct
can
feel
pity.
It
was
a
pily
lhat a
production
which
contained
so
many fine
rhings
did
not
achievc
quite
the hcighls
that
thjs
compcny
is
otviously
capable
oi
Richard II:
Cast: David
Willianr
as
Richard
lt,
Dinsdale
Lxnden
as Bolingbroke,
John
Wyse
as John
olGaunt,
Amanda
Reiss
as
eueen,
Arthur
How.rd
as
Dukc
ol York. Zoc
Hicks as
Duchcss
of
Gtoucester
and
Duchcss
of
York,
Christopher Burgess
as
Nortotk
and Bishop
of
Carlisle,
Richard
Kane
as
Aumerle, Ronald
Herdman
as
Bushy
a.d ltre
Keeper
PRODIJC.TIONS IN
FNCI-ISH
John
Gay
as Bagot, Simon Carler as Green. Langton
Jones
as
Norfiumberland,
llenry Manning
as Lord
Ross and the Grcom. John
Caslle as
Hany
Percy. Gene Sandys as
Willoughby, Murray Gilmorc
as
Salisbury. Wolfa
Moris as the
Welsh Captain
and Firsl Gardener,
David King
as Scroop.
Michael Bland
as Second Gardener Edward
Alienza
as
Sir
Piers
ol Extor.
Drected
by
David
William,
sets
designed
by
Henry Bardon. coslumes designed
by
Robin Pidcock.
From the review in The Stt1teenn.23 Deienbet 1964:
'... an inleresting choice
[a
deparlure from
the
usual lbrmula of
visiling
companiesl but one that did not
quite
come
off
... Dalid Willian s
direclion was couplcd with elibclive design'ng for some slining
scenes ... but
poor grouping
and
lack
of
invenlion made some
parts
of
the
play
drag badly.
...
'David William's
ponrayal
of
Richard broughl
out
admirably
nll his
perul.rncc
,rnd
playacling, particularly
at the
beginning
and
in the scene of his rctum fron lreland,
bul collapsed
in the
big
scene
of
his
lbmul
abdication. ...
Dinsdale Landen's
Bolingbroke
was
n capable
rnd
efficient
porlrayal
of
a capable_ and efficient
'Again,
what rcmains
in lhc
mcmory is not
thc
Flxy
as a whole,
but
momenls of
good
llrcatre, and a number of bcaulif'ully cxccu{ed
small
parts:
Z)e Hicks's Duchess of Cloucester, which set the lrue
note of fbreboding and reference Io bolh
past
and lulurc in the very
el'l'eclive
opcningi
Arlhur
Howard's irresolute and inoompelent Duke
of
York;
Chrislophcr
Burgesjs
superb
tooent of
lury as the Bishop
ofCa.,is1e.'
The
Taning of
the
Sh.ev:
Cas(: Sheila
Ballantine
as
Kathcrina, Dinsdale
Landen as Pelruchio.
Dalid
King as Biptisla, Amanda Reiss
as
Bianca,
Wolfe
Monis as
Chrislophcr Sly, Zoe Hicks
as
I{ostcss and Widow,
Miohael Bland as
thc P.rgc,
John
Gay as
the
Lod, lohn
Castle
as Luccntio.
Richa.d
Kane
as
T.anio.
AnhurHoward
as Grcnrio, Ronald Heftlman as Gruorio.
Chrjstopher Burgess as Honensio, Edward Alienza as Biondcllo,
Henry Manni,rg
as Cu is, Mullay Gilmore as Pcdant,
Sinron
Ca(er
as
Taikrr
Gene SLrndys as Haberdasher, t-angton Jones
as Mn.entio.
Dirccled
by vladck
Shcybrl,
sets designed by Henry Bardon. cos-
tumes
designed
by
David
Walker.
Frcm rhe review in
The
Stotes
nn.2T
December
1964:
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SHA(ESPEARE
ON IHE
CALCUT-IA
STACE PRODI]CTIONS IN ENGLISH
'In this
play
wi(hin a
play,
all is make-believe. and lhe tlirector,
Vlad€k
Sheybrl,
hcighlens
the illusion
of
illusion
by
making Christopher Sly
and the
other
viev/ers take
pan
in
dre
chief
action.
11
is
Sheybal's
triumph thal
e,rcn
aftcr Sly so rudely bursts in on the slagc,
thc aclion
goes
on
wirhoul any marked'break.
'A bigger
biurph forsheybal
is that
he has becn ablc to make
thc shrew and
tl}mercredible. sheila Ballantine's Katherina
is
no
slook
character of larcq
while shc
gets
no synrrrathy from anyonc
on
tbe
stage.
not even
her ththe., she
geis
i1
tiom
us. Iostead,
it
is
Bianca,
rhe spoilt
doll
who is
all
the
while
smirking.tnd
smiling and melting
over
like an
icecream
in
warnr weather,
whoin we find
decidedly
unpleasaol
.-- w]th such a sisler
and
tulhar,
it
is
no
wonder
lhal
Katherina
is
a shrew.
'The bouq eL
for
the
L,eslaclimg,
howevcl
fiould
go
to Dinsdalc
La]lden,
lorhir Peruchio,
and Edwald Atienza.
whosc Biondello l&il
long be remembercd
in
Calcutta.
'A
word about the
endiq.
Sheybal
has
t'een
kinder to
Sly
ll1An
the printcr
of
lhe
quario
in
lvhich
the
pla)
first
appcatcd;
but
he
sqould
have made
it
clear thal dre
Nords hc
has
pui into
Sly
s
moxlh
lwhich
the reviewer &es
no(
quoi€l
are his own,
aor
Shakcspeare\.
Even
without Sly's
pffting
words.
there
is
enougb
in
this
play ror
shrews
to
brand
Shakespea,e as a
woman halcr'
From rhe
revicw
in
Derr.
2 January
1965
08
Paush 1371,
trnslatcd
fron
the
Bengalil:
'Of
$e thrce
produclions,
fie one
which
gave
most
pleasure
to
the
audiencc
was The
thming of
th.
Snru,r,
The
produclions of ri€
Tenpesr
ant
Richard Il
mighl
havc
bccn
richer
[However,
thc
later
had
their rewarding points.l
Atierza's
songs [as
Ariel]
wcrc
a
special
'Henry
Bardon's
sets
for l'he Ti
titg
efhe
Shrew
\|etu
rttxctive-
The
sets fb.
Ri.hard
II
]mlphr
have been
better.'
15,
17,
18,
l9
December
1969. The
labouts of
Low
(lo\e-s.eies
from
Shakespeare
and
oth€r dramatists).
The Shakespeare scenes
werc
The Tami,tg of
tlrc Shrew
ll,i,
AntonJ
a
d Cleopalra
l.iii,
He
ry
lv
Patt I
ll,iii, Macbeth
l.\,I.rii and The
Taming of the
Shrev
v-ii.
IGla
Mandir
Acled
hy
Barbara Jetford and
Jolrn
Tu
rer. Prcsenlcd
b)'
lhe
Bridsh
Couocil.
The
Shakespeare scenes
wcre interspersed amorg
sccncs
from other d.amatists
(Sheridan,
Wilde, Sbaw,
Fry).
From the review
in
The
Stateeta
. 16 December 1969:
'wearing
what looked
like an
ordinary
Nehrujacket and black trcusers,
John
Turner
acted
all
the roles
oi
the
husbandJover
j
us1
as
e{ficiently
as BarbaraJeftord,
drcssed
in a
simple
empirc-waisled black
gow wilh
loose. tossing
panels,
played hcr role
as the
female lover.
...
'... bolh
were
rl
their
besl
in thc
non-Shakespearean
plays.
...
Shakespearc
is
a ihr cry
iirm Sheridan, and
so
is Bcrnard
Shaw
from
Chrinopher
Fry. It
was
only likely,
lhereiore,
that thc
actors otade
it
a
point
ro break rhe 'illusion
of reality"
bcfore
the
b€ginning
of each
cpisodc, and both oi them
esprcially
Mr Turner
-
tried
to look
as casual as
possible
ar the slightcsl
oppo{unily. Mr
Turner
wore
a
dry
smile almost
like
a convcnienl mask
which
he
could
pur
on or
off
ar
his own swcct
will.'
9-l0December 1970.
Th€
London
Shak€spcare
GroUQ:AUIot
Your
,eligrl
(scenes
and
songs from
The Merchort oJ Venice,
The
Winttt's Tale,
OtheUoianlct,Tveryth
Night\.
I(,l,
Mqn.lir
Presenled
by
the
British Council.
'Dcvised and Directed
by
Peter
Poncr'
(adlertisemenl
in 7re Statesnan,
I
Dtc
1970).
Membe$ oIlhe
group:
Brian
Robinson, Robefl Swann. Helcn Dorward, Tonl Criddle,
Maria Aitkcn. Coslunrcs by
Annona
Slubbs.
From
Problcms of Staging Shkespeare'. Ir? Staisra?ar,
l0Dccember
1970r
'Thrce
people greeled
me as
I
entered
the
grccnroom
of Kala
Mandir.
One
ol
thcm, a
lall
man, was inspecling
a
sinistcr
looking
objecl which
I
laler
Iearnt was the
mask
of
the ghos
in
"Hamlef'-
He
\
enr on
rn mJkc J carclu, rnrcnrory of the
junure..
8i\
ing
tft
ci'c
instructionr as
to how
they should
be
iroDed.
By lhis
dme
I
had
guessed
his idenrily
...
tasl
Peter Polter. director
ol
rhc
London
Shakespeare
group-
'A lbrvenl admirer
of
Sir Tlrone Curhrie, anolhcr
director with
r
pxssion
lor
delail,
M. Po11€r
believes
in
leaving
nolhing
1l)
chance.
Once
he
intcrrupted
rhe
inierview to
ensure that the s(age
hands were
properly
fixing a carpet.
...
'Mr
Potler
teels
that sludents
are unlble lo
stagc Shakespeare
becnuse
of
shorrage
of
lunds. He
propoies
to demontuate
lhal
the
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JO
SHAKESPEARE
ON
THE
CALCUTIA
STACE
plays
can
be
effectively
produ€ed on a modest
budget'
Fr6m
the
review
il
Hinnusthan
Sta
dad.
I0
Decemb€r
1970:
'The team
comprised
live
anistes
and
they looked
a b
anced
set'
In
Maria
Aitken
the
group
has
an
ideal
Shakespearean
ackess
Shc
has
wonderful
poise
and
clarity
of
utlemnce.
Hel€n
Dorward
displaved
a chaming
tlair
for
humour.
One
would not
say she
was
ideally
cast
as
Desdemona.
...
Pcte.
Pottcr\
introduction
of
fie
slyle
of
immo_
bilizing
his anistes
-'back
to the
audience
-
when they
are
noi
speaking
proved
dramatically
significant'
3, 4
January
1975.
Thc
New
Shakesp€.re
Comp
nY Hanlet'
Rabind(l
Sadan
Sponsorcd
by the
British
Council.
Siephen
Chase
as
Hamlet,
Garv
Raymond
as Claudius,
Rachel
Herbert
as Gertrude.
El;zat'€th
Romilly
as
Ophelia,
Kenncth
Waller
as
Polonius.
Roberl
Lhter
as
Horatio,
Malcolin
Stoddard
as
tnertes'
Philip
Bowen
as
Rosencrantz'
Brian
Deacon
as
Guildensbrn, Mervyn
Will;
as
Fordnbras,
Dalid
Gillies
as
Bernardo,
Charles
Nowosielski
as
Marccllus,
Desmond
Stokes
as
the
Chosl,
Playct
King
and
Osdc'
Dav;d
Dodimead
as
Firs
Plaver
and Gravediggcr.
David
Ficlder
'ts
Player
Queen-
Directed
by Mcrvyn
Willh.
Se$
and
oostumes
by
Bob
Ringwood'
lighting
by
Brian
Beno,
movcmenls
arnrgcd
by
Michacl
Vernon'
i;hts
ar.anged
by
Robe(
Lister' Music
by
Marilvt
Galsworthv'
Kenneth
waller
Charles
Nowosielski.
Tony
Kilbane'
Paul
wltgar'
Mervyn
willis.
From
the
review
;1
nrc
Stutes,no,l,
4
January
1975r
'Asked
what
Cod
did
befbre
He
made
the
wodd,
St Augustioc
answered;
"He
cleated
a
Hell lbr
the
inquisiti c'"
Mervvn
wjllis'
who
direcls
lhc
New
Shakespeare
Conrpany's
"Hamlef'
a1 Rabindra
Sadan'
obliously
has
such
a
metaphysical
inlerno
in
mind
but,
because
he
forgets
thal
the
play
is
also
aboul
"animal,
bloody
and
unnatural
acts"'
the
production fails
to
get under
ooe's
skin'
EYen
the swods ofHamlet
and
Laeies
seenr
unreal.
'Mr
Willis
replaccs
$e
opening
scene
wilh
a
montage
sequence'
He
appears
to bc
pa
icularly
ibnd
of this
device;
for
the
viewer
is
irequendy
bombarded
with
mutliple
Hamlets
and
Ophelias
Sepa-
PRODUCTIONS
IN
ENGLISH
5I
ration of the
"To
be
or
not
lo be" soliloquy
from
the
nunnery scene
ruins
the
dramatic
contrast.
More objeciionable
;s
Mr Willis'
praclic€
of
illustrating the
verse-
He
gains
hardly anything
by showing
how
Claudius
murdered his bro(her
or
how
Hamlet
appeared
befbre
Ophelia
in an anlic disposilion.
... Since
fte
Ghost
has been
reduced to
a
prologue, Desmond
Stokes
has
little lo
do
except
look
mysterious....
'The
pmduction
is
visually exciling,
thanks
to
Brian
Benn's
imaginalivc
lighting
and
Bob Ringwood's
tenebrose
setting.'
1976.
The Royal Shakespeare
Company:
The
HolloN'
Crown and.
Pleasuru
anil Repe
ta
ee. Rabindra
Sadan
Presented
by
$e
British Council.
The
HolLow
Crown
rar
'a
unique
enterlainment
composed
of
lhe
letters,
speeches.
poems,
songs
and
music fealuring
the
kings and
qucens
ofEngland'.
The
Shakespoarcan
clement
was
conllncd
to
the opening
item, the
hollow crown' speech
trcm
Richaftl
11. Il
was devised and
dirccted
by John
Barton.
Pleasurc
and
Repe"tance
was
a
lightheaned
look
al love',
deYised
and di.e.ted
by Teny
Hands.
Thc items
included
lwo Shakespeare
songs,
from
Trrelra Night
and The
i4ercha t oJ
Ue
ice-
l,
2
April
1976.
Watford Palsce
Theatret
The
Merclu,tt
ol Uenice.
Rabindra
Sadan
Sponsored
by Ihe
Brirish
Council.
John Savident as
Shylock, Jan Waters
as
Portia.
Barbara
Atkinson
as
Nerissa.
Christopher
Neame
as
Bassanio.
Arthur Cox
as Graliano,
Peter
Denyer
as Launcelot Gobbol
also Donald
Pickcring, Edward
Jewesbury, Margarcita
scotl
Margery
Mason. Directed by
Stcphen
Hollh.
From the
review
in
The
Stuesnnn,2
Aptil
1916.
'This
reviewer
rackcd his bmins rying
Lo
anticipale Skphen
Hollish
soiution
10
the
crucial
problem in
'The
M6rchanl of
Venice": how to
blend a tragic and
a
comic thenle into a
dramatically organic
wholc.
...
Bu1
lhe
pcrformance
at
Rabindra
Sadau
on Thurday
makes
a
mockery of
the hornework. Ooe finds
a
"funny"
play
prcscnted
\rith
no more compctence
than
can
bc
cxpected
o[
a
group
of college
'Shakespearc
is on the run
the
momcnt So,anio
and
Salarino,
two
gangsterr,
cmlc
to enrertain
Lheir
boss,
Antonio ...
lwithl
boistcrous
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52
SHAKESPEARE
ON THE
CALCUT-TA
STACE
movement
round
a
composite
statue ol a
swan
and
a lion. Instead
of a
fairyland,
Porlia's Belmont
suggests the drawing
room ofa
dcmi_
mondaine.
Morocco,
whose
"n slike
me
not lbr
my complcxion"
is
worthy of
Olhello.
receives the samc
slapstick rcatment
tts thc
conceiled
Arragon.
Bassanjo
wins
the
lreroine
simply because
he
has
grealer
S-A. ...
It
is
significant
thd
the
bawdy
episode
of
the ring
comes
out
besl
in
this
production.
Shylock
fails to
get
justice
and
not
only
in a trial scene.
...
'The
casl
does
not
follow Hamlet's
advice
to
"speak
aippingly".
There arc
too
many
realistic Pinteresque
pauses,
the
worsl
off€nder
being
John Savideni's
Shylock.
... He
has trouble coDrolling
his left
hand.
wears
a
villainous
smirk. and
dances
when
news comes
of
Antoniot
humilia1ion....
Jan Walers
brings Portia
close to
Eliza
Dooliltle
in her
flower-girl
days.
..-
Only Peter
Denveis
Launcelot
Gobbo
resembles
Shakespeare's
creadon.
The cosluncs,
especially
lhat
of Arragon.
dazzle
the
eyc.'
10-11
October
1977.
The London
Shakcspeare
Croup.
Roneo
a'|d
<er.
Vidya Mandir
SpoNored
hy
the
B
tish
Council.
A snrall-cast
production
of an
adaptation'
ol
lhc
play.
Tercnce
Budd
as
Romeo.
Suzan
Farmer
as Julicl,
Richard
Howard as
Mcrcutio, John
Moreno
as Tybalt
and
thc Friar.
Sheila
Reid
as
the Nurse.
Directed
by
John
Fraser
Fron
the
review
]n
The
Statesnat\
ll October
1977:
'When
will
the
Brilish Cou.cil
lake the
pcople
ol
Calcutta
seriouslyl
The
London
Shakespeare
Group's
R,,rco atd
Juliet
is
oot
an unmitigatcd
disaster
like
the Watford
Palace
Theatre's
?lle
Merchant
of
Veniu.
brr
i
hardly
marks
an
advance over
local English
language
productions.
[It
is] costumed
oralory.
..
'Mr
Fraser
follows
the
'modcrn"
approach,
which mcans
that
the
dramalist
comes
on stage
uninlerpreled
...
One finds lhis
morc
objcclionable
lhan
the
co0descending
cho.us
givlng delails
oi thc
plot'
The
"add nothing,
subhc
nolhing"
atlilude lo Shakcspeare
invites
inmherence.
a babel
of
individual
voices.
Melodrama
gobbles
up the
lyrical
ragedy,
reducing
the
"staFcrossed
lover("
r^
'mon'rq
'o_eds'
Petting
would
be a
polite
description
of their
"holy
palmers'
kiss"'
The balcony
sccne
is
vinlage
Marx Brolhcrs.
..
Even
thc
Friar
leels
PRODUCTIONS
IN ENGLISH
53
obliged
(o
crack
jokes
with
Romeo
'Things improve
after
the marriage,
although
Schopenhaucr
would have commended
Romeo's
maileFof-fact
acceplance
of
Mercoliot
death.
...
Romeo's
lasl meeting
with
Juliel comes
close
10
acquling
a
doomed beauty.
lAlthough
the
final moments
ol
hoth
Romeo
and
Juliet
are'lassionless",l
the two bodies
on
a
slage, bare
except for a
bed and a
raised struclure
serving
as the balcony.
presenl
a
moving
picture.'
14-17
Nov€mber
1979.
Chris
Harris
performed
'Kemp's
Jig"
at
Vidya
Mandir
while
the display
"The
Age
ofshakespeare"
was
on
at the
Birta Industrial
and
Technological
Mus€um.
lBdlish
Council
rccords
22-24
January
19sr.
The
Cambridge
Thestrt
Companv,
The
Tmgedie
o/Macr?rlr.
Rabindre Sadan
Presented
by
the
Indian Council for Cultural
Relations
and
the
Brilish
Council.
Brian
Cox
as Macbelh,
cemma
Jones as
Lady
Macbeth,
Edward
Jewesbury
as Duncan
and lhe
Doclor,
Roberl
whelan
as
Banquoi
Ann
Pennington.
Jeannie
Fisher and
Anne Kidd
as the
Weird Sistersi
Paul
whitwodh as Malcolm.
Ron Emolie
as
Donalbain,
Second Mudcrer
and
Young Seyward,
James Aubrey
as
Macdun
Emma
Williams as
Lady
Macdull
Billy
Mccoll
as
Caplain.
First
Murderer
and Sevton,
Tom Cotcher
as Lennox,
Kenny Ircland
as Angus
and the Porlcr
Iain
Mitchell
as Ross. Annc
Kidd as
Gentlewonran.
Stuart
Wilde as
Flcance
and
fte
Crowned
Child, Harry
Walker
as
Old Man
and
Sevward.
Directed
by
Jonathan
Lynn,
designed
by
Saul
Radomskv,
Iighting
by
Steve Kemp,
music composed
and
rcalized by Colin
Malhews'
fights
arranged
by
Wiuinm
Hobbs. Special
ctlects by
'The Creat Kovari'.
From the review
;n The Statesnan.24
Januarv
I98l:
'tln
rhis
pcrformancel Shakespoare
is
asked lo speak
for himsclf
A
babel
of individual
voices
ensues,
the compellirrg
ones helonging
to
the
Grcal Kovari
(special
elTecls),
Srul
Radomsky
(stage
design)
and Steve
Kemp
(lighting).
Whcn
il comes
1(] igniling fte
poelry
wiih
the sheer
physical
presence of aclors the
production
does
not surPass
the best
ellorts
of
thc
EnglishJanguage thealre
in
Calcutta.
...
'Eleganl blocki$g
seems
more imporlant
than uninhibitcd
display
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54
SHAKESPEARE
ON THE CALCUTTA
STAGE
of
passjon.
Lady
Macbeth
greeis
h€r husband
as if
he has
just
retumed from office.
...
[The
details
ot
presentarion]
force the
unpalalable
conclusion that
Lynn
lacks confidence
in himselt ...
'Very
little
ol the acting is as
memorable
as
the
disapp€arance
of a Wcird
Sister like rhe "bubbles"
ol the earth, leaving
her
tattered
dress
in
Macbefi\ clutches,
-.. or Banquot
ghost
lanishing behind
13, 14, 16
April
1984..
The
Wal€rmill
Theatrc
Companyr
lte
Mefthant of Ve
ice.
Vidya
Ma[dir
Presented by thc British
Council.
Alan While
as
Antonio
and Tubal. Bcrnard
Kay
as Shylock,
Meg
Devies as
Po(ia,
lack
Calloway
as
Bassanio,
Kathryn Hunrer
as
Jessica, Celia Imrie as Ne.issa,
Gavin NuirasGratiano,
Crispin
Redman
as
Lorenzo
and Duke of
venice,
Mark
Knox as Launcelot
cobbo.
Directed
by Pip
Broughton.
Designed
by
Chris
Townsend.
From thc rcview
\n Tlle Statesntj,l, 15 Aprjl
1984:
'Pip
Broughton
appeared
to
approach
the
play
scene
by
scere,
wiihour anempring a total interpretation
rcconciling
ihe Bassanio,
Portia romance
lo the
ruin
of Shylock. The result
was an cxtremely
uneven
pedbrmance
thal
lorrered between l-arce
aDd tragedy_
'It is
always.isky to add
s(age
business ro Shakespeare's
verse,
other than lhose which arise naturally
oul ofthe words. ...
lThis]
could
no1 be
said of
Graliano imperionating
the Princc
oI
Anagon,
Portia
squealing at the first sighl oI
Morocco,
and making risque
gesrures.
... That Olivier rounded the vowels in
Olhello's lines did nor
jusrify
Morocco's
Arab
accent,
which
hobblcd
the
s(ately verse.
Ncrissa
seemed
lo lickle
Ponia's ribs,
forgetting
thal
a
maid
corld
nor
take
such Iiberties with her mistess in l6th-cenrury
England.
Gratiano
being
slapped by
Nerissa
was sullicicnt ior
the
lasl
scenc;
Broughlon
gained
little by having her kick
him.
...
'Only
lhe Shylock scenes
(except
the trial) redeemed
the
produc-
lion.
Bernard Kay's
quiel yet
tense
potuayal.
his
crisp
rreatment
of
the
"Signior
Anlonio..." speech, was a
connoisseuis delighl.'
19-21 February 1986.
Cheek
by
Jowl
Theotrc
Company: A Midsurn-
tnet Nighl's
Drean
(ala
Mandir
Sponsored by the Indian
Council
for
Cultuml Relations
and lhe British
Council.
PRODi]CTIONS
IN
ENCIISH
55
Maflin Turncr as Theseus and Oberon,
Aone While as Hippolih and
Trtaftin, David Cillespie as Philosuale
and
Puck. Colin
wakefleld
as
Bottom, william Chubb
as DemetriL s, Paul sykes as Lysander, Saskia
Reeves
as
Hermia, Sally Gr€enwood as
Hclena. Directed by Declan
Donnellan, dcsigned
by
Niok
Ormerod.
From
thc
revicw
in The States
nn,2l Febru4ry
1986:
'The
Cheek
by
Jowl Theatre Company .-. illustrated
two
of
the
prinaipal
bad habits of the English thcate
today
(the
words
are John
wi.llert\)r
"a
preoccupalion with 'encrgy'
vrhich too often
leads to
hyperactivity of
a
frenzied kind" and
'an
obsession
with comedy at
all costs". But the dirccror
Dcclan Donnellan and the designer Nick
Orrnercd between them
laid barc the rumbustious larce
beneath the
poery.
.-.
Eve.y
agc ought lo have
ils own Shakespeare
and
this onc,
in which the
plays
have b€en translated
i.to
"modern" English and
turned
into comjc slrips,
lbund
thc
perlect
expression
when
Miss
Flute
rook off herjacket. revealing
a shi(
bearing the legend
"Relax". ...
'Changing
rhe sex
of
Flutc
...
meanl
the
sacrifice
of
a
wonderful
Iine: "Nay, faith, lel Dre not
play
a
woman:
I
have
a
beard
coming."
The sighl
of Miss
Quince
in
a
lion's skin
offercd
poor
compensation
for rhis. ... Greater a(ention
1o the verbal music
would
have sparcd
the
c,3l,,
seated on
chairs on the stage, the
lrouble
of
making
mysterisuB
noises
appropriale
to the coming oflhe fairies or sounding
woodsn clr,ppcrs. ... The Pymmus and
Thisbe
play
[altemp{ed]
lo
improve
o& Shakespearc by
inlroducing
Fate in a
transparenl
black
scarfi. Presenting an actlal
"child" on
Ihe
stage
during
the
quarrel
be(weeo the
lairy
king
and
quecn
was a sfrious mistake. ...
'The music
included elTcctive
use
of
drumbeats
durins
Puck's
doggerejs.'
22 Dec€mber 1986.
The London Mime ThBtre. Shakespeate the
lyor*r.
G,D, Di a Sabhagar
Presenred
by the
British Council.
Adaptations of Ma.r(,rr,
Hdn et, Kiry Le$ arl,d Ron?o a d Juliet.
Cast: Nola
Rae and John
Mowat.
Designed and dirclled
by Mallhew
Ridout.
Fronr rhe reliew in Th. Statesnat- 24 Deccmber 1986:
'This
was exacrly tlrc sort of
irreverent
assaull
on
a classic which
sives
Sukumar
Ray's
Lakshmmer Shaktishef
ils
immorlality.
... Al
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SHAKESPEARE
ON
THE
CALCUTIA
STACE PRODUCTIONS
IN
ENCLISH
limes it
became
exlremely
difficult
to separate
the
Shakespearern
action
from "clowning.
eccentric dance
,,.
fooling
and
conlrolled
lunacy", io
quote
the
programme
notes.
But
patience
was rewarded
with
parodies
that
in
a Brechtian
sense,
permitted
well-knowfl
scenes
t0
he
vre$eJ
ufrerh.
'Evidendy, Rde and
Mowat.
not to spcak
o[
Ridout.
are
staunch
admhers
of
American silent
film
comedies. ... They decided
against
total
silence; the apothecary bade
farewell
ro Romco in
intelligible
words,
in
conlrasl
to
the
gibberish
exchanged between
Lcar
and his
Fool.
Aciual
props
were used. though both Rae
ard
Mowat
created
imaginary objects.
Refusal
to
paint
their
ftices
white
marked
another
depa(ure
from the mime
convenlions.
If the
viewer
look in
these
details
wilh halfa
mind,
il
was
because
Shakespeare
overcame
wdting
blocks
by
watching the domestic chores of Anne Halhaway
(i
could
not
have
been
the
Dark
Lady,
could
itl) ...
getting
the idea for rhc
witohes'
cauldron and the sleep-walking in
"Machelh" from
thc way
his
wife
cooked
invisible
soup and washed
her
hands.
...
'Chaplin
was not
entirely
abscnt, for
the
Lear
with
a
Hitlerish
moustache
and in
a brown
overcoal. shouting
into
a
mic.ophone
whose
patu
lended to lly apart came
straight out of "Thc Greal
Diclalor".
...
"Hamlea'through
glove
puppets
onore
accurately. onra-
mental covers for
fingers) ...
was
an amazing
tour de
force.'
23.25
January
1989.
The L€icester
Haymarket:
,Ialius
CaesaL
I{.nla
Mandir
PresenEd
bi the
Indian Council for Cultural Relations and the
Brilish
Council.
Joscph
Marcellas
Brutus, Robert Flemyng
as Caesar, Maftin Mc(ellan
as Mark Antony, Stephen Boxer as Cassius, Wiliam
Key
as
Casca,
Jacqueiine Dankworth
as
Calphurnia.
Janet
Key
as
Portia, Philip Brook
as
Cinna.
Titinius
and Clitis, Delaval
Astley as
Cicero and
Octavius.
Robe Blylhe as
Decius Brutus
and
Messala, Duncan Law as
Marullus. Trebonius, Cinna
$c
Poet etc., Peter Lovsrrom
as
Cobbler,
Polopilius Lena, Cato etc..
Gil
Sutherland
as
Fla,rius, Metellus Cimber
etc., Richard WiUiams
as
Soothsayer Publius, Caius Ligarius, Lepidus
clc. Aseem
Seth
(local)
as
Lucius. Directed by
John
Dexrer
Designed
by
Jocelyn
Herbert.
Lighting by Andy
Phillips. Music
b)
Stephen
Boxer
Fights
by
Duncan Law.
From the reliew by Dharani
Ghosh in f,ri? Sraresnar,
25
January 1989:
'A
\,iolent
story has
been told in the least
sensational manner
inraginable,
with
just
enough authentic
costumos to historicize the
power
struggle. The
cool
beauty,
the transparent
blocking
that at once
shlpes
and
grows
oul
oi thc
lines,
the
clear arliculadon of
each
word
withouidamaging
the music or
the
colloquial rhythm
ofShakespearean
blank
verse
gives
Calcutta
i1s
first
taste
of
the famous
Royal
Court
sr)le
e\ohed
h)
Gcorpe
Devrne
rn
(he
1950'.
'...
True
10 his
reputation
lbr the
unconvcnlional,
Dexter
seems
to build on Cassius. no B.ulus
or Caesar
After all, il
is
Cassius
who
first
hatches the
conspiracy
out
of
petty
personal
molivcs
and
lhen
surrenders
the lcadcrship
to Brulus
against
his better
judgement,
with
disastrous consequences. Stephen
Boxer's
exlraordinary
portrayal
of
a crafly
stralegisr,
who
is
at hcart a
petulant
ljttle
boy
hungry for
affcclion,
owes
as much to his own
hlent as 1o Dcxtcr\ ability
to
look at a
play
wilh
frcsh
eyes.
...
'...
the tingling
nnmediacy
of
Caesar\
assassination
or
the
quarrel
bctween
Brutus
and Cassius
-..
the first featuring a
sjngle
highbacked
chair and
the
second a few
stools. all
of
them
painted
like maftle. Ciant
mctallic
tiames ar the back
adorn
lhe lwo sides,
through
which
desccnd red screens
whcn
the conspirators stab Caesar,
a
statue of Caesar
made
of metal
strips
and
a
huge softboard
disc
on
fie
slagc
allow
thc cast
fieedom
ofmovemeni as long as
it rentains
precise.
. . . B rutus
delivers
his
logical
discourse
{rom thc
1op
of steep
sleps,
away
from his
listcnen. Antony
goes
round caesar's
body
placed
ar the centre
of
thc disc to
harunguejbe
mullilude.
Seen through
rhe
metal
kames,
lhe
battle recalls
an
epic
pageanl.
... Why should
passive
memb€rs
ol lhe
audience
comprise
a
Roman
fbrum
and sit
on the
stage
for
morc
than two hours?'
Isikdar
From lhe review
by
Ananda
Lal in
The
Teleeraph,28 January
1989i
'...
Dexter's absolulc
fldclity lo
the
texl
sealed
the authorita(iveness
ol
lhis version. lndeed. onc
may argrE thal
he was
pcrhaps
too taithtul:
he kepL
both
thc
rcporls oI Po*ia\
dealh,
causing underslandable
confusion in
Brutus'reaclion
(scholars
bclicve that
Shakespeare
rlmosl ccnainly
meant
b
cancel
one or
lhe
other report
of he.
passing).
'Dexter's magnificent hlocking
made
lbr a fluid
suge
piciure
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58
SHAKESPEARE
ON THE
CALCUTTA
STACE
at all times. Examples
abound, among
rh€m rhe
circular morif
of the
murder
scene
and
the
terible last
sleps o, Caesar
as, after being
stabbed by all the
conspirators save Brurus
(who
srands apart.
dagger
concealed
from
Caesar), he staggcrs
lor succour
towards Brutus, who
wais
for
him
and at the momcnl
o[ embmce
plunges
his dagger
into
him. The
movements
of
the
plcbeia s during
and afrer the
iamous
central speeches
confirm well-worn
clichds about mob
nenlality
and
the
fickleness of crowds.
Dexter saves
his directoriat
comment
for
the
end
when,
in a auly
fiie touch, he has
Octavius
crown himsclf
while
Anlony,
mourning over Brutus'
corpse, swivels
around
to
nodce
this
gesture
as the lights go
out and we
are
lefi lo woder:..No,
nor
again"-
'-.. When
Cll€rarpremiered
at the Clobe in
1599, Shakespeare.s
company us€d a
casl of 15: rhe Haymarker
utilized 17, prcviding
an
object
lesson in do.ubling
(or
tripling
or
quadrupling)
paas.
Dextcr
ran
fie
play
wkhout
an
iDteryal, inlensilying
thc impact
as in
Elizabethan
tirn€s. His msticulous
attention to
o
hoepic details
should
excite
all
lovers
of Shakespeffe's
language and
prosody.
Jocelyn
Herbert's typieally
unclutrered
ser
with i$
(eely
scalfoldings
rernaincd
a
subfusc
grey
except for
the rcd
ve
cal ban.ers
u1 appeared
in
the assassinatioo
scen€. Andy Phillips'
inrensc
and coldly sparkting
Iighls heightened
lhe blaak-and-white gemral
scheme,
devoid otbright
2G22
february 199r-
Thc
Engtish Shakespearc
Comp6ny:
frre
Wnter's
TaIe
ad Coriolaa$.
Kda itandir
Pr€senled
by
the
British Council
ard
the
Indian
Council for
Cultural
Rolalions.
The
Winterb Tok:
Casti Michael Penningro,
as Leontes, Lynn
Fa eigh
as Hcanione.
Trilby
James as Maniiius
and Perdita, Andrew
Jarvis
as
polixenes,
John Dougall
as
Florizel, Roben
Demeger as Camillo,
Michaet
Cronin
as
Antigonus,
June Watson
os Paulina, Karen
Ardill as Emilia
and
Mopsa, Bernard
Lloyd as OId
Shephed,
Charles
Dale as
Ctown,
James Hayes
as
Aurolycus, Emma
C.of as
Dorcas,
Vincenr Franktin
as Cleomenes,
Sean Cilder as Dion, Vivian
Munn
as
Time.
Boys
plnyed
by
local children. Directed
by
Michuel
Bogdnnov.
Lightins
by
Michael
Bogdanov
and
Chris Jaeger
Choreogmphy
hy
Geraldinc
PRODUCTIONS
IN
ENCLISH
59
Stephenson.
Costumes designed
by
Claire I-ylh.
Stage
Manager:Derek
Scriminger. Musicians:
Tim
o'teary,
Gerard
Doyle.
Shawn
Jarrett,
David
Bretl Karen Ardift,
Ian
Taylor, Andrew
Jarvis. John
Darrcll,
Charles
Dale, Vincent
Franklin.
Froflr
the
review
by
Ella
Dana
il
The
Ecotnntic
n ?er, 24 February
l99r:
'The mountiog
of ihe
play
showed
a
sense ol-s1yle-
[t
was
neilher
coldi) austere
nor di'rraclingly
lati'h.
...
Thc co\tume\. onle
again.
were
neither conlemporary
nor
period.
and
projecled
a
timeless
qualily.
The
props
were kept 1o
a minimum.
except
in
the shearing
scene.
... Here a cerlain
abundance
was
conveyed-
,..
'... The bear
that
killed
Antigonus
is dispensed
wilh. And
when
Antigo0us dies,
he seems
to
see
his king Leootcs
aPpear
like
retribulion.
However, lrontes
flashes a bear\
paw.
And
firally, therc
is lhe daring intrcduclion
ol
a
rap singer
who
onderscores lhe
chorus
spoken by Time. Said
Michael
Pennington,
... 'ihe rhythm of
rap
singing seemed
to
have some
similarily
to lhe
speech
paltcrns
of
the
play.
You can
say we
are
playing
a
joke
on
ourselves."
'
From the
reliew in Allikal,27
February
I99l
ltranslated
lion
lhc
BengaUl:
'The enti.e
production
showed a tendcncy
towards the
sensational.
The lighting by
Michael
Bogdanov and
Chris
Jaeger
Played
a
parl
in this. Cyclorama
was used to indicate clouds
and slorm.
But
bccause
the
lighling
bars overhead
had not
been
scrcened,
the lightning
played
over
thc entire
auditori
.'
From
rhe
review
by Ananda
Lal ir
The
Telegraph,2 March
l99l:
'The
lighling...
and...
costumes
perfect
the
contrast lbetween court
ard countryl
wilh cold blue
hues and black.
lyhite or
grcy
dress suits
at the court,
and wcrm
yellow
lighls
and
brown
or
ea
hy
oullits at
the sheep-shearirg
f'east. Bogdanov
gives
this
famous
scene...
definitile lrcalment
through folk
music, songs and two
dances
expertly
choreographed
by Geraldine Slephenson.
'He largely succeeds
with lhe lradilioDally lroublesome
scenes.
In
a splcndid
coup de lheatrc,
he tmnsforms
Time's skipping
chorus
... into an
eye-popping
rap
song
and b.eak
dance.
He
proves
Shakespeare's
deliberatc
cmftsmanship,
not
alleged carelcssness,
because
the
bare
descdption
of
Leontes'
and
Pe
ita's
reunion
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60
SHAKESPEARE ON THE CALCUTTA
STAGE
offstage
(cleverly
visualised as reporters mobbing
palace genllemen
for firsthand
acounts) makes the magical
.eslorat;on of Hermione to
Leontes
in the statue scene
even more magne(ic.
The only
incident
he fails 10 theatricalise
is the
irfamous
stage
direcrion of -..
"Exit
puruued
by a bear":
Bogdanov has Leontes
quiokly walk downslage\
and swipe Antigonus
with a
bear's
paw
as
a
symbol
perhaps
of
Antigonus'
subconscious
fear of
Leontes. ...'
Coiola
us:
Cast:
Michael
Pennington
as CoriolaDus, June
walson as Volunnia.
Karen Ardiif
as
Valeria
and a Citizen, James
Hayes
as
Cominius,
Lynn
Farleigh as Virgilia, MichaelCronin as Sicinius,
Robert Demeger
as
Junius
Brutus, Cha es Dale as Titus Larrus,
a
Servingman
and
a
Conspirator. Andrew Jarvis as
Tullus Autidius,
Bernard Lloyd
as
Menenius Agrippa.
Young Marcius and Boy
played
by local children.
Directed
by
Michael
Bogdanov. Sets designed by
Chris
Dyer Fight
arranger,
charles Dale.
Frcm
thc review by
Dharani Ghosh
tu
The
Stateshw
,27
Febtuary
l99
t:
'Bogdanov
breaks
with Briti+ tradilion as much in his use
of
modern
dress as in
the Easl European selting.
Thc
trologue
shows
Solidariry
demonslralors ho,ding up a banner
re.rding "Democratic"
and clamouring
fbr bread, whereupon lhe
police oi-l-slage disperse
rhen with smoke and bulle6.
GreatcorB an.l
iirr
hils trrnsform
the
Tribunes into
impassivc
yct
sinister Communisl Paa" lunct,onaries,
but ihe
public
mcctiog
of
the Presidium. each sp..rlcr addressing
the
gJrherints,, cr rhc mrcrophone and
provolins
nur')
,e\Fn\c\. i\
pure
CPI(M)
strcci
rheatre. lense
and dram4tic.
...
'Bui
why
do
Marlius and Aufidius
l'lghl each other
with
a
cla{ter
of swords
whcn, in
the end, the
fomr€r falls to a hail
oI
bullels
.-.?
Aufidius' cap and
leather
ierkin
come
close
to
historicai coslumc,
which seems
like
anolher anomaly.'
From
the
rcview by
Ananda
Lal in
The
Telegraph,9 March
l99l:
'The superlicial
contemporary analogue... dishcts the mind
trom...
vilal issues.
Scratching the sufface,
one linds lbw cssential
parallels belwcen easlern Europe
(Ronunia.
ifyou
will)
and Corio,anus'
Rome.
Like lhe
prologue
of
pro'democracy proteslers, the concept
is
extnnsic,
unnecessary
for
a
deep
Lfnderstanding
of
ftc
play.
...
'Not
al1the
gimmicks
ldil:Coriolanus's awkward oratory
receives
PRODUCTIONS
N
ENCLISH
a tine
moalem
vehicle
in
his
mike address
to
Roman
plebeians
"''
From
lhe
revie*
h)
lurajrrGho'hinDc'l.April
l99l
ltran'lated
from
(he
Bengalill
rshakespeare
atlcmpted
to depict
the
p€rennial
theme
of
power in
terms
ofancient
Rome,
and the
English ShakesJ'eare
Company
in
lerns
oI
presenl
day
world
history.
..-
The
use
of
a
loudspeaker
lo
address
rhe cro\ d.
to
nake
members
of that
crowd
hurl
remarks
from seats
in lhe
airdilorium,
lo use
a telcPhone
instead
of a
messenger
are
all
atrempls
al
such
modernization.
Thal
the deep
seriousness
of
the
play
does
nol
fully
emerge
in
this
production
is largely
due
1o the
director
Miclrael
Bogdanov
and
the
sets
designer
Chris
Dver'
The
huge busr
in a
cage
hanging
at
lhe
back
oI
the
stage, or
the immobilc
structure
io
the
tirst half
as a
symbol
of royal
power, are
trile and
do
not
fire
he
imasination.
The
music
and lighling
ne
much
more
eliectivc'
The
nrood
Iighting
in
lhe
scenc
belw(rn
Menenius
and
Coriolanus
is
lruly
29
November
1993.
Northern
Broadsides:
The
Meff)
wives'
G'D'
Birla
Sabhagar
Presenlcd
by
ihe
British
Council
and Standard
Chartcred
Bank'
Cast:
Barrie
Rutlcr
as
Falstafi
Po]lv
Hemingwav
as
Mistrcss
Pagc
Elizabeth
Pabn
as Mislress
Ford,
Edward
Peel as
Page,
Lawrence
Euns
as Dr
Caius,
Conrad
Nelson
as
Host,
lshia
Bcnnison
as
Mislress
Quickly,
Robcd
PitL
as Sir
Hugh Evans.
John
Gully
as
Slender'
tsobel
Raine
as Anne
Page.
Direclcd
by
Barrie
Rulter
From
the
preview by
lpshila
Chanda
il
Tlu Statelma
l4iscella
)'
28
Novcmber
1993i
' "Broadside,
says
Barri€
Rutlcr,
lbunder
a
:rlislic
director
of thc
Northern
Broadsides.
a lhealrc
conrpany
based
in
the noah
of
England,
"is a
cohercni
specch
stvlc
with
shoil
vowels
and heavv
muscular
consonants."
'Thc
lhrusl
oI
Rut1er's
fteatrical
enlerprhe
is
against
wbat
he
calls
'1he
approprialion
oI culture"'
fte
fixed
idea that
there
is only
one
uJ)
ur
\perkrng
Lhc
Lngl;'h
lrrgurge
"'
'Dispensing
with
relarences
in
lhe
lexl
io
Eton,
Thames
and
other
such
specilic
place-nanres, the
company
substituted
them
wilh names
olplaces
arou0d the area
in
which they
wereperlbrming'
This
firmlv
localises
the
play. helps
the
audience
10
relale
to
the text'
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62 SHAKESPEARE
ON THE CALCUTTA
STACE
'Rutter's
choice
of rhe
play
is ried
up
wilh
his
perceprion
of ir
as
reprcsenting whar
he
calls "a
grear
btast
of norrhern
womanhood',.
lofFalsraff's
third
and final
ignominy,
he
saysl
.,I
do lhat
in the
spirit
of
pig-sticking.
with
the
thiries
played
by
adulrs,
nor children.
Bur
then, one of
the women
is
also
lricked, her plars
for
her daugbkr,s
marriage
go
aqry, so
rhcreis
thal
energy
too_',
...
The
No(}tem
Bmadsides,
rhen. dispenses wirh
rhe
fritls
and fancies
afld
tooks
fbr
thE verhal
and
physical
cnergy
in
Shakespeare.
....
Fmm ilE rcvie\t
by
Dharani
Chosh
)n The
StttesDla,\
3
Dceefiber
1cE3l
'-.- the accent
seldom deviared
from
thar of BBC
annourcers
or
Dewsrsders.
... Neirher
can Rurler
clain
novelty
ibr
his
Shakespeare
in modern
dress- ..- The
dance of
the fairies
-_.
looked
so
ponderous
thal ir seemed
the
participanh
huniliated
SirJohn Falstaffagainst
d;ir
wiH....
'Rurter
came
thmugh
as
an
indiffercnl
director
hu a
magnificent
From
the
review by Manasij
Majumdar
in rhc Busines,
Standad.5
De.ember
1993:
'The
production
lvorks
wilhout
music, with
minimat props
and
ltar
white
light
excepr
in the
final
s.ene.
Costume,
ofcourse,
is designed
inlaginatively
to
carry
visually
a
great
dcat
of the impacr.
...
'Tailpiece. Somebody
fiom
(he
audience _..
shrewdty commenred:
How
does Falstatf dcrect
a Welsh
hiry
in
lhc
last
scene since
Eva.s
likc
everybody else spcaks
Northcrn
English?'
From
fte
review
by Ananda
Lal in
The Tateemph,
S Dccembcr 1993:
'Falshff
is
the
only
major
characrer
10
lalk
eueen.s
English...
Shakcspeare
appears to
suggesr rhat
Falsraf,s
is the longue
of
arlifice,
and
that
ofthe
otheN
narure's
own. Thus
Northern B.oadsides
may
have Shakcspcare\ inrplicir
approval
for
using ihe;r
..narural,,
'[Besidcs class
srruggle,] The
play
has
a feninist
angle roo;
...
Rutter is cither
obliviorB
of or
ignores
the
possjhjliries
ot
such
'\eriouJ'
jnleerctations.
'But in
his
own
way
he
succeeds
like l'ew
can or have....
Rulle.
know
how
to
srage
a farce insrinutively.
Even
the unbetievable
lairy
scene
is
tmnsfbrnred
by
the
faides singing
in
perfecr
doo-wop
harmony
lrom
thc
Filties.'
PRODUCTIONS
IN
gNCLISfl
63
l4 17,
r8
F€bnr ry
1995. The Foo(s$alrr
ltsave$irrg
ltlt lf€:
Ion"o
and
luliet.
G.D.
Birls
Sahhag:rr
Presented
by
Impresario.
The aoupe
belonged to
a
small
Coroish
village,
and wcre
l)ased
in a
barn belonging
to one Olive.
Foor.
They
are
now based in France.
with
members from
eighl narionaliries_
F.om the
review by
Sumira Ran$je
;n
The Statesran
4
March 1995:
'The cntire play
was
presented
in
jusl
two hours,
\rith
a
symparheitic
handling
of the rexl, which
rhough
heavily edirej
retained
a
the
famous
lines. The
actors
dcpended
largety
on
visuats
and
music
ro
build
up
rhe
eftbcls.
Masks. miDe,
shadow
ptays,
acrobarics, frcezes.
clowning
and even smoke
bombs wcre
put
together
io
create a mnge
of emolions ...
in
many
scenes
dinloguc
is
deleted alrogcther.
In thc
lasl
scene for cxanrple
rhere is
no
speech
-
rhe trdgedy
is
ihere
for
all
lo
sec rnd
leel
-
$e slow movcnents,
the
plaiDlive
notcs
ot
th€
violin,
the
liny
lights glowing
on
the
cofEn.'
From Ihe review
by
Ananda
Lal in
The
TeLegtuph,3r
March
1995:
'...
they
[Footsbarn
Travelling
Theatre]
go
straight
ro
rhe hea( of
this
romantic trrgedy.
'To
this crjlic\
knowledgc,
nor
since Zefiiretlit
fihn
version
has
anyonc caught
so well
rhe
bmwling and
bawdy high
spirits
in
fte
firsl half
oi Rorreo
and
Juliet. The
internecine
ennity of Montagu
and Capulct in
this
producrion
may
rcmjod
Westerncrs
ot
conrem
Porary
gang
wariare,
tur ,or
us it makes thc
play
even mo.e
relevanl
as a melaphor
for
oommunal
hatred. Simulraoeously,
fcw
direcbrs
hale
caught
Shakespeare's
ea(hy
humour
and
sense
of fun
so
weli.
specially
in rhe urexpecled person
oi
rhe
Friar
When
he tosscs
rhe
watery
offal
of
his
morning
ablutions ar rhe
audience and
taughs ar
his
own
practicaljoke
(1lr
bowl is
enrpry).
one could hear
old
Will
cho(ling in
his
srave.
'However,
the
sccond
half
grinds
to its
inevitable rrlgic
ctinmx
{nd
Footsbarn's
whole
tone shifts accordingly.
In
a
masLersrroke
of
characle.isation.
the lovers
are fiail,
innnature in body
and even in
'Thc indilidualiscd
mlsks give
depth o
many roles, tbr inst&ce
lhe Nursc's
coareness
and Paris'dandificalion.
Shadowy
spirks
Iufting around
eloke
a ,aeling of the
supematural overseeing
rhe
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64 SHAKESPEARE
ON
THE CALCUTTA
STACE
human,
as
wl€n
the
.moving
garden
starues witness
the baicony
scene.
The
musicians
,
a violinist
aDd
percussionist
_
freely
wander
across
ihe stage playing
their eerie
orjginal
score.,
1-6
Septembcr
t996,
The Indian
Summer
Theetr€
Companv:
I(,.rf
Z€a,i
G.D,
Birla
Sabhagar.
CJan
MsDch and
Sl
Xarier\
Co[eg;
Audilorium
Sponso.ed
by
Welcom$oup
and
Spaodan.
The
Indian
Summer
Theare
Company
was
a
'nonce company
created
for
the
occasioD.
by
a
group
of
Oxlord uodergraduates
led
by Simon
Wheeler.
Cas : Simoo
Wheelcr
as
King
Lear,
James
philips
as
Cloucesrcr,
John
Wilks
as
Kent.
Toby Frow
as Edgar.
George
Filzherberl
as Edmund.
Abigail
Dochety
as Goneril,
Naomi
Lipscomh
as Rcgan.
polly
Williams
as Cordelia,
Breot
Roam
as the
Fool.
Directcd
by Joe
Muray.
ftom
a preview
by
Labonie
Chosh
in
Zre
/trid,
/8e,
1 Septemb€r
1996. based
on an
interview
wirh
Simon
Wheeler:
'Mininral
props
and no gimmicks
-
reperrory
theatre
much
lhc way
thc
Bard
would
have wished.
In fact.
the
group
innovariyely
does
away
with
stage
cntrances
1oo.
.,Thc
actoN
a.e
aI
on
slage
in
a
oircle
arcund the
cenlral
character,"
says \Vheeler.
..They
even
make
the
srorm
noises in
LeaL"
._.
ln
a
phrase,
his
bmnd
of theatrc
is a
'tombination
of
srage
and street
thearre,,.,
F.om
the review
by Dharani
Ghosh in The
Statesman.13
September
)9961
'It is
couragcous
of Murray
and Simon Wheeler to
swim
against
rtrc
currerl
lof
subordinaring
rhe
father
ro the
kingl,
shifling
the emphasis
1o
lhe
fhther
'The
meeting
between
the
mad Lear
and
the btind
Cloucester
in Act IV
Scene
V
benefirs
the most
fi.om this
approach.'
.
lsikdar
From the
review
by
Anand
^Lat
in The Telegnph.
t3
Seprember
1996:
'Sinc€
a
good
number
of
Indian
speciarors
know
their Shakespeare
b) hea
more
\o
rhrn rheir
Bni
.h
or American
courlerpdfl-.
one
dares
say
-
they may
have coistrued
direcror
Joe
Murray\
synopsjs
of
King laar
Iin
the
programmel
as
an
insult
to their
inteiligence.
PRODUCT1ONS
IN
ENGLISH
65
'Fo(unately,
ISTC
...
tived
up
ro
Munay,s
confidence
in
its
abilities:
judged
as
jusr
a
group
of Oxford
undergrads,
it
pur
all
local
student
productions
to shame
by
irs
p.ofessional
approach.
...
'Probably
the
most
dramatic
incorflomtion
of
soge
business
occu.red
when
Goneril
suddenly pushed
Lear
down
on
rhe
floor.
instindively
drawi
g shock€d
gasps
from viewers.
On lhe
orher
hand,
the
use
of
umbrettas
in rhe
srorm
scene
hinged
on
the
absurd,
more
so because
the
characters,used
them
to
cover
themselves
but
forgot
to
prolect
[-ear'
From
anoiher
repon
in
Tre Tekgraph,
t4
September
t996,
by Trina
Mukherjee:
'Ctaracrer
po{ra}al
was
alemprcd
through
rhe
use
of
colouri
fiery
red
for
fierce
coneril,
dcceplive
azure
for
Regan
and
subdued
lavender
ibr
honest
Cordelia.
The
fool
was
a
riot
of
cotours
in
his
omnge
coxcomh
and
black
and red
outfit.
But
rhe
resl
of
the casl
was
in
white. The
players
also followed
a fixed
geomerric pa(ern.
whjch
was
highty
symbolic.
For
insraoce.
rhe
rriangle
fomrcJbv
rhe
two
5ineh
nnd
lheir hu\brnd\.
$irh
rhe soj
Jr)
Cordetir
rhe
aper.
February
1997.
St
Stephen,s
Colt€ge,
N€w
D€thi:
Kitg
Iaai
Gyan
Maffh
Presenled
by
British
Council.
Direcred
by Arjun
Raina.
From
the
revicw
by Indrajir
Ha7jl^
in
The Tetegruph.
7
March
tD7:
'The
sets
were imprcssivc
enough
to rahe
expecrations
and
the
use
of
coDurcdia
dell'ane
type
masks
and cosrumes
showed
sophhricarion
on
the
parl
of
direcror
Arjun
Raina_
Unfo(unarely.
lhe
,.sense
of
drama
wrs
nor \uppjemented
by the \ub.equenr
nerlormance.
Ledr
Ined
lo
ma(e
the
audience
betieve
th
rrue pas,ion
i, cnuncidled
through
wild
randng
and
lines
deliver€d
io
an
exFess
renrpo.,
8-10
April
-D97.
The
Roysl
Shak€spearc
Comp.ny
I
The
Comed
o/Em
. Kala
Mandir
Sponsored
by
lhe Indian
Council
for
Cutiurat
Relarions.
the Brirkh
Council
lnd Sranda,d
Chartered
Bank.
Christophcr
Saul
as
Aegeon,
Rob€rt
Bowman
as AnLipholus
ol
Syracuse,
Dan
Miine
as Dromio
of
SyracLrse,
Simon
Coares
as
Antipholus
of Ephesus,
Eric
Maltett
as
Dromio
of
Ephesus,
Sarah
C.
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SHAKESPEARE
ON
THE
CALCUTTA
STACE
PRODUC1 IONS
IN ENCLISH
6'1
From
thc
review i
The Econo
lic Tn1Es,
19
April
1997:
'Thc
Royal
Shakespeare
Cordprlny's
The Conrcdr
of rrmru turncd
out
lo be much ado
aboul nothing.
...
'For one thing. dircclor
Tim
Supple
cannor
claim
anv kind
ol
distinclion,
either
in lcnDs
of
interprctation
ot
in
terms ol
guiding
the cas
in its
acling. For
another,
fiis
indulgence
of
the
play\
air
oi
mngic
and mlstery
-
suitably
eloked through
$n'
dcli"re mrrsic
rhlll
often suggests lhe
exotic
East
-
appears
misplaced
'Alter
all
the
enors
are
it
malter of coincidcnce
and
relate 1o
explicable,
if rnlikely causes-
A choice sitcom
device,
in olher wods,
raLher
rhan
a
cosnric
cnigma beyond
human reckoning
or a tanlasy
ol
unrcason.
The
play.
incklenhlly,
has cetain cynical
observalions
on
the relationship
belween
masler
and
slave
and man a.d
wife lhat
simply
ache
ro be
underlincd.
'...
Bul Supflc
prefers
at
al1
tines
pacy cxcesscs lo emolionnl
gradalions.'
18-20 Match
1999.
St€ven
Berkoft: srrdt.rpearu's
villqins. G.D.
Birla
Sabhsar
Sponsorcd
by the British
Council.
Solo
pcrtbrmance.
Passages lion
O
rclLo, Richt:ud
lll,
The Mercha
t
of
ve,ice, Hdnlle ,
Coriola
us and
A
M
idsunnrcr
N
iEht's
D rctlnt
.
\\ith
thc
actor\
own
commcntary.
From
an
articlc
by
Abhijit GuPta
in lre
TeLeqtupl1,23 M^tcl1
1999.
'... Amed
with nothing
morc than lhe complcle
works
biShakcspcarel
... Berkof
rushed
lbrth lo
give
baltle to
an assortnrent
oi lbes, liom
the
ftearical
establishmcnl
in Britain
to
the
nledi\
liom
Oxbridge
academics
to
the dramr
criiic
of
rhe
Sandt')
TelegruPll-
'...
This
restless.
hilher-thilher
techniqrle
is ..
in cvidence in
hjs
ilerfonnance,
as BerkofT
switches
cfiortlessl) lrorn
thc high
scr
lous,res:i
r1'a
soliioquy
by Richard
to rlrc
chirpy
pa(er
ol I
(andup
conric. Shrkcst.a
iould
piobltl] hr,. t'Eeri lho
fi.st rc approve
but
tlrcre
werc nrany
in
tll
tiu :i ,,1-e
lrhc tholBlL Ll14
lurioll"s
inrerprctation
of lhe
Bard was
rltogcthcr
too oulrrgcou3
and
i1arfiy
'-..
His laugh
a-minute dePiclion
of
Sbakespcnc\
villains
may
not have pleased
(he
purisl bul
\,',as
ricb
entertainmcnl
tbr
the
averdge
puntcr.
Havirg said
which. fiowelc.
Berkoff\
project
of
br,ngil)g
Cameron
as Adriana'
Thusitha
Jayasundem
as
Luciana'
Andy
Williatns
"r
o"r"f",
C*t
O"*t
*
Bdlthasar'
Ursula
Jones
as
Luce
and
Emilia'
*r"ri
iiut"
,t
*"
"*,rlesan,
Leo
wringer
as
Dr
Pinch'
Directed
o,
i,,"i"rr,".
,*,t*o
ov
Robe(
Innes
Hopkins
Lighting
designed
"l
.r''' bl,'.,
vu''c
"1
'rtl'i'n
Lec'
'lirecrcd
h)
s)lvtd Hdllerr'
niru.l,"',
tr,''"
nu'n,
tin'on Allcn
souid h\ (
hJrle'
Hurne'
YotJ
Teacher:
Marina
lung
;;;;";;;-
bvinanda
Lar
in
the
ret'stuptl'
II
Aprl
reeT:
1tn"',"0"--"t
*"
ia*,
shakespeare
companv's
suoccss
..
lies
in
"i",,,rn,"
i","f-,n't
'r'nnlc
$orr
in'^
pulsJling
e'rrerrJrnnrcnr'
"
'^
-il;,,;;;";
rir
\upprc. rake'
shake'ntutc
I'crdr\
Jr
rsLc
vuruc
,"0 .,.''
,f'"
'""
p,'"
"i
'*"r"'
rn'l
Jd\e'
r'
thy'rcrll)
'imil3r
;.";"r;
'" "*r,i.r
"';'n'"
mir'idr
rrom
rhc
'iruJrron
rhe
,;,i';;;;"".
'','.,
.,""our)
J'
rair)
'rrc
rnd
on-iou"
rrri,rc'
',,".'ii"t
,'rr,ll'tr"':
R^hctr
Hopirn'
quldr^u'l)
r'r"s
'er
Jnd
;i. ;";,
'
m:rorcrl
rigrrrinP
con e)
rh''
crrc'r
brlli'nrlt
"'
"
1...
,rii"t
i",n"
o'"r's
lincs
rre
nuntrous
reterences
to
Ephesus
,'"
arrl"r,'"',.,,,
oi*l''r""'r'
*J
"'rcett
J n:;hrmJti
h
world
"r","
inlt:".*^
l,''"n,Jr'
Jn)Lhin;'
A'rriJn
Iec
'rJrri'h
'rrt"rc'
,i...,'. i.
",rr"*,,
erocrri\c
quJli'\'
rrr'c'
d'JUl'r''lcrr'
h\tet'cn
li'l=',0,,r'
,n",
r.,,]'t
"
thc
rolrri'
r'r)
rrcortc'r
'Lgtsc{inr
rhrr
'uch
;,;;.";;""il
tap"n
,n
a'i'
\''ri1or'
:rnJ
rt
rhe
(\proirrrrun
"1
.r,,*,
"*|l.,
*'"t","""
shalc"F
xte
'
urrerrrJli'rn'
'
*;"
;
,r*t
hand,
ih€
ihrcar
of
danser
looming
in
thc
back
,"
"i,"","U'
L,'
rh.rr
c\en
rn
his
eJrl)
di)'
shr\csfcrre
drJ
nIr
"-]-i.
.."'"",
a""*"*t
rJrcc'
the
cunrl:cr
h'rqe'n
Lphc'u'
Jnd
;i;;1.:1;-.;"
'
\cr)
rcar
rroJbrc''
ni'
ro$rbrc.Lre
lh'
hi'
birrcr
::"":;; ;:1'rr...
,n.
'.n',nn
nn
'rirc
Ihc
iorcn'r
'lrnJ
righ''
,lll"'"
",
r.'n,,
fdre
rtened
Jr
rhe cnd'
Jll
rnrx
irrr'
rhc
m
'ture
.i,,i,,..",,".,,'r,rt',,
hrrrluhrcd
h)
Sunprc
A' a
rc'ulr'
rhc hdrlt
.il"'l;"-;,,;;'
.'"*r"r**g
cm^rronar
r(ri'
r'
shich
suffrc
i'
cffeful
not
to
orcrlook
'-;";;
;"
subthcmes
ol
rnerchants
aading
anrl
the
nlctaphor
"r
m.nc1
'n.,t,l
JlrDcrl
ro
SF:rtetne"re
ret
dlcJl)
ldr'r
on
"'
;"r;;:i"';'.-,,'
i"
1nd
hi'Jc/iJrron
or
rhc
hrrhe
,'i,"r ,,,**
br^udhr
inJrnr
{nrl
'
or
re'or:nirr"n
I'
lorJ'
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68
SHAKESPE,ARE
ON
THE CALCUI-TA
STACE
Shakespeare
to
the
masses
was a complete
non_starter
in lndia-
Those
who tumed
up at
the Birla
Sabhagar
lasl
week
belonged
mosdy
to
the
upp€r"middte
class bourgeds
elite,
who
go to England
for
their
summer
vacations
and
laugh
knowingly
at Marks
and
Spencersjokes'
In
other
words,
just
the
sort of
people for whom
Berkoff
reserves
most
of
his
spleen.'
From
the
review
by
Anandr
Lal
in
The
Telesruph,
26 March
1999:
'...
he
lBerkoftl
spoofed
the
conventional
naturalistic
delivery
in
ordinary
and
cinematic
acling,
demonstraling
his
disiaste
for film's
frozen
images
as oPposed
lo the
shge's
wa,m
interactivity'
even
rhough
he has
himsetfexcelled
as
a screcn
villain Equally
devastating
was his
takeoff
on
the thespian
achievcments
ofBaron
Olivier,
whose
formidable
tmditional
presence shadows
any
Shakespea'ean
actofs
efforts.
Bcrkolf's
best
touches
expressed
this rclish
of
the
practice
ofacting.
metalheatrically
building
sequences
on
workshop
skills'
ad
Iibbing
and
on
backsiage
anecdotes
like
lhe
hilario
s side-show
ol
a
Gerirude
getting
on
and
forge(ing
hcr
locket'
These
enchanting
enrremets
oflen
obscured
the
main
course'
'His
'masterclass
in evil"
became.
academically'
more
like
a
lutorial
home
teaching
seleclive
chapters.
The
sketchy
se1
ol
seven
characters
found
no space
for
such
household
names
as Cassius'
Edmund.
Gonerit
or
Regan.
The
comic
portrayal
of
lago' Richard
lll'
Shylock
and
even
Claudius
was
histrionicallv
virtuosic
as
weU
as
historically
accurate.
Bui
giving
heroes thc
same
treatment
ran
a huge
risk
...
i; his
quest for
originalitv
he
disingenuouslv
burlesqued
Macbeth
and
Hamlet,
lowering
both
o
the level
of
laughingstocks'
plus
Oberon,
who
seemed
an
antictimactic aflefihought;
from
the
comedies.
Malvolio
would
have made
a
better
bet
Only
Coriolanus'
among
his
ragic
heroes,
cryslallised
Shakespeare's
power
itill.
his insights
into
illerpreting
characlerisation
illuminated
us'
including
the
fieory
that
fie
vitlain
"enablcs
us
to
vicariously
enjoy
his lust,
greed,
power
and
hunger
but
..
we are acquitted
of sin
sioce
our
sios
are
killed
wilh
him."
'
PRODIJCTIONS IN ENCLISH
(D)
POST-1947
LOCAL PRODACTIONS
69
IMary
of
the
lotloving
pruducriotts
vere
performe.d
bf
a
group
lounded
in
1947
b
Lltpal Dua a d
othen,
ainb
students
of St
xavier's Coltege, as
lhe
A
alew
Shakespearcans.
In
1949' lhe
rcnomed
lhemselees
the
Little
Theolre Group.l
I
Octoler
1947.
Amaieur Shakespearesns:
Thrc€ scenes arom
Rofieo anl
luliet
and two from
Macbelh, Sa
Xavier's College
Auditorlum
From 'The Amateur
Shakesfrearians'
by
E.M. Poonavala
(Secrctary,
"Amateur
Shakespearians")
in St Xa
et's Maqazine,
December
1947:
'...
Though
it
was
our firsl
venlure, the
play
on lhe whole
proved
a
greal
success
and
was
ac€laimed
by all
as excellent ...
Though
praise
is due to
all
the a€tors. special
mendon
must
be
made of three
oursranding players
U. R.
Du1t,
E.
David
and PrataP
[ri.]
Roy.'
22 D€r€mbcr
1947. Amateur
Sliakespeareans:
Richad
L St
Xavler's Coll€gG
Auditorium
Ueal
Dulr
direcled and
acled Richard. Olher
roles
played
by
ProtaP
Roy,
Lewis D'Souza,
Howard Pole, Ranjit
Challerjee.
Nilin
Dult,
June
Mayo, Florence Joscph.
1948.
Amsaeur
Shak€sp€orc.nsr
orr.erlo.
From an arlicle
by P Lal in St.
Xa\)iet's
MaSazine,
January
1950:
'Othello btotrght
into
focus a
promhing
Protap
Roy.'
1948. Amat€ur
Sllakespearfans;
A Mittsutt tet
Night\ Dreanl Sl
Xavier's
College
Auditorium
Utpal
Dutl
as Bottom,
ieffrey
lsaac as Puck,
Prolap Roy as Demeaius.
Garth Dalmain as
Lysander. Grace Mackedch
as
Helena,
Thelma
Martin
as
Tkania,
Desmond Noble, Joyce
Barnard.
From th€
review L,y
P
Lal in
St. Xarier\ Maeazbv,
December
1948:
'...
a really
remarkabte show.
Wilh
enchanting setlings
and costumes,
well-planned and
well-directed acling,
and
the
inimitahle
Ulpal as
Bottom and an
agile and
capricious
Jeflrey as Puck,
7/,e
Drcan
became
a regular
lantasy
of
colour
and
sound.
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?O
SHAKESPEARE
ON THE
CALCUTTA
STACE
'... Utpal
dominated
...
the entjre
show_
He has
an invererate
habir
of slealing
shows.
Ir is
nosl absorbing
to warch
his
very versarile
progress.
'...
Puck
rJeltre, I.duc,
ncrrt)
hrot<
uI recorJs
otorisrnJtiry
u
irh
his
elusive acdng.
He nearly
broke his
back
rco. rhe
firct
dav
when
he hopped
do\\n
trom
lhe
rrec.
...
Hi.
tremendouj
agitrl).
ha;p
go-
lucky
mischi€vousness
and
squeakiness
ot
voicc
were
incredible.
and
unlbrgettable.
'Io
the hilarious
Thisbe
and
her lovcr
episode
towards
tlrc close
Bo(om
Isaidl
"blood"
(o
rhyme wirh,.good,,.
Coming from
hjs mourh,
the result
is
as
incongruous
(hough
euphonic)
a
sou.d
as evcr
astounded
a rhymester
That
... was gcnuine.
pure
genius..
6, 20
March
19,19. Amar€ur
Shakespea.eans:
iozeo a
d
Jutiet. St
Xavier's
CoIege
Auditorirm
Jeffrey
Isaac as
Romeo, U(pal
Du(
as
Mercurio, Desmond Noble
a
Capule(,
Grace Mackertich
as
Nursc,
Ann
Curlendcr
as Julicl,
prorap
Roy as Tybalt,
Philip
Raymond
as
Bcnvotio,
Haske
David
as
perer.
Music
by John
Mayer
(later
fhmous
Indo-jazz
composcr).
From
the
review
by P Lal
in S'. Xaiet's
Magazirc,
tuty
tg4g:
'...
a borrowed porpourri
a rrick
or two
trom M
C_M
0naking
JelTrey
Isaac as
Romco \uy
weaft
imitation
of Lesiie
Howarcl).
a
dash
of
Laurence
Olivici
(he
rendering
of
some
speeches
over
the
microphone),
a
pinch
of
Ilavourfut
costume
a
/a
Stakespear.a
a, and
a strong
dose
of idealisric
Sovict
thoughl.
'-..
the idea
of
"col leclive
direc(ion,'. which
Utpat
lried
ro
cmploy
land
which
he expiained
in a'ctosely-printed,
cpilher-cramrned.
4-page
Ptoduction
Manifesto'1,
would
seem
ar
tirst
sjght
an absurdjty
...
'John
Mayer
is a ralented
viotinist
and
composer,
bui
the whole
prodoction
was
...
uncoordinated
and
... he
could nor give
his
besr.
or
whcn
he
gave
his
best, rhe
mismanagemenr
smothcred
ir. Roneo
atd
Juliet \\as
nol
a
right,
conlinuous presentation;
it
seemed as
il-
Th? Annte$
Slqkespearcdrr
werc
offering
scenes
tronr
Shakespearc.
'Sir
Laurencc
Olivier's
shadow
hung
heavy on
rhe
enrire
exuberanza.
frc
.trarcrrrar\
"Dramatic
Criric,,
(who.
it
musl
be
admited,
gave
a vcry
mediocre wdtenp)
wrongty
guesscd
that
.,a
grea
deal
of
work has
obviousll
been
pur
into it.,.
Aotualty,
it canre
PRODUCTIONS
IN
ENCLISH
1I
hard
on
the hcels
of
the
titfi
version
of
Hamlet,
and required
barely
two wccks
ro
stage,
which
facl
nray
explain irs
disconnected
nature.
'...
Most players
acrcq as
iI it
was
some
cotossal
masrerpjecc,
when
they
ought
to
have
acted
normally
ard
less
vehemently.
_..
Nexr
to
Gmce
Mackenich's
Nurse
and
Urpal.s
Mercutio
it
lDesmond
Noble's
Lord
Capuletl
was
rhe ilnest
chamcre.ization
of
the evcning,
wcll-costumed,
well-acled,
and
... we -a
iculated
...
'[Ann
CurleDder's]
ovenly
affected
accent
made fash
of
some
excellent
Shakespeare:
for
exampte.
this
is
whar
happcned
to
some
Aw,
Rawmeo.
Rawmeow,
whereforc
art
thou
Rawmeow?
Deny
thy
father
and reluse
lhy
naime
...
Whatt
in
a
nainre?
That
wbich
we
call
a
rawse.
By
any orher
nainre
would
smai
as
sweer.
But
her
schoolg
ish
charm
and
beauty helpcd
rekieve
many
nlr
orher$i\e
nrue"Jino
rnd
unrewtuding
,ccnc.
.
.
t-he
,er.rriJc
Urpt
tas
l,lercutiol
has
added
another
feather
ro his
cap....
15,
16, 17
July
1949.
Amateur
Shakespearrans:
"Irlx,s
Ca€sai
St
XaYier's
Colleqe
Andjtorium
Ellis
Abraham
as
Caesar.
Utpal
Dulr
as Brutus.
protap
Roy
as
Cassius,
Jel]iey
Isaac
as
Mark
Antony.
Ranjir
Charterji
as
Octarius,
Richar..l
Brcoks
as Calca,
Phitip
Raymond
as
Decius
BruLus,
Haske
Davirl
as
Cinna
rhe Poer
Sers
by
prorap
Roy.
Handbilt
dcclared.
.shakespearc
for
ihe fi.st
time
in
modern
costunrc
in
India,.
From
the
review by Lindsay
Enrerson
in
ll,e
Sra/crr
nn.
t7
Jut\
t94g:
'Tfir.
i'
easil)
lhe
bc.l
.ho\^
lhal
ltrr5 Sorret)
hr. yer
pur .n.
Thc
pli)
sJs
rcnJcred
uirh
di\rincrjl,n
rnd
inrc
rsencc
'Producing
i,rtiu.Creior.
i1
rnodcrndro..r\
nol
in il\etJ,r
no\cl
idca.
...
Yer
rhis portornra.ce
conraincd
several
insenious
l.earurcs
An
e\lrcmel)
cfle-ti\e
c\imptc
w:l,
,h
Bru,u,:,
anJ
Anr(rj\.
lunctal
sNechcc
were
dcli ered
^\er,he
rarlio
... The
h-rrlc,cene.
ro:r
blclgrornd
ot mr.hj
e-g n
trre.I,u,sc.,cd
r
cuhcrclce
LIiUrcutr
lo
achievc
otherwisc.
'Production
was
much
slicker
rhan
in
most
anareur
shows
we
have
seen,
and
was aided
by
some
efi.ective
sets....
Borh
rhe
headqualers
at Phitippi (wirh
x
notabty
adcquate
ghost)
and
the
Capitol
wilh
Cubist
stained,glass
designs
in rhe
backgrou
d
were
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72
SHAKESPEARE
ON THE
CALCUITA
STAGE
notably successfirl.
'The
Caesareans
were,
naturally,
portrayed
as Faschts. Caesar
himself... in
hal and overcoal, rccalled
the
earl, Hirler. ...
Antony
as
a
€ross between
Goebbels and
Baldur von
Schirach,
displayed
a
combination
of unscrupulousness with
sensitivc intelligence
ralher
more
lelling
than
the
mere
"revellel' of Mr
Ccofliey
Kendal
some
lime
ago. ..-
'Ifthe Fascisi
angle
commands asseni,
portmying
the conspirators
as Socialisls
and Communists is more
questionable.
A
beiter
parallel
to
these reacrionary Senatorial
oligarchs
would
be the
plot
of Hitler's
generals
in
1944.
-..
'As
thc "noblcst Roman
of
them
all", Ulpal Dutt
played
Brurus
wilh distinction, especially in
lhe scene
where the
conspira€y is
launched,
where
a
tormented Cenrral Eurcpean of rhe Kafta
period
hinred al the
idealist shortly 10
bc
crushcd in
lhe
world
ofdi(y
polirics.
'Tho
oh
in
all amale'rr shows the
tmuble is
the \valk-ons. there
were
\ur|,;\inply
rew inddeqfficic' hcrc.
A
IhorruEhl)
enjoy.,hlc
evcning.'
From
rhe
review by P. Lal in Sr Xafiets Maga.nle,
January
1950:
'... firct impressions of the ...
produdion
as i1
untblded
were a series
of
imag€s
... I
was reminded of
Lirl?
Ca"rdr", th€
Royal
Canadian
Mounred
Poli.e, Markot
guerillas.
Mao
Tse-Tung, and Picasso in a
fit.
Some
pans
wcre indeed
hard
to swallow: fie hysterical, armflinging
scene after Caesar's
stabbing,
clearly
overdone. and the over-repeti-
tion of balhclic
machincgun
cftccls.
'...
tThel
experiment seenrcd to misfire. I1 was
good
in many
placesr
the
@nsion of
the Conspirators' Gathering at
Brutus' Housei
fie
cunning
rise
and fall
ofpassions
in the Cassius and
Brulus
Quarel
Scene: rhe sheer
novelty, if nothing
else, of
Antony's
and
Brutus'
speechcs
coming overthe
radio,
and the appaehension
and eNousness
of those
galhering
around it;
the
controlled acting
of the
suave,
implacable Caesar.
wri
ging
last
drcps of
significance and
audilory
bcnuty lronr his meagre lines. The inoidenhl nrusic was
precisely
coordinated
to
lhe
lhematic
movements.
'To inlcrprct
any
play
to
perfecrion
is like Oliler
Twisr
asking
for
morc-
...
The
A.
S. havc had a good
lry
and the result
is
more
PRODUCTIONS IN ENOLISH
71
gmtifying
as
an artistic
attempl
than as
ideological
bootlegging.'
2, 3,7,
E
September
1949. Amateur
Shak6pe.reanst
Tvelfih
Nigltt.
Ulpal
Dult as Malvolio,
Ann Cudender as
Viola. Richard
Brooks as
Toby Belch.
From
the nolice
by
P
Lal
in
St Xavi?rt
Magaz.
rc.
lanuary
19501
'As no
official
invitation
was
extended
to this
magazinc's
Theatre
Critic,
I regret
no
appreciation
can
be suPplied
Bul
my unoflicial
congratulalions
go
10 a
vastly
improved
Ann
Curlender
and the
perennially-salisfying Utpal;
I dare not
commit
myself
further.'
1954.
Little
Thestre
Cfltnpt The Merry
Wives ol
Windsoi Nefl
Enp
r
Ranen
Roy
played
Fdstafl
Protap
Roy
designcd
a 'fairy-tale
uni-
Utpal
Dutt lalcr
said
of
this production:
'Thal
is
when
we
fclt
that
we had been
able
to
inkrprel
Shakespeare
and
his
comedy
prop€rly.'
[Interyiew
in
ContemporaD'
hrdia
Theatre
23
April 1955.
Calculta Dramatic
Socieay: Sccnes
tronn Hamlet-
Marblc
Hsll,
Rqi Bhavao
This
pcrfbrmance
was
pan
of fte
'Shakespeare
Day' celebratims
of
the Bangiya
Shakespeare
Parishad. The Covernor
of
wesl
Bengal. Dr
H.
C.
Mookeriee.
inaugurated
fie funclion
in the Marble
Hall at Raj
Bhavan. the
Covemor's
olncial residence.
David Slride
as
Hamlet,
Dennis Shaw
as
Polonius
and
Crave-Digger,
Cafterine
Osborne
as Ophelia
(all members
of
the
British
Council).
Therc
were also Bengali
recitals lrom
The Mercha,1t
ol Uettice
by
Sunil Kumar
Charcrjcc
and Swati Chalterjee,
and fto(n
othe
o
by
Lila
Majumdar.
Speeches
werc made by the actor
Ahindra Choudhury'
and the scholars
Kalidas
Nag. P. K. Cuha
and M. M.
Bhatlacharya.
Frorn
the
repon
it
me
Stutesna
,24
April
1955:
'Thcre
were
no
anificial baricrs
belween the
audience and
thc actori
fte
trappings
of {he theatre
were absenl; the
simple unadorrred
dais
served
as
the stage; and
therc were no stately
rcbes
and
spccial
make_
up.'
[See
ako
enlry under the
same datc
h
Chapler
IL]
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SHAKESPEARE
ON
TIJE
CALCUTTA
STACF
Jaruary 1956.
Dramatic
Club
of
Cstcufta:
alrrrl€L
N€w
Empire
David
Srride
as
Hamlet,
Michaet
Raymond
as
Horatio,
Edina
Bu.ner
as
certrude.
From
rhe
review
in
The
Statesman,
17
Januarv
1956:
.3.i
","i.*
Hantt?t
mu\
primrrit)
rcr)
on
i;etriscnce
und
pace.
With
such
a
lrrge
team
no club
however comperent
can
hope
ro
provide
acting
of sustaired
prolessional
srandard,
ler
alone
rh;
slill
rarer
capaciry
to speak
btank
verse.
.._
The
audience
was.
for rhe
first
rime
in
the
reviewert
cxp€.ience,
given
Horalio,s
derailed
summary
of
the
mititary
siruation
in
scene
t.
...
And
ihe
character
of Hamlet
appeared
as it
shoutd,
not
in
rhe
light
of
Olivier.s
man
sho.cuuid
nor_mJke
uf
h;s
nrind
hLt
a\
a
produ(r
ofr
decp
rnJ
dcJdl)
Brmc
ol
Renri,srncc
rct:rics.
Mr
5rridr.\ o$n
fertbrmrncc
as
Hamlct was
admirabte_
Ofthe
supponing
cast,
Michnet
Ravmond,s
Hordrio
$rs
our5rdndinp
...
rhe
rote
demands
a
cJprciry
ro {f€;I
ve^.
$hich
tew
a.to
ieem
rodiy
to
posses\.
Ophetra
qa\
Jctrphltut rnd
lhe
mJJ
.ccne
imtrescd
tho
urdicncc.
Ldinr
Burncr
\
Cerrrude
wa\
pc
hdps
apDropriarct)
a
nuLt)
ol'd
womJn
qho
Jrd
nor
trow
shar
il
qJ,
all ahoL,
.. rhe proLluctiun
hrd
rhe
\i our
.,t
)uurh
1nd
rhJr
i, rhc
hern
oI
rhc
rnJt,er
rn
n) t
tilJhethJn.5t,rk..r.crrcrn
d.m.,
.
Isikdar
23
April
1956.
Dramatic
Ctub
of
Catcu(a:
S(enes
from
fl?rrJ
V, Twelfth
Night,
tutius
Caesa\
Eamtet.
Unirers[].rnstitute
Halt
Celebration
ofShakespeare
Day
by
the
Bangiya
Shakcspcare
parishad.
PRODUCTIONS
IN ENCLISH
Swarup Datta as Cassius, Dipankar Dasgupta
as Brurus,
Indranath Guha as Mark Antony,
Rita
Sen
as Po(ia
3. Scencs from,4
Midsunmvr Night\ Drean
(Q$rlel
Scene),
The lleftha,tt of
Uenice, Ronea
anai
JuLiet
(Duel
Scene). Cast: Manisha
Chakraborty as Tiunia,
Indranalh Guha as
Oberon/Iyball,
Dipankar Dasgupta
as
Quince/Old
Gobbo,
Vinod Kumar
as
Botlom/
Launcelol
Gobbo, Sanjoy
Sen
as Romeo, Swarup Datla
4. An
expanded vcrsion of ,4 MidsumDet
Nishtt
5.
May
1964.
Scenes from Jrlirr Caesar and Hanlkt.
Ai outdoor
pcriormance
on
&e
steps
leading
into
a
bungalow in Mandeville
Gardens.
Cast:
Santanu
Miru
as Cacsar/Hamlel, Pradip
Mira as Brutus, Kalyan
Banerjee
as Cassius.
Tapan
Dey
as
Antony.
Directcd
by Indrana$
Guha
1959. Department
of English,
Jadavpur
University: Ila
ler.
Indoor Stadium,
Jadavpur
University
Bal.un
Chanda
as
Hamlcr.
Di.ccted
by
Proi
P K.
Guha
and Ms Pranari
De.
21, 23 Aptil
1961. The
Amal€urs:
Shakesp€are in April
(sceoes
from Macbet\
T
etfth
Nisht, The Tempest, The
Tami
s
of
the
Shrer,,
A
Minsunnrcr Night\
DteMt, Richard II).
Shri
Shikhal
atan
Aclors: Dick
Rodgers
as Macbeth, Bitty Malik as
Lady
Macbelh,
Prilam Mayadas as Richard
II, Dilip Sirkar as Bishop of Carlislc and
Bottonr,
Vimal Bhrgal.
Prcduced
by
Vimal
Bhagat.
From
the
review
in The
Staresttatt,22
April
196l:
'The
Amateurs'
production
Shakcspeare In April deserves
praise
for
its
ingcnious
wclding
togelher
ol
sccnes lrom six Shakespearean
plays
in
u lwo'hour
programmc
that
seldom
1lags.
'... Vimal
Bhagat .-- broughr
the
same
degrce ol histrionic
ilucncy
10
all
his
parts
bul
Pdlam
Mayadas gavc
King
Richard
II
an air
oi
prthos
lhar
lingend
evcn
lvhen
hc
was
playing
rhe lion in
A Midsumrner Night's
Drean. while Dilip Sirkar's
dacmon
is
most
South
poinr
Sctmol
Indranalh
Guha.
former
principat
ot
Sou(h
poinr
School.
rc(xll.
i
.erics
ul rrhoot
pertollnJn(e.
herucen
tq5^
5d
rnJ
in I96.ri
l. Scenes
Iiom
The
Metchant
of
Ve
ic?.
t)t+tt
Dtlu
appcarcd
on srage
as
a courtier
Casr:
N. Viswanathan
as Duke.
Swarup
Datra
as
Shytock.
IndranaLh
(iuha
as
Anlonio.
Sanjoy
Sen
as Bassmio,
Manisha
Chak.abofi
J.
P^ 11.
Rr,i
Sensutr.r.,
NeI,.J
2.
Sccnes
fronr
J,&d
Ca.rdl
(Orchard
Scene.
Murder
Scen€.
Fo.um
Scene).
Casl N.
Viswanaftan
as
Caesar
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PRODUCTIONS
IN
ENCLISH
76
SHA(ESPEARE ON
THE
CALCUTTA
STACE
cerlainly Bottom and not the messianic Bishop
of Carlisle.
'Perhaps
the
least
successful
of lhe six
scenes
was
..,
the
duologue between Macbeth
and his Lady on the night of the murder.
Biity
Mali& managed to
sustain her
part
but
Dick
Rodger's
casting
as the
ambitious
Thane was not the most
fonunale.
The show
gathered momenrum
afier
thar
until
it
reached
its emotional climax in
Richard II. Judging by audience reactions
howevet
the burlesqueJike
quality
of the Trinculo-Stephano
pantomime
in The Tempest
was
probably
the mosl
popular'
1961. The
Dmmatic Club
of
Calculta:
A,
you
bkc
IL Open air
pe
orm{nce on the Natlonal Libr$ry
grounds
Cast: Rosemary White
as
Rosalind, Sidney
Hill
as
Orlando, Vimal
Bhagal
as Oliver,
Sally Symonds
as
Celia, Robin
Hall as Amiens,
.Ieffrey Isaac
as
Touchsbne. Directed
by
Terence
Rochford.
Fmm lhe article by
Terence
Rochford
in
The
Statesnon
Miscella
y,
12 February 1995, recalling the
production:
'...
arguably the
firsFever open-air
perfomance
in
Calcutta of
Shakespcare\
,4r
you
Like lr.
... Nearly
70
people
were involved
in
one way
or
another.
...
The
play
was
a texl
for
the BA
English
general
course of Calcutla
University
and all
lhe
schools
were
also
invited
lo attend no less than lhree special
performances,
which were
packed
ou1. tn
addition there
was
the exlra show
for
lhe
Sangil Kala Mandir
and firce for the
general public.
'The
z0o'yeaFold sundari 1ree, now a litlle older,
providcd
the
backdrop
...
and
our
cnergelic
stage manager
followed
the
Public
Works Depanmenl
around the city
to find
tree
rrunks, logs
and
olher
props
for
forest
'furniture'.
...
Tenls and
marquees for the
greenrooms
came from rhe Amry.... They also supplied field telephones
for
communication between backstage management and the
lighting
ganry,
which was
over
20 leet
high. A tiered audirorium to
sear
an
audience
of 500
was
designed
and erecrcd
by
Stewarts and Lloyds.
'Some excellenl
performances
werc delivered
and
voice
projecdon
was
bctter
lhan expected
withoul,
I
haslen
to
add. the
need for
'The
adnrirable costumes wcre
designed
by Christopher Richardson
and
all
made locally.'
15-17
Msrch
1962.
Thc
Amstcum: .IIri.t
Caara,
New
Emplrc
Cast
\imat
Bhagat
as Brulus'
Sydney
Hill
as
Cassius,
Ernani Giambuzzi
as
Mark
Antony,
Dick
Rodgers
as Casca.
Produced
by
Dick
Rodgers'
Fron
the
review
in
The
Statesn4ut.16
March
1962:
'.-. there
is
more
to
Shakespeare
than
a
few well_'ecited
lines
and lhe
produclion as a
whole
suffered
from
some
of
the
faults
the
name of
ihe
group would
imply:
a lendency
to declaim
and over_emphasis
on
mcl;drama.
Both
Vimal
Bhagat's
Brutus
and Sydney
Hill's Cassius-
otherwise
excellent
portrayals-
lie
most
picluresquely
and
a lack
of
realism
in
the mob_scenes
brought
the
producer's own
Philippi
long
before
the
last acl.
'Bui
appraisal
orcriticism
has
to
he within
nalural limilatioos
and
il
would
b;
iair
to
say that
af@r
the
initial
hesitancv.
thc
produclion
larhered some
momenum.
Ernani
Ciambuzzi
made a
fiery
Mark
inrony,
though
he
was
perhaps over-ioclined
to indulge
in
heavy
s:ucasm.
while Dick
Rodgers
brought
to
the
part
of
Cassius
a
subde
shade
of sinisler
meaning
'Sound
and
lighl
could be
used
to
more
spectacular
effect
in times
of
war
ln spitc
of
these
defects.
however'
it
is an enterprising
efforl'
particularly commendable
when one
remembers
that
the
group is new
;nd
this is their
lirst
venture
into'judicious
cuts ootwilhstanding'
full-
fledged
shakespeare.'
tsikdaf
7 March 1964.
Aikaten:
frr
e Merchult
ofvenice
Unive$lty
lnstitut€
Hall
25
April.
Mahaiari
Sadan
ISee also
Chapter
IVI
iThere
may
havc
been
ldlcr
perlbrmance''
rr
newspJper
rcviews
appear
as
late
as
June.l
Ca:[
Kanli
Mookerjee
as Shvlock,
Tarak
Banerjee
as
Anionio'
Bhendrannlh
Mitra
as Bassanio,
Dwijendranath
Bagchi
as l,orenzo'
Kaiscr Kabir runiv.
lnst.)
rnd
Binata
Ray
(Mahajaii Sadan)
as
Poriia'
Tapati
Ray
as Jessicl,
Angela
Mecra
Banerjee
as
Nerissa'
'Ashok
Mukterjee
as
I'rince
of
Morocoo'
Satyen
Cha(eiee
as Launcelot
Gobbo,
Rathin
Bhaduri
as
old Gobho.
The Hindusl&T
Sta'dard
namcs
Nivcdita
Das
as
Po{ia.
Directed
by
Kanti
Mookerjee'
Fro
lhe
rcview in
Da,ilai,
vol.
'1
no.
20,
1964
[tmnslaied from
thc
Bengalil:
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PRODUCTIONS
IN
ENoLISH
?8
SHAKESPEARE
ON THE CALCUT'TA
STACE
o
'Alrhouph
Kann Bibu
acred
hcaulilully
in
lhe
rolc ol
Shllock.
hi'
co-actors
did
not
match
his
pedormance, excepl
lbr
Sushil
[ri.]
Chatlerjee
as
Launcelot Gobbo.
Evcn
the
eminenl
actress
Binala Ray
actcd
in suprisingly
cramped
siyle,
in
spite ol being
ideallv suiled
lor
the
J,arl.'
From
the
rcview
in
Hi
dusthan Standara.
5
hne
1961:
'It
was
played
on
a conrposite
sel conlaining
sevcral
scenes,
which
made
'fcedy
rrd
'moulh
rcrron
p^$ible'
From
the review
in Juga
tdr. 13
June 1964
[lranslated
lrom
lhe
'skilful
direction.
clear enuncialion
and easv
now
-
qualities which
we have
come
10
associatc
wilh
all
productions of the Aikatan
group
altracted
thc audience
at Mahajaii
Sadan
as
well.
The costumes,
scts
and background
ntusic
sPlcndidly
brought oul
lhc almosphere
and
mood ol
the
PlaY.'
17
April
1964.
Little
Theatre Gro
p:
Sce.es
from
Othello-Foot
of
the
Ochterloney
Mon'rm€nt
(now
Shahid
Minar)' Cnlcutta
Maidan
Announcement
in
Antita
Batit
Pan'ika.
l7 Apdl
196'l:
.MASS-MEETING:
/
TONIGHT
AT
6-30'
/
At
thE
fuN
OI.1hC
Monument
Lo
/ celebratc
Shakespcare's
/
4lh cenlenary /
Sabilabrata
Dulta,
Bijon
Bhaltacharya.
/
HemangaBiswas
and Nnm^lChowdhury
/ will
sing.
/
Utpal
Dux.
Sheila Chowdhury.
/
Dean Casper and
Mava
Roy will
/
play
scenes
fronr
/
oTHELLo
/
THE
LITTLE
THEATRE
/
GROUP
INVITES
YOU
ALL .
[See
a]so Chapler
IVI
23
April
1964.
Shakespeare SocietJ
of
Bengal
and
Rabindra Bharati
lJnirfjrsiq.
The Merchan
o/
y?rice
nabindra
Bharati
UniYersitv
23
Aprili
10,
14,
16 May 1964.
Little
Theatrc
Grotpt
OtheUo'
Minerva
I
heatre
UtpalDuLt
us
Othel;o,
S
lreila
Chowdhu.y
as
Desdemonai
Dean
Gnsper
as lago,
Probir 6hosh
ar
Cassio. SaLJa
Bandyopadh] )
as
kodeligo,
Maya Roy
as Emilia,
Cedric
SFnos as
Brabartio.
Jiien
Bha[achrr]a
as
Gratiano.
Nevillc
Crawford
as
Lodo ico,
Rirtu Ghoih
as Biunld,
Ami
Gupta
as
Monlano.
Dii:ctcd
by
tjtpal
Dutl Sets
designcd by
Nirrnal
Cuhr
Roy.
Lighr'
b)
Trla" Scn
From the
review
in Ja aseb.lk,
I
Mav
196'1
[lranslated
]ionl
tlte
Bengalil:
'Ornetlo
is
their
lthe
LTC]I
best
production
lo
date Our
hea.ts
have
;;;;"Ji;
Iheir
acrrn .
sel\
rnd
orgcniz:lrion'
urprr
Durr's
1,i.,,.
i.
o"-'
"ra
.","n"'".
oern
Ga'pen
Iago
is a
Iirrle
overpitchcd
iut
rre
srrows
his
1'ower
as Jn
actor"
;;;,t;;",'.*
.tn
qqdnaa
Ba'nr
Pa'
a
ls
\4a\
reb4
lrrrnslorcd
from
the
Bengalil:
;;
;;",-,rr;;.""
of the
production
is the rirsi
point that
calls
ior
*enrion.
a"p""rs
of
this
are
the
approprirtre
sels' &e
coslumes
il;;;
"*;;""t".""1'
Evervthing
is
beauliful
and
well-planned'
;;;;;,
i' m-ore
inrcnr
on
err?i'ritencsr
rhxn
on
'how
in
hi'
"n,,,.'.
"t.""r'r'.
,n"
ti\e-rcr
pllv
hJ'
hcen
rcJuced
ru rhre.:
acrs'
;;;;;,.
;"""
never
flags
rhe
production
is
governed
bv
a
.onrollinq
conrellion.
lile
rhc
tunc
ul
a
'ong
"'
'-
il.",';
oi
dJrkn("
r'
spccrrllv
'isnrncanr'
Mo'r
oi
lago's
.,,,'a"r,".
,"a
-*.
"i
Olhello
\
'
shen
he
hr'
lo'l
hr'
rrue idenlil)
.t
o.'1"
""i
,'
..
n,
-ubr
lnd
rngut'ht
'te
'nolcn
l'om
rhe
unlil
"".."".,
,n.
*ug..
t"go
'"",,n lo
be
pre'cnted ds
lhe
li\ing
I.i*i.."
.r,
*'***
ihis
addirionJl
imrli'
arion
r'
\
er)
clrecrive'
,i"
"",.
"*,"""0,*o
o,
nusic
lrom
Tchrikovsky
and
Mendelssohn
'
f.".
if,"
""f",
an
Hindusth
statldar'l'
ll
Mny
1964:
I
rr"
,i r**
"
trln"m
othello
"
said
one
as
Utpal
Dutl
appearcd
*;;
;;.".
.
.
Bul
Durt
as
othello
is
a linle
too
open
to
jealousv
;;;;"
;;
to iake
that
poison rather
than
bcing
poisoned
slowlv'
*-
'iil
"r"
lc$
acror'
who
can
bnnP
oll
lrgo
:rnd
Dern
cJ'per
it
*,'"""
"i
tt"
exceptional
ln
spile
of
the
locus
ol
darkness
hc
..r""'t"a **"
scheming.
in
spirc
of
his
snaky
movements'
his
,"ii""t
ir"t
*r*"""t
"nd
flalignily'
so
molivelcss
secms
poioiless-
PcrhaDs
the
flJ$
lics
in rhc
plav
irself
"
' ""'lii"
,"",
".
*,
,,*.'cr.
w^
good
'
cro"o
'celr'
$crr'managed:
thc
nrusic
bet\rcen
scenes
moving'
7-9
Mn]
1964.
The
Amat€ors:
Much
Ado
oboul
N"ri
s
Nell
Empire
i,.i
v-i",r
n,,,:,,'
,'
s'edr't'
Anjalr
\'Llik
L'
BcJrri
c' ziJ
Ahrncd
"'r
ai*,,r,
,."*
u**t
as
Hero
Jacob
K
Jacob
as
t-eonaF'
zaid
Ur" ".
,* t*-.
Pritam
Mayadas
'ts
Don
John
Raniit
Maftur
as
t
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80
SHAKESPEARE
ON THE
CALCUMA STACE
Dogberry. Produced
by Alan
Kaye-
Sers by
Niki Bhagar.
Frcm the review
(of
a special
students' show) in A rila
Bazor
Patritu, 7 May 19641
'The
setting.
cleverly
designcd
by
Niki
Bhagat ro
eliminate the use
ofcurtains. made an
excellent
background
to colourful
coslumes and
scene changes were execulcd
by a
well-trained
crew in
medieval
garb
headed by Ernani ciambuzzi. After
a slow
and
laborious
sra(
the
play gained
momentum and
it
was rcfreshing
ro
find thar
th€ majority
of the cast
was
not undei the illusion rhal
all
Shakespeare
musr
bc
declaimed ralher lhan
actcd. The
pace
ihereafter was
be(er
varied
... bul slow cues and unskilled
timing
Iended
to spoil
sorne
scenes-'
From
the fevieN in Hindustha,t Standad.
I May 1964'.
'-
-.
neatly ard
sm.4ly
produced
by
Alan
Kayc,
u,ilh well
repos€d
faith
in
rhc lexrtral oic,ie\
PRODIJCTIONS
IN
ENCLISH
rendering murder
in
the bed €hamb€r
'Pat
Scott's DesdenDna is throughour a
gentle
well-spoken wife
and
her "no(
yet
10 die" is mosr moving in irs anguish. Emilia,
deceptively mild
in the
earlier
scene,
was
magoificenl in
her
outhurst
full of
a
rich feeling
and mge.
'Orrzll,
is
a
harsh
and demanding play. The
D.C.C.
producers
had
fluency:
it was
bcaurilully
co
ordinated
and
shaped
...'
lSikdar
1964. Department
of EnClish,
Jadavpur
Universitr. The Tenpest-
1965.
Department of
English,
Jad6ypu.
University Ty)elfth Night.
Jagannath
Guha
as
Orsino, Robin Wood
as Malvolio.
Haydn Moore
Willjams
as Sir Toby Belch, Pcler
Quatcrmaine
as Sir And.ew
Aguechcck, Prabir
Chosh
as Feste.
Directed by Debabrata Mukh€rjee.
1966.
D{artment of
EnClish,
Jadarpur
UniyeNityt
As
Yot
Lile
IL
Mita Chakrabarti as Rosalind,
Prabir Ghosh as Touchstone. D€babra(a
Mukherjee as
Duke
Senio.
Directed
by trebabrata Mukherjec.
1968. Department
of Eoglish,
Jadawur
University Metsure
fot
Nirendu
D.rtta Majunrdar as Angelo, Recni
Sen
a5Isabella, Debabr;ta
Mulherjee
d. Dul,e.
'For
the convent
scenes.
a
large wooden cross was placed
centre-
stagei for
the court scenes. a
pair
of measuring scales was atlached
10
j1.
On
the second day, Ihe
curtain
.ose
on
a
court
scene without
lhe
scales. While
the
scene
was
in
progress,
a
pair
ol
hands appeared
lrom behind lhe currain
and snalched away lhe cross, duly replacing
il
wirh the scales added-'
ll-ahiri
Choudhury
13-16
January
1969.
The
Amateurs: The Taming ol the
Shrcv.
Vimal
Bhagal as Christopher
SIy, Nomio Mirter as
Hostess.
Pamela
Perks
as
Kalherira.
Radhika
Das as Bianca.
Noel
codin
as
Baptista,
VimalBhagat as
Petruchio,
Jai
Sengupta as
Gremio,
Mafthcw
2G23 May 196,1. Drarnatic CtJnb ot
Calcfitat Ahc o. N€w Empirc
Casr
Colin
Paterson
as Oihello.
Par Scort
as
Desdemon,r.
Dick
Rodgers
as
Iago,'[bny
Jackson as
Cassio,
Pclcr
Lancaster
as
Roderigo.
Shcila
Maundcr
as Emilia. Bob Sco[ as Brabantio- Ci,lian Richrrdson
as Bianca.
From
the review
in
The
Statesna
,2l
May
19641
'The
Shakespeare
Festival Committee
presented
the Dramatic
Club
of Catcuua in Xerxes Mehta's intclligent
production
of Othello on
Wcdnesday. Thc
set
was
sinrple a Iurret, a
plalforn
and steps
and
supcrbly economical
coloLrr slides and controlled
ligh(
made
for
swift
changc of
scenes. The
sound too deserves spccial
mcntion for
thc important part
it
playcd- The music
was
exceedingly
appropriate,
if
only
i(
did
nol
tend to oompete in volumc wi(h the \,oices
ol de
speakers.
'To
his interpretation
of Othello,
Colin
Palterson
lrrc]
b.ought
dignity
and
a
sensitiye
mind. From
the
quiete. passages
he extmcted
paslionate poetry
but his
voice
lacked
the cxplosive
power
ro
gile
his
jealousy
a
savage
depth or his au(horily
the resounding
grandeur
aha(
would have
persuaded
a
palrician
daughter
to malry
him
againsr
her falher's
wishes.
'Thc
second
part
ol dle evening had more
power
than the eirlier
hall
and
thc
tension mounled inrperceplibly
1o
thc dmmatic,
hearr,
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82
SHAKESPEARE
ON THE
CALCUTTA
STAOE
Huntley
as Hortcnsio,
Kamal Bhagat
as \4ncentio,
Victor
Banerjee
as
Lucenlio.
\ijay
Crishna
as Tranio,
Ashley
Simmons
as
Biondc
o.
Rogcr Walker
as
crunrio. Ranjit
Mehta as Curtis,
Nomil,
Mircr as
Directed
by Douglas
Algar Srage
Maoagcr,
Tutu
Bosc.
N,lusic by
R.S.
Pillai.
Lighls
by
Kanishka
Sen.
Sers
designed by
Niki
Bhagat.
Costumes
designed
by Peggy
Sarow.
ISec
ertry lbr thc
Khela
producrion,
February-March
t9891
7-9
D€cember
1972. The
Rcd
Clj.rtatot
Hanlet.
Kala l{andir
Bas€ment
Jayant
Kripalani as
Hcnrlet. Arjun
Chaudhuri
as Claudius,
Deena
Ardeshir
as
Geftudq
Nandila
Mi er
.N Ophetia,
Ruslom Bharucha
as Polonius
and Gravediggcr,
Ceddc
Spanos
as
Horario,
Thomas
Verghese
as Laercs,
Willian
da
Silva as
Rosencrantz,
Sunrir Roy as
Guildenstem,
Karrn
Sarkies as
Player
Qucen
an,:t Osric,
Surendran
Menon
as
Marceilus.
Sumanr
Ddmiya
as
Bemardo, Irshad cansiee
as
Playe.
King
and Pdest.
Girish Mansah
as Probgue
and Lucianus.
koduccd
by A.jun Chaudhud
Sets
designed
by Kaly
Lai
and
Sumil
Roy. Coslumes
by Ave Lawycr.
Music arranged
by
Rusto
Bharucha.
Lights designcd and
duel arranged
by
Sumir Roy.
Stagc
Managers.
Neeraj Mala
and Arup Kunlar
Majumdar
Fron
Kary
Lai's
plogram
rc
notc:
'Many
people
will
be dismayed
by ihe rurhless
editing
oI lhc
Bard's
work- The
intention, throughout,
was
solely
lo clicit
ffom
thc play
one
unificd
intpression.' The
text, howeler, was
bascd
on
rhe longest
version, the
Second Quarro
of
1604.
1978.
South Point High
Schoo\ Macbeth.
Academy
of Fine
Arts
Sunril
Basu
as Macbeth.
Srirupa Bancrjee
as
Lady Macbeth.
Tirrhankar
Direclcd
ty Indranath
Gnha.
2-3
,april
1982. Depar'tment
of English,
Jsdavpur
University:
Ir,e
?r,perl.
Vivekamnda
Hall,
JadalTur University
Bikram
Sarkar as
Prospero, Sarbani
Chakrabarri
as Mirxnda,
pcw
Bose
and Shaiontoni
Sinha
$
Ariel.
Vinod
Swnmi
xs
Calihan
PRODUCTIONS
IN
ENCLISH
8]
Indrashis
Laharry
as Ferdinand,
Sudeep
Mazumdar
as
Alonso,
Raj
Rishi
Singhal
as
Sebaslian,
Shankho
Chowdhu.y
as Anronio,
Kunal
Sengupta
as
Gonzalo,
Ashhh
Sah as
Adrian,
A{unava
Sinha
as
Trinculo,
Jaidccp
Bose
as Srephano,
Ranjabrti
Sa*ar
as
lris,
Ceres
dnd
Juno.
clro-eogrJf'lj)
h)
Rrnjjh.llr
Sdrkar.
Co ordinared
by
Debabrara
Mukherjee. Directed
by Milhoo Roy
and
Biman
Basu.
Music
by
Anjali
Sanrwan,
Arindrajit
Saha
aDd Kanika
Datta.
Lights
by Joy
Scn.
Coslumes
by Slrejla
Lahii
Choudhurv.
Producton
\4dna3.r.
lndrlDij
cho$dtruD
-1985. Departn€nt
of Englhh,
Jadavpur Univ€rsitf.
The
labouts
o/lors
(love"scenes
from
As
you
Like
ft,
Mltctt
Ado
about
Nothi
g
and
The M€rrt
tyiyes
of tvindsor)
Mahua
Cha(erjee
as
Rosajind,
Ranjabati
Sa.karas
Beakice,
Samanrak
Das
as
Hugh
Evaos,
Sohini
Bhatraoharya
as
llostess,
Arunava
Sinha
Jc
Chri\,oph(.r
SI).
D
ecreo
hy
Vihir
RJnjrn
Bh.,uachJ+J.
lThe
proJucti.n,
emphJ.r/ed
rhc
us.cndJnc)
or
$^man
. OrlJndo
appea.ed
in
jeans
and helmet
ro
lhc
sound
of a
motor
cycle,
Benedick
and
Bcalricc
met in
lhrce-piece
su;t
and
sari,
while
Mrs
pasc
and
Mr,
lord werc
..or.h.nrDorar)
hou.e$i\e,
oi Crtcurrr.
. the
f,e,r
bit
of rhe show
was
Sir
Hugh
Evans
as rhe
nineteenlh-cenruN
Bensati
BrtlL
n
dh.at.
t'
,iahi
rnd
.,r.Jd,.
ur
g
r
r)prcJt
tucat
r..cnr. wirh
Indian
JJn(c.
Jnd
r nllr.j.rl \corc
hJ.ed
on TdEore.
il wr,
I
unrqu.
attemPr
at synthesis.,
ll:rhifl
ChouJhury
The
Shakespeare
Society
ot Esstern
India
The
Shakespcare
Sociery
oi
Eastern
India
was
establishcd
ir
I984.
Their
carty
aorivities
includcd
strecr-corner
Derfo.
rran.L.r ni
Sh,,tesT.Jrc
orgxni/,ng
pt0)rng
Strte,ga.e
compctitions
fbr
schools
and
colleges.
and
celebrting
Shakespeare
Day
on 23
Aprit
wirh
scenes
lionr
Shakespeare
piays
and
retarcd
shows
and
evenls,
including
academic
discussions,
Iectrres
and.
scminars.
The
Sociery
gradualty
ptureeded
to lull,tcnglh
Shakespea.e
productions
in
English
and
Bengali
Although
its
acri ilics
arc
cenrcd
in
Calcu e
thc
Socicly h.rslakcn
ShakespcarE
ro
puruliyaand
Janrshedpur.
PRODUCIIONS
IN
ENCLTSH
85
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84
SHAKESPEARE
ON THE
CALCUTTA
STACE
and
Vidyasagar
(Medioipur)
and
Burdwan
Ilniversilics
The
Society
deilnes
i1s
'Aims
and Objectives'
as
follows:
'lmpo(ant
work
is still being
done
by the
academic
com
uniiy
in
India,
bui
by
ils
\,ery nature this
work is
mostly
done
in
isolalion
from
popL'lar cons'iousness-
and
remains
sPoradic. The
common reader
or
the
common
spectalor
in the
meantime
is as alive
as
lhe
previous
gcnemtion
lo
lhe nced
to
understand
and
apprcciate
Shakespeare
for
himsell
It
is wilh a
vie)v lo
providing a
broad
base lo
these
unrelated
and
inchoate
aspirations
and
interests
that
lhe
Shakespeare
Society
of
Eastern
lndia
is
tbfincd.
[I1l
is
composed
of
representalives
of
larious
groups such
as
leachers
and
sludcnts
of
the humani(ies
journalists.
puhlic
ollicials
and
thcare
eothusiasis
among
others-
tl
lhus hopes
1() bring
bgelher
purposelully
all
people
in
this pan
of
the counrrv
who
love and
admire
itrakespeare.
...
Thc
sociely
inlcnds
to conduct
ils ac(ilides
oo two levels:
(A)
acad€mic,
and
(B) popula' Academic
activities
will
conrprisc
nalional
and
internalional
scminlt.s
on
Shakespeare
and
the
Renaissance,
hclping
to
pritl
original
works
on
Shakespeare,
organizing
a texl
libBry
fbr
srudents
and
a
research
library
lor scholars.
panel
discus_
sions
by spccialisls
on
Shakespeate,
etc Popular
aclivities
rvill
comp.ise
annual
pcfforinances
ol
Shakcspeare's
plays'
lllns
and
video
shows
on
subjects
related
lo Shakespearc,
exhib;tions.
debates,
quiz
contesh
€tc'
Major
financial
supporl
fbr the
Society
s
activilies
has been
providcd by
Tribeni
Tissues.
Delails
of
their
events
fbllow
by dalc'
'when
Amilava
Roy, Prolessot
of
English
at Rabindra
Bharali
Uni_
versity,
put
on
a mask and
came
in
on
all
tburs
as
Launcelol Gobbo's
dog,
the lawn
was tilled
with the laughter
o[ fte
audience
'
lGlJ
Deftmb€r
1987.
Shakespeare
So.iell
otEastern
lndia and
Mcx
Mueller
Bhavan: Shakespeare
FestiYal.
M.x
Mu€llerBhavan
The
four
day festivalconsisled
ol'pcrfomances
of
Shakespcare sce.es
in English
by
various Calcutta
schools and
colleges,
and finally
of
Shakcspeare
scenes
in
Bergali
lranslalion
by
mcmbers
ol
the
Shakespearc
Sociely of
Eastern India-
From
the
report in D?ri by
Sanlanu
Gangopadhyay.
19 March
1988
llranslatcd
from
the
Bengalil:
'Ii
is clear thal
Shakespcare
is
chiefly
confined hcre
10 the limils
of
schools llnd
colleges.
Tho
prizes went
to Our
Lady
Queen
of
the
Missions School
lor Lheir
production of scene'
fr'ar Th?
M"r.lnnt
of Ve irc
ffid
10
Presidency
Collegc
for scenes
trom A Midtu
nrcr
6
January
t988.
Shakespearc
Society of
East€rn
lndia' Twelfth
Nigrr,
(condensed
v€rsion).
Brili6h
Council
gmunds
Abhijil
Scn
as Orsino,
Madhumita
Dasgupta as
Olivia, Moyna
Sen
as
Viola,
Dccpesh
Misra
as Sir
Toby Belch.
Pranab
Mukherjee as
SirAndrew
Agu€cheek, Ritu
Krishna
as
Maria. Aoiruddha
Ravchaudhui
tls
Malvolio. Saolanu
Datta as
Fesle,
Rukmini
Ray as Curio.
Directed
by
Amitava
Roy.
Repeal
perfonnance
on
19
March 1988
at Burdwan
University.
l. 2
Nlarch 1988, Dcpartm€nt
of
English,
Jadavpur
UniveNity:
Mrcr,
Ado
about
Nothilg.
G^ndhi Dh.van,
Jadavpur
University
Moushumi
Sen
as
Bealrice, Sudiplo
Chatlopadhyay
as Benedick.
Sujay Eanerjee
as Claudio,
Churni
Banerjee as
Hero, Samaouh
Das
as Leonato.
Arunava
Sinha as
Don John, Indrashis
Laharry
as
Don
Pedro, Abhi.lil
Gupla as
Dogberry, Sougata
Banerjce
as Verges'
Vinav
Raotls
Borachio,
Dcbashis Banerjce
ns Antonio,
Satneek
Bhatlacharya
as Conrade.
Chitulekha
Basu lls
Margaret, Sunanda
Maitra
as
Ursula.
.Ioy
Bhattacharya
as Friar Francis,
Arani
Sinha and Kushal
Biswas
25
July
1985.
ShakesP€are
Societv
of
Eastcrn
India:
srenes
in
English
and
Bengali
from
Rameo
and
lt
iel
znd Macbeth'
][lnx
Muell€r
Bhavan
23
April
t98r.
Shak€spear€
Societv
ofEasiern
tndia: Comic
sccncs
frclm
1\t)ew
Night,
Macbeth,
The
Tani'tg
of the
Sh""
"
Ea'nlet'
As
You
Like
It.
The
Mercha'lt
of
Ue
ice'
British
Council
grounds
From
the
review
inJrSdrtua
I May
1987
[lranslalcd
frorn
lheBcngalil:
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86
SI'IAXESPEARE
ON THE CALCUTTA
STAOE
Direcred by Mihir Ranjan Bhatlacharya. Themc music composed
and
suns
by Ber1lam da
Silva.
Music
played
by
Aveek
Sen, Shanlanu
Sengupla. Sumil Chakrabarti. Peffy 6omes. Barun Ganguli. Sets by
Monu
Datta and Barun Ganguli.
Lighls
by Joy
Sen.
Masks
by
Kamal
seJ.
From
the
review
by
Dharani
Ghosh
in
7r"
,t
a,srrrax,
5
March
1988:
'tThe
perlormanccl
escaped
academic frigidily. ... Thc visitors to
Messina
wcrc
gencmlly
in European dress while the locals wore kurla
and
pyjamas
(cxccpt
lbr
ADlonio's
dhoti
and
the friaas cassock).
Dogb€rry and his coho.rs spoke
Indian English
and their sartorial
peculiadties
had the
samc
regional bias. The women altcmated
b€lween
sariand salwar-kanreez. These innovations. including a lemalc
sexton,
made
lirtle
di1lercnce
o shakespeare s
prcse.
...
Mihir
Bhartacharya.
who
direcled,
deserves
praise
lor
fte exchanges be
tween Sudipro Chattopadhyay's
Bencdick
rnd
Moushumi Sen's
Bextrice. Arunava
Sinha's
Don
John
recalled
psychopaths playcd
by
23
April 1988. Shak€sp€are So.icty of Eastcrn India: Shakespeflie
Carniyal
(scenes
from
va.ious
plays,
including Roneo
a
d
,luliet,
The
Mercha
t
of
Ue
ice,
Rbha
t II,
Macbeth). British
Council
gmunds
From
the
rcpo(
by
Sumil.r Lahiri in
A,.rra
ra.ar Patika, Z'7 A.ptit
I9IiE:
'Relnxed
and
infoflnai,
the rest of the evening
was
devoted to
shori
scencs
fiom
plays.
What was lacking
in
slage
p.ol'ess;onalism
was
morc
rhan
made
up
by
lhe
sheer
gdp
lnd
enthusillsm
of
(hc
actors.
lf
some
of
thc aclors swallowed up their lamous
lines, nobody evcn
notjccd
thcm; bccause the audience in a rare spilit ol bonhomic
and
irrdulgencc
proved
to be willing
prompters.
'Amitala
Roy and Deepesh Misra as
Macberh and Richard I1,
respectivcl)r.
dcserle
special
mention
...'
Fmn the repo( l,
The Telegtuph,30 May 1988i
'...
thc
ensuing rain
took
the audience back
inlo thc
nuditorium
to
wirncss an amusing scene
fiom Rrrreo
.rrd
Jdlier.
Intercstingly,
Romeo
was
played
by
a
girl,
Moyna Sen.'
PRODUCTIONS
IN
ENOLISH
87
2s
Nov€mh€r.3
Deccmlxr
1988. Scen€s
frcm
Jrlirrs
Caesar,
Maxbeth
(in
B€ngali),
Ilrelrn
Night, Hanlet,
The Merchant
of
Velice.
Max
Mueller
Bhavan
Direcled by Amilava
RoY.
Repeat
pedbnrance
on
9 February
1989
at
Deshbandhu College
for
Girls.
t'-3
Decemtrer
1988.
Shakespeare
Societv
of
Eastern
India:
Shakespeare
festival.
Max Mueller
Bhavan
Fron rhe repon
in
Arrrra
Bazar
Patika, 13 Decemb€r
1988:
'... Schools,
colleges
and uni\'ersilies
... like
St. Joseph's
Bowbazr.,
St.
Paul's,
Quecn
of
the Missions.
Presidency
College,
Deshbandhu
Collcge lbr
girls,
Jadavpur
and Rabindra
Bharati Univcrsities
partici
pated
in the
Shakespeare
play
compctilions.
...
Jadavpur Univcrsity
bagged
the Champion's
tropht
Mahua
Chatterjee
was adjudged lhe
lSikdar
25, 26 F€bruary;
12, 18,
19
March
1989. Khela:
II, e Ta,nnG
olthe
Shrcw.
Vimal Bhagat
as
Pclruchio, Shikha
Rai as
Kalherin , Sumitra
Bhagal
as Bianca. Dircclcd
by
Vimal
and
Nicky
(Niki)
Bhagat.
From
the
prcview in
The
StatestBn,18
February 1989;
'...
The moving
spiri(
of Khela is
Vimal Bhagai,
himself an old
boy
lof Doon
Schooll,
who
plays
Pelruchio
and
is also direoling lhc
plav
Why
did he choosc
il? Mr Bhagal
says
"The
Tani
S
of
the
Shrcw
is
one
oI
the
happiest
of
Shakespeare's
comedies-
11
has
ronrance,
frolic and sludied
dramatic
developmcnl
in the
main iheme
which,
though so
dellghllully
seasoned
with buoyant
laughter. has a clear
and disciplined
carccr
in the conflict
of
two
real
people"
Bul
he
has
lakcn
some libcrties
wilh
Shakespeare.
eliminating the
lengthv Induc-
lion
scquences
with
the
drunkcn
linker. Chrislopher
Sly, so
lhal fiere
is
no
play
wilhin
r
play.'
r
Jsikdar
From an aaiclc
tiy Ananda
Lal in Thc Shtesna,|
16
Jull
1989i
'...
Thc
qucslions
[rclaled
1r)
Krlhc.ina's
speech
"Thy husband
is
rhy
lord
.../And
place
)our
hands
bclow your
husband\ tooa' in
thc
lasi scenel
arose on
vicwing
the
rocent
produclion of the
phy.
...
PRODUCTIONS
IN
ENCLTSH
89
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88
SHAKESPEARE
ON THE
CALCUfiA STAGE
The dirc.tors of
the
Khela
production,
the husband-and-wife ream of
Vmat and Nicky
Bhagat,
do
nol
regard
rhis
passage
as an issue. They
profess
that the
play
is
a love slory, in which the hero
and
heroine
are
both
passionate,
and
Karherina
(Kale)
merely expresse
exrctly
what
sh€ feels
as an individual
-
Shakespea'€ is noi makirg a
generalized
slaEment he.e.
...
Ifanything.
according
lo
thenr.
Vimal's
macho Pelruchio of their earlier
produclion
twenly
years
ago in
Calcuth
was
more chauvinistic
because
il
was
more simpiistic.
[See
entry
tbr the Amareurs
iJroduction.
13-16 January 19691
'...
Vimal
Bhagat omitted this
parenthetical
scquence
[the
subplot
of Christoph€r Sly watching the dramal, although his first
version
had relained it
in
1969,
conve(ing the
core of
the
play
into an
'...
The
Bh:igats believc in
the
play
as
a slraightforward romantic
comedy and claim thar their audiences appreciated it as such ...
Itheyl
do no(
think that it
can
be
peffbrmed
ironical]y.
'whalever
the reason. though. the speech did not work-it
remained a
pitfall
on
stage.
... In
frlaying
it straight, Shikha overlooked
Shakespeare' typical
insight inLo women characte6 that rcveals many
iayers of
personalily.
'-..
Bianca
(performed
with flair by
Sumitra
Bhaga0.
apparendy
the
model
o[
femininily,
playacts
perfcctly
thc
part
of the
gende.
submissive
daughter
...
Petrucnio
(acred
with a typical mix of bravado
and
pana€he
by Vimal) is not a bully but an intelligenl
man'-
25
April 1989.
Theatre
Ails
Workshop ond Shak€spear€
Soci€ty
of
Eastern
Indi.r
l,tlius
Caesat Mt ktangirlt
Rudra
Mukherjee as
BrutLrs,
Amilava Roy as
Caesar,
Bhaskar
Chatterjee
as
Mark Antony and Artemidorus, Santanu Dalla as Cassius,
Sudip
Sanyal
as Casca, Raja Mukherjee as Cicero and Marull0s, Siddhartha
Dey
as
Publius. Subhrajit
Chatterjee rs
Ligarius, Cinna
and
Flavius,
Aniruddha
Raychaudhuri as Decius
Brulus.
Jayania
Chowdhury
as
Melellus
and
Soothsayer,
DanarrcyaDatta as Cinna
the
Poel,
Biswarup
Sengupta
as Lucius, Oishika Chakraba(i as Calphurnia,
Mahua
Chalterjce
as Portia.
Dirccted
by Amilava
Roy.
Art
and
dcsign
by
Dattatreya
Datta.
Lights
by
Sararupa Sengupta.
Music by
Mahua Chalterjee
and
Shubhrajit
Chatterjee.
Cosumes
by
M.
K. Gupta and
Mahua
Chatterjee
From
the revicw
in Bafto
nn.9
May
1989
[translated
from
fie
Bensalil:
'The
Shakespeare
Society'sJultus
Caesar displayed
neither
acting
nor
composition
no.
evidence
of
thougha.
'Caesar.
Brutus,
Cicerc all
shouted
as much
as lay
in their
power.
Even
in
the
lamous
speech
alter
Caesar's death.
Brutus
simply kepl
shouling
out his
words
without the leasl
modulalion
... Aniony
a(empted
some
modulation hut
failed.
Caesar
even
shouted out
his
dying
words, "Et
tu.
Brulel"...
'The
less
said
about stage composilion
lhe
better'
.. There
was
some
background
music. but
it was never
property synchronised
wilh
'The
costumes
were
very much
in
modern
slyle
Brulus
appeared
throughout
the show
in
jeans
and
a
black
T-shit1.
Manv,
including
Caesar.
wore Bata
shoes.
and
when
Caesar
cntered
in
procession,
his
followers
bore
placards
designed
like
Congress flags.'
8
D€cember
190. Scenes
fmm Shak€spcare
acted in a
'Playing
Shakespe.re'
Competition
for
school
and
coll€ge
studcnts,
orgs_
nizcd by
th€
Shakesp€are
Society
of
Eastern
lndia.
M Mueller
Dh3van
tndrajit
Hazra,
a student
of Jadavpur
Uni\€rsity
(Depa(menl
of
English).
won
the best actor's
prize
for
the
Fool
in Knry
lzar.
8,9 April
1991.
Department
of Englisb
Jadavpur
Univcrsftv:
f,,?
Winlet\
Tale.
Gandhi
Bhavan,
Jrdavpur
Univ€$ity
Jaideep
Banerjee as
t-eontes, Sunanda
Mail.a
as
Hermionc'
Jaideep
Mukherjee
as Pol;xenes,
Chilralekha
Basu
as
Paulina,
Arkadvuti
Basu
as Camiuo,
Indrajit
Hazm as
Autolycus,
Abhijil Gupra
as Clown,
Dehashis
Banerjee
as Shepherd,
Arnab
Guha as
Nobleman.
Direcied
by
,Abhiit Gupta.
From
the review
by Ananda
Lal in
The Telegraph,
17
April
l99l:
'... the
eftbrt by
the Department
ol'English,
Jadavpur
University'
o
enact fte
whole of
Shakespearc's
fh?
Whter's
Tle
... is nol
only
commendable
hul
posilively
over_ambitious.
given the difficull
nature
of this
play.
'Not unexpcctedly,
thc
acting
ploved
rather
dileuantish.
Jaideep
90
SHAKESPEARE
ON THE
CALCUTTA
STACE
PRODUCTIONS
IN
ENGLISH
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Ban€{ee failed
lo
define
rhe
pathological
character
of
Leonres
and
could
not control
an
involun{ary
mannedsm
of raising
his eyebrows.
Sunanda
M.titrat
Hermione
kept her head
uptjfted
roo high
to
cstablish
essenrial
eye
contacl.
The
Bohemians
fared
betrer
with
Polixcrcs
(J.rideep
Mukherjee)
bchaving
more
narurally,
and the
o,d
shepherd
(Dcbashis
Banerjee)
and
his
son
(Abhijir
Gupra, who
atso
directed)
playi.g
up the comic
scenes.
A
welcome
enlerprise,
even
if
naiYe in
geneml.'
From
the
review
]n
The
Statee
a,t,
I
May
l99l:
'tThe
playl
was direcled
by
Ahhijil
Gupta with
assislance
tiom
Sunanda
Mailra,
borh of thcm
srudenrs.
Thar
rhcy
did
nor
enjoy
the
dLrbious
bcnciiL
of
advice fronr
teachen
was
evident
lionr rhe
way
this
(range
fablc
canle 10 lil'e, crposing
Fssages
where
Shakespeare,s
hand
becamc unsteady.
Acadefiic
criticisn
always tinds
excuses
fbr
'...
Mamilius rrying
ro arange
a Rubik.s
cube or Leontes playjng
blind-man's
buliwith
his
son
were inraginariye addirions to lhc
spoken
word.
A11
speeches
in Act IlI,
Sccne
II.
except
for
Hernrione.s
self-
deience,
were reduced
b
ott'stage voices, presumabty
becausc
ot
lhe
nanow playing
rrea.'
6, 7 May 1992. The
Shakespeare
So{iety:
A,3 W"
nd
Ends
tVe
.
NIex Muele.
[havan
'The
Shakespeare
Socicty'
was
a nonce
organization
consisting
largely
ol studcnrs
of the Dcpartment
ofEnglish.
Jadavpur
University.
Rajesh
Krif,alani
as
Bcdram,
Rupanjana
Sengupta
as
Helena,
Chitralekha
Basu
as the
Countess
and Mariana,
Abhijit
Gupta as Lat-ew'
Rudra
Mukherjce
as
Parollcs, Jaideep Bancrjee
as
K;ng
of
Fmnce,
Indranee I
Mukherjee
s
Stcward.
Anushlup
Basu as
Durnaine
Scnior,
Arkap.ava
Gayen
as
Dumaine
Junior,
Debashish
Mukhelee
as Lavache.
Nidhi
Coomar
as
Diana,
Rama
KishDanuflhy
as rhe
Widow.
Direction
and scls
by
Rimi B. Chflre{ee.
Costumcs
by Nidhi
Cooma..
Music by Arun
John. Lights
by Sanraru
Bose.
Fronl lhc
programme
norei
'This
production
arc rprs to clear
away rhe layers
of
neglecl and
ger
at the authcDtic play
benearh
them. It
follows
Shakespeare\
rext
closely
wilh na
additions and
iew
cuts. ... We
found
in lhis
play
much
seriousness
and much
lun.
and
wc
hop
we
can communicate
this
Fmm
the
rcview by
Ananda Lal )n
Th
e Telegraph,
28
August I
992:
'...
rhe Shakespeare
Society
presenled
All3
lyell
Thdt E .1s weu ...
arguably
o.€ ofthe
Bard's
most
difiicull
plays ro
gauge.
Dircctor Rimi
Chatterjee has
done
well
to
respect rhe
lext but
r(ention
paid
to
the
surface layers also had
the
cftecl ofkeeping
the
darker aspeca
lurking
withi, the subtexl bcyond
the
grasp
oi Challe{ee and her
relatilcly
inexpedenced cast of college sludenls. However seveml of
them
showed
promisb
in dropphrg rhe sellconsciousness
lypical
of begin-
ning aclors,
panicularly
Jaideep Banerjee
(the
French
king), Rudra
Mukherjec
(Parolles),
Abhijit
Gupla
(Lafew)
and Nidhi CooDar
(Dicna).'
6
January
1997. Shak$peare Society
ofEastern India: Sc€nes and
songs
from
Shakespeflrc.
Brilish Council
5 February
1997.
DepartmeDt
of
Enslish,
Jadavpur
Uriversity:
The Merclwnt of Ue,rice.
M^x Muclltr
Bhayrn;
repeat
perfor-
manccs
on
29,
30 March
1997
at
C.D.
Birla
Sabhagar
Sohini
Sengupla
Halder as
Shylock,
Devalina Mookerjee as Antonia,
Vaishali Chosh as Portia, Sandeep Banerjee as Bassanio,
Ankita
Mukherji as
Jessica, Abhijit Banerjee
as
Lorenzo,
Arundhati Chanda
as
Nerissa,
Abhijil
Gupta
as
Oraliano,
Prodosh Bhattacharya as
Morocco and Aragon, Reshma Ghosh as Gobbo,
Mahira
Kakkar as
Solanio, Kumar
Snha as
Salerio. Sunandini
Banerje€
as
lhe Judge,
Arpila Kuila as Tubal, Ballhazrr and Magnifico, Suddh$ecl
Scn and
Sanjay Balachandran as Musicians.
Stage Dranagemert by Sunandini Banerjee. Lighling by
Anrnda Lal.
sound
by
Kumar
Saha.
Costumes by
Mahira Kakkar.
Scls by
Nandini
Das and Kasluri Basu. Propeiies by Arpita Kuila. Direcled
by Ananda
I.l
Ft(nn the Directots
Nate:
'...
Shakcspearc
did not wrilc fbr actresses. ... Four cenluries
latcr,
lilcmlure depanments
across
the world contain a majority
of ibmale
students.
With thc casting
pool
availible to nre. I laced the daunling
task
of tinding
men for
far loo
many male rolcs.
ln
olher
words,
Ih3d no oprion hul
ro
lrar\iomr
\urne
ul
rher
inro
uolrcrr-.rr.
J"
a
marcr
ol
fact.
The inlerpretalionJ'
)ou
nra)
discover in
this
produclion
rhus
result
fron
praclical
exigcncics
of
personnel. ...
92
SHAKESPEARE
ON THE CALCUTTA
SIACE
IN ENGI-ISH
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'I
cannot take
credil for
making
a wornan
play
Shylock
... but
I have nol
yct
heard
of any sex change
done
to
Antonio.'
From
the review by Vshnupriya Sengupta
in nrs Asia Aee.
11
February 1997:
'Shy,ock ...
was
subjecl to double
discriminarion fbr
being
a
Jew
and a
woman.
Besides, the subllc hin(s
of a homossxual relationship
between bosom
pals.
Antonio
and Bassanio.
was
[ri.]
'exploired"
as
unrequiled love
with
Antonio
having
become Antonia
-..
'Inslead
of
peri6d
costumes, the characters
sported casual wear
...
rather
rhan
proclaiming
the
dialogue. fie characlers
chose iodeliver
them in a
conversational
style
adding
lift ro rhe
play'
From
the .eview
in The Telegnph,
T March
1997:
'Surprisingly,
the
director. Ananda
Lal's
attempt
ro
go
against the
grain
by
castins
women
as
Shylock
and Antonia
(sic) pays
otr
He brings
in a sense of
playlulness
to an
olheNise
hackncyed
interpreta(iol.'
From the review by Saikar Mazuodar
in
The
Eco
oDtic
'Iines,
13
Ma.ch
1997:
'...
(he
6cla( with
which
the feminine interpreterc
of male cha.acl€rs
carricd off thc
play,
made the
whole
prodLrction
a smoorh, flowing
success.
tDevalina
Mookcrjeel
llays
a cool,
poised
and sensitive
Antonio,
resDonsive
to
changes
in
emotion and mood....
Sohini
Sengupta
Halder in
the
role
of
a female
Shylock
...
taddsl
a
few
innoyative
touches
--.
to the character
of fte rich
Jewess,
Hers
is
a
Shylock
full of
humorous
malice ... thc
pctile
Vaishali Chosh
do€s
perttct
justice
[to
ihc
role
of Po a] ...
a
good
supporting
cast. with
Mahira's
[Solanio]
agilc
antics
enlivening
up the
mood
right
from
the
beginning.
...
Reshma
chosh
as
a
somewhat
androgynous
Launcelot
Gobbo-jumping and leaping
nnd running
all over the
sragei
not
infrequcntly spilling
over the rest of the audilodum
... makes us sorry
for
(he
amputation o[ her best scenes,
those
with
old cobbo. ... A
pleasant
surprise
was
Prodosh Bhattacharya
of the faculry as borh
the
princes
ol ... Morocco
and Ar.agon. He
acted
with
as nruch
gusro
as
[when]
he
swung his sword. wilh
poor
Portia
cowering
under
rhe
impact of
his swashbuckling
courtship
rhaL
came to naughr.'
From the review
by Dharani Chosh
in
Lie
Srdrerrmn, I I April 1997i
'...
rhe cast
..- has to
be
complinented on
irs ilfectious
enrhusiasm.
... ls it absolutely
neccssary lbr
Lal
to
asserr
his moderniiy
by
playing
"Macarena"
while
Shylock
leaves
home
for "hef
dinner
engagemenl
and
Jessi€a
receives
her
lover's
instructions
lhrough
Gobbo
(Acl
2
Scene
5)l'
From
the
review
by
saija
Sen
in
The Statesna
(yoice )' 11 Aptil
199',7l.
'...
The most intercsting innovation was the
music
that
was
Played
Among
lhem
was
Md.a,?Ird.
to
which
Jessica
and
Launcelor
danced'
Thef;
deletions
in the
play made
it all
the more
enjoyable'
as
they
led
lo the
play being
fast
Paced.
The
play
had
a
fcel
ofconlinuilv'
cven
wilh
the
changes.'
27,
28
lvlarch
1998.
Tolugunge
Clnbt
A
Midsummer
Nigltt\
Drearn.
Bsmboo
Grove,
Tollvgunge
Club
Rajeev
Dubey
as
Oberon,
Rajeshwari
Srinivasan
as Titania
Mahira
Kakkar
as Puck,
Dcejay
Kler as
Thes€us,
Sushmita
Dutt
as
Hippolyla'
Anil
vaswani
as Lysandet
kt-an
Ahmcd
as
Demetrius'
Rajyasree
Sen
as
Hemia,
Shan
Vaswani
as
Helena.
Simon
Scaddan
as Bottom'
Kalyan
Banerjee
as
Quince,
Sagnik
Goswami
as
Flute
Arijav
Prasad
as inout,
Mayukh
Rav
as
Snug'
Barun
Das
as Starleling'
Michael
Robertson
as
Egeus,
Subhash
Nag
Choudhury
as
Philostrate'
Nandila
Dubey,
Roshmi
Tanane,
Mirnalika
Bhanjdeo
and
Garima
Kaha
as
Fairies.
Adapkd
and
direcled
by Atcesh
Tankha
Sets
and
coslume
design
by
Gilanjali
Alagh
Jollv.
Audio-visuals
and sound
by
Dalip
Kakkar'
Lighling
by
Tom
Lai
stagc
Manager,
Ashmila
Acharya'
n.im
tfre
i"rie"
by
Ananda
Lal
it The
Teleenph,
14
APril
1998:
'..-
The
lall
bamboo brakes provided
the
natural backdrop
ror
the
Dlatlorm-.'overed
plcying area. so
lhrl
lhe
srreen
lor
slide
Projeclion
"r-o'r
.ecmcd a
Ie.hnolu*icil
apology'
For
hcrler
'ighl
lincs'
chrirr
were
anangcd
in
rows
on
differcnt
levels
approximating
bleachcrs
Slagc
lighting
was
susp€ndcd
frcm
horizonlal
bamboo
pol€s strung
'Shakespearc's
play
has
a euphoric,
romaniic
quality thal
the
mainly-young
cast
and
crcw
caplured
The
youlhlul lovers'
the
auendanl
fairies,
the
rovalty
of
bolh
Athenian
and
arcadian
rcalms'
the
rude
rechanicals,
all scemed
caughl
up by
lhis
magic'
Gilanjali
Jolly's
sel and
sylvan costu
re
designs
."
enhrnced
this
supcrnatural
PRODUCTIONS
SHAKESPEARE
ON THE
CALCUTTA
STAGE
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PRODUCTIONS
IN ENGLISH
At
Birla
Sahhagar
(December
5rh).
Kishore
Bhimtlni\
schoolboyish
wisecracks,
A
Hamler,
Arya
Cupra,
'lar
and scant
01-
breath",
a rap
O(hello, Sco(
Macbeth,
WheD
he can
berlcr
ofl amuse
himsctf
With
barc
bodkinsi
who
woutd
parodies
bcar,
To
grunl
and
sweat
under sccondhand
pranks,
Bu{
only
passing
encrgetics
fion
Arnab
Bancrjee
and Gautam
Bhimani,
When
he
knows the
Jesuit iathers
a(ained
Educational
dranra
s highest
bourn
In
Errope
durinS
Shakcspearc's
own lilttinel
Thus consciencc
should havo
rnade
lhem cowards
afl.
And
thus Alumnorum
Socil)tas
Should
have
given
dris
action
g.aver
lhought.
As
an enbrpdse
of
grear
pirch
and momenl
Wirh
disrcgard
its currerts
rurned
awry,
And losl
the nanre
of
acring.i
effect.
The
direcroFadapre.,
Areesh
Tankha.
coutd
t.ace
criricism
for
lrLtn.Jting
the
tc\t
an.t
iur
rtle\frJn
tJJl,er.
hut
the
o\erd
chirm
enrnlnrcrJ
\reuc^
into
tbr8.vcne.,.
A ,rnc
touch
ram(
trom
a
$hote
pod
of
liute
fairies
aftending
Tirania
...
'The
mischiet
woven
by
puck
awoke
ar
teast
one
witd
uninvited
,:.1*l
""T
i,,
tcdr)
rcrch.
,r ruc(rou
sclt^
gor
x.iodicJtr,e\crted
enoush ro
rnrte
joud
com,n.,nts
Jnd
hi,rrionrc
inrcryecriuns.
... Jusr
the ghr
note
ol f.eral.
somewhat
ceric
yer
beaurifully
narural,
sound
to
upstage
puck.
piayed
energcticaly
by
Mahira
Kakkar.,
2J April
I'l9S.ShakespeaF
societ}
ot
fisrcrn
rndia:
Sccnes
from
,latntct,
iith
shake\pearein
songs
and
a
.shak$pcarean
nagic
show'
by
Subir
Dhar.
British
Council
: ?*:ITi'*:
{rumDorum
so.icras
lofsL
\cvier.s
coflesiate
schootlt
lokcofl
vith
sha*erp?arc.
G.D. Airta
Sabhagar
Atpdrenrly
derired.tron)
rh(
RcJucrd
Shrtc,pcJrc (
^n,pan)
\
pro
d^utron.
Ct
rl,lc
$hrt: at
Shat".p"at..
rn
Lon,ton
rnrt Ncq
Vort.
tnr.'reJ h)
Arvd
Cup,a.
Amib
Bincricr.
CrutJnr
Bh
n.,nr
rnd.rhcr,.
urrected
h)
Kr\hurc
Bhimani
,*
,:l':'.1,
AnJnlra
rit
in
rhe
t.kqdrh.
r0
Deccmhcr
rqqs,
sas
rirled
.Much
iJo
3hour
norhrnE..
'To
bcrn.
or
nor
ro
h(rn
rhr(
i..
(trc
,tuc,rron:
Whcrher
'ris
nohtcr
in
thc
mrnLt
ro
sutier
The
slings
and
arrows
of
ourrageous
rip-oiI.
Or to
rakc
arms
against
la,te
ojf with
Shakespedrc,
And
hy
opposing, quash
it. To
lili,
to
co.
\o
morc.
rnd f,1
c,g ,o
.ry
t"
t;r,
,;;
The
l?es or
r.)
ttics
ro
Wesrcrn
\uurres
Thar
we "borrow,.i
.ris
a
consunrnlation
Dcroul;y
1.
I...sirch'J.
To
tiir,
t,,
c^
Tu
c.s.
rc,rh,nJe
,cr"r
.
,1.
rtrc,c.
irrc
n,o.
For
by th
colicd
show
whal
lawsuirs
coxtr:
wlen
Llo\d
wel,her
J,\..
i
At).lLc,
L.ra,
Mu'r
rve
Thc
Otd
BoJ\
oJu.c:
rtF.(.,
rtI
rL"tc..l
They n$cd
I're
Rcdu.cd
\hJ[e.rc:rr..
CornfJn).
l-or
$hu
s'ould
hetJ
t.1tr,tr
,tJ
,
t,,,,t,,,,
PRODUCTIONS
IN
BENCALI
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I
PRODUCTIONS
IN BENGALI
(A)
BY
LOCAL GROUPS
1870. A
group
from
Bantra'Ho'
rah'- Prubhaboti
(<The
Merchant
,/
yeric").
Bcniatola
rcsidcnce
of Kartikchandra
Bhatlacharya
Translator
unkno\,vn.
IBiLati
.htra
1873.
Company
unknown
Bhmmakaulk
(<Tlre
Coned
6
E/r.o's).
Venue
llnknown
(public
stage)
Adaplation
by
Benimadhab
Ghosh.
IBikni
J.t 1tl
11
t$r/f,ry
1814,
K$unkunari
(<Ctnbelirc).
N^tional
Thcatre
25
April
1874.
Thc
same.
Bengal
Thcatre
lMukhedec],
Great
National
Thcatre
[S.
Mira]
Adaptalion
by Chaodrakali
Ghosh.
The
dranatis
penonae
incltle.l
the
lollowihg
characlels:
Bajrabahu.
King ol Indorci
Birendrasi nha
and
Dhirendrasinha,
Princes of Indore;
Kusumkumari,
daughlerolthe
King
ol
lndorei
Jdcodsbar.
Qucen
of
lrdotc.
On
rcvcrse
oftille
page
in
pdnrcd 1ext, in English:
'On the old National
Theatre
(on
Dec.
7,
1873, the firsl
anniversary ol
tlhich was held
al
Saoyals'
house
[ric]
under the Presidency
of Babu
Monomohan
Bose),
Kusumkumari
was staged on
l?th
Jan.,
187'l-'
Th€ adap(or
wrole in lhe
(then
Bengali)
Arrlni] Jl.ar
Potrika ot
15
.lanuary
I874
lhcre
translatcdl:
'When
[Michael
Madhusudin
Dul('s.play]
Ktishnakunuri
was being
actcd
by thc
Sobhabara.
Dramarc Socicty,
some members
of
lhe
Sociely
asked
me to
wrire a
play
in chaslc
Bengali
lsadhu
bhdshlt)
lbllowing
the
patlern of one
of
Shakcsperrc's
plays I
fterelore
chose
Clirrbebre
and,
on
its
nrodel
(literallv "lollowing
i1s
hinLs"
-
db'ds
lair'a).
set
abour
cornposing
thc
play l(l.rrd*ll'']ari
Brt
Kusutt*unlari
is
not
an
cxact
translation
of C),.l'sl'r?'
Only
lbc
basic
idea
was
taken
liom
Shakespcare.
and
lhc
play composed
so $at
rhe
numbcr
oi
acls
rnd
the
size
of lhc
casl
might
be
kepl
wilhin
limils'
Care
was
ako
taken that
the aclors
nright havc
adequate
resl
bclween scenes' Hence
I
wrote Lhc
play
following
the
rules
that
currently
govern the
production
of
PIaYS
in
Bengali.'
lAhnred
3l october
1874.
Rxdmpa kMacbeth),
Great
National
Theatre
Adapr
ifl
by
Haralal
Rav.
Dra'u'is
peno ae
with
shakespeare'rn
cquivaients:
Rudrapal
(Macbclh), Chatudka
(l'adv
Macbe(h:
thc name
means
cunning
woman').
Surjvapal
(Duncan), Indralal
(Malcolm)'
Chandrapal
(Donalbain).
Binavpal
(Banquo)'
'Ihe
wi1ches
werc
re-
placed
bt
Bhairavis
(ascetic
lemale
devotees
ofSiva)
who, in the
lirsl
scene,
sing
a hymn
lo
the
goddess
Kali
rnd
plant a
lridcnl
on
the
soil.
There
are
rlso
various
later
relcrenccs
lo
thc
worship oi
Kali
Thc
play was
pofular. and
there
were
pcrfoffrancd
cven
ten
years
latcr.
as uttcsled
by
thc iollowing
ironic
rcporl
in Mdsik Prahdha
vol. l0
no.2,6
Magh
1290
lJanuarv
188'1.
translrlcd
ironl
lhe
Bcngalil:
'Wtdt
can
wc sry
about
the
&tingl
We
crnnot express
tbe
wondc6
wc
saw
cnacted
thal day
on
thc soil
oiBengal'
Evcry
inslant'
swect
and
cncouragirg
rcsponses
lrom
the
audicncc
like
"L'Irdd8'r"
(a
poisonou snake,
but
hlrre
=
-louder").
''i""i
/'ful"
(a
poisonous
heft.
but herc
=
'hcauLilul")'
'
reslr
L/ui
(Excellelrt,
brothe'l)
werc
poLrring down.
Thc
endlcss
imlrecalions
lro
r thc
audiencc
linally
brought
lhe
pc
onnance
to an
cnd half:way
lhrough'
27
February
$75.
Bhnnsi
ha
(<Or'rsll')
Bengal
:lheatre
Trarslatcd
by
Tarini
Pal.
Dr,?,r.ri
Ntlo
ae
\\ith
Shakespcnre'rn
cqui alentsr
Bhnnsinha
(Olhello
),
S
t
arnalala
(Dcsde i'rna) Bhairavsinha
(lago),
Sarama
(Lmiliu).
Repealed.
Therc
was
a
perlornruncc
on 8
April
1376
'Lt
tlrc Grcal
lBilati
J(ta
98
SHAKESPEARE
ON
THE CALCUTTA
STACE
April
1889.
Translation
ol The
Coned
o/ Er.rrs. Corinthian
PRODUCTIONS
IN
BENGALI
99
ot lhc
chrrsclers
unalletcd
"
Howe\er'
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Theatr€
Translator
and
Beogali
tille
unkoown.
lAhmed
28
January
1893.
,l{dcr?ri.
MinerYa
Theatre
TranslaEd/adaplcd
by
Girish
Chandra Chosh-
English ramcs
and
original
situadon
retained.
Ci.ish
Chandra Ghosh
as
Macbeth, Tinkari
Dasi
as
Lady
Macbeth'
Haribhushan
Bhattacharya
as
Duncan. Surendranath
Ghosh
(Dani
Babu)
as Malcohn,
Aghorenath
Pathak
as
MacduiT
nnd
Hecale.
Ardhendu
Mustafi
ns Firsr
Wilch.
PorEr,
First Murdercr,
Old
Man
and
Doctor,
Prarnadasundad
as
Lady Macduff,
Kumud Sarkar lts
Banquo,
Kusurnkurnari
as
Fleancc,
Binodebehirri
shnme ls L'nnox'
Krishnalal
Chakrabarti
as
Ross.
Anukulchandra
Batabyal
as Angus,
Nibarrnchandra
Mukheiee
as Mentielh,
Thnd
Murderer
and Third
Wtch,
Chunilal
Deb as
Caithncss, Second
Murderer
and
Bloody
Se€can1,
Thakurdas
Chatlerjee
.ls
old
Seyward,
Nilmani
Ghosh
as
Young
Seyward
and
Sccond
Witch,
Nandaturi
Bhaliacharva
as
Scvton.
Nikhilendra
as
Donalbain.
Chayankumari
as Youog
Macdull
Harimali
as
Gcntlewonrrn.
I'Ir
Whcclard as
'stage direclor',
Mr.J.
Pimm
as
mrke Jt
and Jrcs
direclor'.
DharmuJJ'
Su'
\rage
mrlrlcr.
Dcb[anrhJ
R,c.hi
music dire(ror.
Fro_m
the
aarertise,rent
of
the
premiere in A tita Bazat
Pahikal
'Opening
night
/
Thc Minerva
Theatre / 6
Bcadon Slrcel
/ Saturduy,
the
28th
January 9
p.m.
/
Shakespeare
in
Bengal. /
MACBETH
/
I
have
got
the
piece
mounled
by
/ European
Artisls and
Dressed
/
it under
EuropeanL
Superv
ision /
and
"makc_up'by Mr
J Pimm
/
G.C.
Ghosh,
/
Manager.'
No
cxpense
was
spared
to
painl
the
scenes
in the
'Scotch
fashion
ol
fie
mcdieval
pcriod
'
lDas
Grpta
'It is
wcll known
fiat
Girishchandra
was deeply
inlluenced
by
Shakespeffe.
Being
himself
a
leading
llgure ol thc
dramatic
world.
therc
rvas
every
possibilily of
his
being able
1(,
Preserle
thc
drantatic
quxlity
ofthe
play
in his
composi(;on.
He
ried
io lollow Shakespeare
fhirhfully...
he
did
indced
rcanange
lhe
scenes
somewhal,
bul ftat
did
nol
inpair
the
ideas,
languagc,
rhylhm
and
coDlent
ol
thc
original
olav.
He
kenl
the
nume'
lJ*
nn
,,0'**',
,"rnd'
hc
xdded
r'rve
sons'
rhere
i' no
douhr
lhar
th-ese
.ong.
delracl
llom
lhc
uagic
'pllil
'
tAhmed:
translated
liom
the
Bengali
Although
fte
critics
rcclaimed
Ghosh's
Mn'heth
the
a\liience
,.l.ci"Jir.
ito.t
r,l'*"rr
$rote
lrr
nslared
from
rhc
Bcnsdlir:
when
",.i.*
*".
".'.0 ",,n.
Minerla.
rhe
hJll
war
rduxll)
omprv
Jiler
ttre
nrst
icw
nighs.
A
spectalor
who
attcnded one
of
the
early
shows
.ra,".".
"aO.
I have
been
seeing
plays for nearly
ten
years,
but
I
have
never
been
so
badly
cheated'''
'
From
the
retort
in
The
E
elishnar'
8 February
1893:
;s"i"
Grtr'h
cllandra
Ghose,
rhe
manager
lor
Minerva
Thcllrc]'
.,rJ\"a,f,.
*n
,r
Mdcherh
and
lhe
ph) as a
u'hole
s3s
trcll
rendered'
l' i"*r,'
r**
oi
Crwdor
hJ'
I
li\el)
'usgesrton
ol''nLonsruirv'
ir,
,n.
",,',t
ic
Jn
c\ronr'hrre
Iclroductt 'n
nl Ihc
rLrndard
convention
oI
the
English
slage''
From
llle
report
\o
l,tdim
Nltion'
20
February
1893:
ii,-'.
'.*"ir'r.,"
*,
ol
r
shdke'penan plav lhar
ir
hr'
been
rcreJ
'.
r"4".,i.".
bul
$c
cJn
'0y
ol
Ihrs
pla)
rhJl
rL
$r'
acled
scll :rr
;'M,;J',.
*.
F,n.
rhJr
ucre c'pccrlll)
$cll
Jone
were
rho\e
or
Macbeth,
of
Lady
Macbeth
who
had
a
Mrs
Siddons-like
appcarance'
rnd ol lhc
pnrrcr
...'
Laie
1896(?);
21
June
1897.
Irantuj
GHamkt)'Rsid€nce
of Kaviraj
Chandrakumar
S€n
and,later,
Classic
Theatre
,l
i",
"urt;".
p".to*on""s
under
thc
direclion
of
Chandrakumar
Sen'
organized
by.Victoria
CIub.
1S"n
Crp,u
AdaDlarion
l'y
Nagcndrrnath
ChdLrdhuri
The
pla)
hJ'l
5
J.l'
drtidcd
';;;/'..,;'.
uirh
to
cnorucrcr'
erct,ding
e\rrd''
lr
$r'
de'ribeJ
on
rhe
thle
pagc ol
the
printed
edition
as
'A tragedy
bascd
on
historical
evenls'.
L.",.nat*u,},
Dult
as
Hariraj
(Hamtel)'
Tx
qtrndari (from
1905'
Xusumkurnari.l
as
Aruna
(Oph€lia),
Chhotolani
as
Srilekha
(Gertrudc)'
Hor*fr"tn*
ol"a"n.ya
as
Jayatar
(Claudius)'
Gosthabehari
Ctrakrata,ri
as
Kuladdhvai
Golonius).
Prama$ana$
Das
as
Kalhan'
Bholanaih
Das
as
Dadhimukh.
Kshudibala
as
Surama'
SaroJmr
as
r"rotinu.
rnluri"
tv
eu.rrchosh'
Directed
by
Amarendranalh
Dutt'
who
100
SHAKESPEARB
ON
THE CALCUTTA
SIA6E
PRODUCTIONS
IN
BENCALI
IOI
sumassed
him\elt
in
n l
Hari''ajl'
l
i(rn
e\lremelv
ditficutr
pari and
ir'
and
7/23/2019 Shakespeare in Bengal Checklist.pdf
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/shakespeare-in-bengal-checklistpdf 46/82
was the
manager
of
the
Classic
Theare
from
I89?
'Nasendranarh Chdudhuris
\ersion
is
not
rery
tuirhlul
ro lhe
onei;1.-He
ha'
acrually
sengalizcd
the
pldy Many
ot
the
characler'
anJ
incidents
are
his
own
crealions
and
addiiions,
so
lhal
the story
has
been
grearty
moriined.In
this
play, a sistcr
ofHamlcfs
is
the
wile
oi
ctauai"us
ttre
stain
tring\
brother'
and
a comic
Brahman
is
entirelv
Nasendranarh
s
o$n
crcetion.
Io
makc lhe
plol
more inrncare
he
h&
.aie
gamler
or
Hrriral
'
mothcr
r
parr)
ro
rhe
murder
oi
rhe
king'
He
has
aalded
ll
songs
to the
play The dialogue
has
also
oflen
been
changedr
ttrere
is
a ciear
influencc
of
Girishchandra
Ghosh's
use
of
lAhntcd:
trans]aled
liom
thc
Bengali
'Hdliral
has
nbihirg
of
rcal
hisbry'
Il
is
set
in
Kashmir
and
has
a
",".,
*il"rt
in
."uoln
o,ern.rts
bas
distinct
resemblance
wilh lhat
of
i.L"r.
tlorrrui
is
a
prince whosc
father
has been
murdered
by
his
General
(Jayakar).
His
molhe'
(S lckha)
is in
love
with
the
murderer'
The Chosl
oI $e
murdered
king
appears
and
reveals
ihe
secrct
to
tru'i,u, anO
a.f'
t,,,o
rrfe
revenge
on
lhe
murdercr
wilhour
rouching
,n" In",f,*
ff,.
rn*f'".
'hoLlJ
be lelr
lo
\ulter
on
hc- u$n'
Silelha'
trowever,
is
an
ambitlous
woman'
She
wants
to
supplant
her son'
who
is
set
up by
the
nobles
on
lhe
firone
of
Kashmir
alier
his
tatbc's
death.
Srilekha
excites
he.
lover
Javakar
(who has a
wife Malina)
to
re."""
ffa.i*,:
t"
."fe
rhe
way
10 the
throne
clea'
A
conspiracy
is
haichea.
Jayakar
srarrs
Hariraj
and
is
in
turn stabbed
by
hin'
Srilekba
,,,.^
i*o
ir,"
"*,
," *"
hcr
lile'
Orher
charrcler'
'rre
K:rlhan
lriend
'"i,irr,,,j.
',
a'"
""n
sur3mu'
Hdrirais
riner: KulJddh'dJ
J
nohlc
ln
tle
ting
s
coun,
w;rfr
whose
daughter
Aruna
Hanraj
is
in love
but
'
whon
heicjecls
attcr
hearing
the
sordid
story
of his
fathe's
murder'
and
Dadhimukh,
a
Brahman
who
acts
as
an
observe
commentator
,rO
1"".**
and
also
provides
rbe
humour
of
this
plai
Written
in
iror"n
ttunr
verse
miicd
with
prose, and
coniaining
a
nuruber
of
,.ns'
"na
d,ncc'.
Harirai
6 a
mcludrJrnr
$hrch
Amrren'trcnalh
Or" f"*a.'
convenienl
rch:ile lor
hi'.)un
n)lc
"l
fllmboyanl
acting
...
lMukherjee
From
a rcview
in
The
India
lt'lirfir'
22 Mav
1900:
lw"
*rrt
.urf"rt
that
Babu
Amarendranath'
rightly
called
by
the
theatre-going
public the
Carrick
ol
ihe
Bengal
stage'
absoiutely
,.i#;;;
;"";
".,",'
in
Lngr'na
sho
are
upro
prd)ins
;";;"-;;;;;;,-i;';
weu
as
ro
compare
ravourabrv
with
some
or
the
best
actors
;n
England''
"-
;;;;;,'
exriemell
popL'trr
anLl
rcvrved
c'nrinurllv
['r
.,".,';;;".
i"
I
o"'r"*'*'
on 5
rurv
Ia02
ir
$d' aLrtenr'ed
,"
,i":"'"i,
,r.*a.;-m
190s,
Kusumkumari
rePlaced
rarasundan'
;
';J;it;;r"
leoe
at
the star rheatre
had
Amarendrana&
,.
"i
..,"i
,.,*"t",
Go'sami
a' Javrkar'
Ku'uml'umari
d'
al,'.inr
rra
,"'***'
rBlack)t ds
Aruna'
5ce
dlsl'
under
Janudo
1925.
28 NoYember
1r8gg.
Mocbeth'
Clsssk
Theatre
Girish
Chandra
Ghosh's
translation
(sec
'893)'
n,*.*Or"*,n
Dult
acted
the
lead-in
this
production
21
June,
5
Julv
lg02'
Madh
jaItilti
(<A Mills
nrnet
Nich{s
Dream).
Minerva
Theatr€
Translabr
unknown
Ad\erri'emenr
in
Ih?
B?
8a1"
-
2l
lune lq02
i,;;";i*";
Plarlr
Alon
s
s$an
in
Minerva
'
Lakel
/ Grdnd
.t,ile;,t-
Nishri/
MINTR\A
IHLATRE
/
sarurddv
rhe
2lsl
irr..
.l
t
pln. ,
*^onu
JAMII'I
/
Adapr'd
dnd
Iran'larcd
irom
llil
v;,1
.i...,
1'.rgl,r
.
Drcaml
'/
A
verirable
dreJm
ol
Lovelinc"
and
Love '
5
M^reh
1904.Jahanara
kA
Mitsummer
Night's
Dream)
unique
Th€atr€
An
'oDera'.
adapred
b)
Salish\handra
Charlerjee'
cu'L,
iu*
rnauii
aq
lrhxndrJ
Kiran'hi'hi
as
Ajinard'
i'.-
J.
"*.a.
loreword
lrrJn'lJrcJ
rrom
rhe
Bengalil:
:;;;;,;;;,-;'
been
compo'ed
rorrowrnP
the rhddow
r''ria)a
,i.i*,lt*A
ot
A Mid'\
mnler
Nisht's
Dream
bv
rhe
sreat
poer
li,;;;;;;,
.mperor
of
the
occidenlal
poetic
world'
universallv
*"..n-rr"a.l
**
*""
'p
m)
pen to
tbllow
the
model
of
fiat
great
"*i
o'ri
t r,"*
o*,
forced
ro
mrke
man)
changc'
in the
characrer'
l;",;;;
;ri",
interrisrhre
ro
rhe
ordindr)
men and
$ornen
or
our
:-',;;;' ;,:
,.o
ro
do-
'o
arr
rhc
more
bv
currenr
rcrins
practice
IO2
SI]AIGSPEARE
ON THE CALCUTTA STAOE
and the
tastes
of the contemporary
audience. ...
I
would
exhori
PRODUCTIONS
IN AENCALI
IOI
,l
December
lgli-
Saoddgar
(<The
Merchant
oI
uenice), St^r
7/23/2019 Shakespeare in Bengal Checklist.pdf
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those who hope to see
an undis(orted inrage of ,4
Mldru
nler
Night\
Drcarr in
this litile musical
drama
of
mine.
to
abandon rhat hope
at
'Salishchandra
has recast the names ol the
cha.acters and the
selting
in
Indian
guise.
Having
the
popular
historical
drama of his
day
in
mind, he
bls
nrade
bis
characrcrs memb€rs
of
arislocratic
Muslim
society Bur
although he
has made rhe
dialogue
appropriate
to such a society,
he
has not
bcen
abte
to
depicl lhat
socieiy
in
his
play.
Hc has conrposed
a
prologue
according to the Indian
style. and
ndded
a scenic specracle
(krura
ko) in verse.
He
has added
many
songs to
meel ihe
demands
of
a
musical
play,
ciling
lhe
ragas
and
raginis,
and the talas to
which
they are set. His dra rtis perso
ae
are named
Mansij,
Marirm,
Nasiruddin,
Nasrat
Khan,Jahanara,
Ajinarn,
Abhaunt\ Amina etc.'
lAhmcdi
rranslaled
from
the Bengali
2l
January
1905.
Norra
Ke
(<Comedr
of
Etots).
Classic
Theatre
Translated/adapted
by
Nagendranarh
Ghoslr.
Anarendm Dutt as Dromio.
lBhatlacharya
16
lnlr
l9l0. Ba abala
(<Meds
rc
fo.
Measwe).
Natiooal Th€atr€
Trans,ated/adapted by Beharilal Durta.
Fron
the adve(isement in Awita Baa Parrika, 16 July l9l0:
'A
Grand
Shakespearean
Re\,ival
/ A New
Epoch
in tndian Stage /
An
adaptation
from
Shakespeare\
/ "Measui: for
Measure"
/ Our
new
T.agi
Comedy
...'
5 September
1914.
Creopdrlo.
Minerva
Thcatre
A
play
by Pmmathanalh Bhaliacharya bascd
chiefly
on Rider Haggad's
noyel Cleopatru
bur
also
partly
on Antory
and
CLeopatra.
Cast: Surendranalh
Ghosh
(Dani
Babu]
as Antony, Tarasundari as
Cleopatra, Pdyanath
Chosh as Caesar,
Niradasundari as
Charmian,
Sarojini as Oclalia.
lRilati
Jatra
Theatre
Trcnslared/adaplcd
hy
BhunendmnJlh
Banerjee
cnsr: Amarendranath
Dutt as
Kulirak
(Shylock).
Dhirendmnalh
Mukhopadhyay
as
Anilkunrar
(Antonio). Kusuokumari
as
Pratibha
(Porlia),
Kunialal
Chakrabarti
as
Basantakumar
(Bassanio),
Manmathanath Pal
(Handu
Babu)
as
NAanian
(Lorenzo), Naravani
as
Niraja
(Nerissa), Ascharjyamayee
as
Julhika
(Jessica), Kashinath
Chattopadhyay
ls
Natabar
(Launcelot Gobbo),
Akshaykumar
Chakrab.rti
as
Natabar\
Father
(Old
Gobbo),
Nripendranath
Basu
as
Alhade
(Nalabar's
son), Lakshmikanta
MukhoPadhvay
as Raja
Bijaysinha
(Duke
of
venice).
Directed
by
Amritalal
Basu
The advertisemen
I in
ft.
Bersdtu?,
4
December
l9
I
5,
announced
'Dazring
SccncrylCostly
Costumesl
.. Bhupen
Babu's
Charming New
Conredy
...
Abuodant
Channing
Songs
and
Cracctul
Darcesl'
Afler
the
untimely
death
ofAmareDdranalh
Dutl
(Kulirak was his
lasi rcle),
lhe
play could not
contiDue
lor long,
though
Kunjalal
Chakrabad
appearcd
as Shylock
for
a few
nights
fronr
I
January
1916.
fchoudhurY
29 Noyernber
1916. Scenes
and songs
fmm
Harirdi
^nd
sao,Iagar'
Star
Theatre
Monmohan Goswani
as
Hariraj,
Akshayku,nar
Chakrrharti
as
Dadhinlukh.
Kusum*umad
as Srilekha.
Ascha4yamayee
as
A.una,
Mrinalini
as Malina.
23 Septemb€r
1917. Seshbesh
(<A
's
lUetl
That Ends We
).
Star
Theatre
TrJnJ.rrcd
b) sourildramohrn
MukhopadhlJ).
lBhatlacharya
8, 15,
16
March
1919.
othe o, Star
Th€atre
Translated
by Devcndranath
Basu.
T.r^kna* Palil fdescribed as
'AmateLlr'
in lhe adverliscnrent
ciled
bclow)
as OtheUor
TaBsundari
as
Desdcmona,
Apareshchandra
Mukhopadhyay
as
lago,
Probodhchandra
Basu
as
Cassio,
l
IO4
SHAKESPEARE
ON THE CALCUTTA
STACE
Nagendranath Chosh as Roder,go, Niradasundari
as
Emilia,
Manimala
@nslatcd
l-rom
the
Bengalil:
PRODUCTIONS IN BENCALI
7/23/2019 Shakespeare in Bengal Checklist.pdf
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as Bianca, Lakshmikanra
Mukhopadhyay
as Brabantio,
Atindranarh
Bhattacharyn as thc Duke.
Sets
by
Parcshchandra
Basu
(Patal
Babu)
under
lhe
direclron
or
ProL.odh(
lru nJrJ
BJsu.
From fie
translator's Prcface
to the
first
pdolcd
editioD
(March
t9l9):
'lf
this translation has any
merirs, they are
owing lo him who
has
moistened such dry clay as myself
inro a state
lit to be fashioned.
namely.
the
crown-jewcl of
dramatic
poers,
Girishchandra
[chosh].
The
defects are all nry own. .-.
The work
is mcanl
o
be acrcd
on
stage.
The language
has been
guided
throughou
by
rhis
rcquircnrent.
...
One
more word: wilhoul
lhc
enthusiasm,
labour,
boldness and
sacrif-ice of
lhe
present
expcri Manager
of
the
Srar
Theare.
my
betoved Srj
Apareshchandra. Shakcspeare
could not
possibly
have heen
re-
established on the Bengali srage.'
lTranslaled
liom
the Bengali]
Advertisement in The
Betryalee,8 March
l9l9:
'EPOCH MAKING
EVENT
...
/OTHELLO/ Rcndered
into bearriful
Bcngali
hy
/
The
well-known literary
veteran
/
DEVENDRA
N,\TH
BASU/Coslumes
and
Wigs etc
from
Euro,/pean Firms / General
Makc
up by
/ Messrs Watson
and
SumDrers
/
Scenery
specially
prepared
lor the oc-/casion according
to the directions /
ol
such rccognised
/
Shakespeaiean Authoritics as
/MR.
c. H. BOOTH
and SIR / HENRY
IRVING / In n word,
/ the
piece
will he
produced
on a
Scale /
oi
Splcndour / Hilherio Unattcmplcd
on any / lndian
Stage.'
From thc rcview
in The
BeaCaLee,
15
March
l9l9l
'On lhc firsl
lwo
nights.
thcrc
was
a
remendous rush
...
and
we
were assurcd
hy
more than one
criric
that the acting
of Desdemona
approached
perfcclion
and
the heroine
had
shown a remarkablc
powcr
oi
adaptability
which
extorted unstillted puise
fiom
rhe
19
JlJne
1920.
Kuhaki
(<4
Mi
u'
mer
Night's Dfta,/).
Star Th€atre
Translated
by Devendranath Basu.
lBil
ti Jattu
19
January
1925.
BhikhariniThe
tret Ha
j
(4lamrer).
Monnohan
Natyamandir
Nagendranath
Chaudhud's adaplation
(see
1896
97).
From announcemenr
in Nocllshar.3
Mash
t33t
lJanuary
1925.
'A thealrical
group
called "Bhikharini Thealre" \rill act Hatuaj and
Hiruwnfi or, Monday nex( it the Monnlohan Natydnrandir This
group
consists
enlirely
of women. The
proceeds
ol
the show will bc
used
lor
works
of
public
wcll-arc.
It
is a
good
sign
that, although
they
rre
beyond
the
palc
ofsocicty,
the
heal1s of
hapless
l-allen
women
also
respond to
ihc suf-fering of
thc courtry.'
22 September
1926. Sel€cted scenes fmm Othello- Stat The tre
Delendranalh
Basu's translation
(see
l9l9).
Ahindra
Choudhury as
Olhello,
Durgadas
Bancrjcc
as
Iago-
tMukherjce
29
Scptcmber
1926.
Selected
scenes from Macr"lt.
Stnr
Theetr€
Girish Chandra Ghosh
s
lranslalion
Gee
1893).
The occasion
lvas
the
installarion of
a
slatue of
Ghosh.
Ahindm Choudhury as Macbe(h. Sushilasundari as Lady
Macheth.
tMukherjee
F€bruary 1945. Selected
scenes
from
Macr?r/r. R
ngmahal
Girish Chandra Ghosh's tunslation. Perlormed at a
function
lo
pay
homage to him.
IBilati
Jata
Bangiya
Shakespear€
Parishad
Thc Bangiya
Shakespeare Parishad
was set
up
in
I95l
lo
organi/e
and
cncourage lhc study,
translalion and
produclion
of
Shakespeare's
plays
in
Bengali. It
published
lhree
translalions:
Ma.r?/? by Nirendranath P.ay, The Metthatt
ol
vrr,.e
by Sunilkumar
Chaterjcc, a.d
As You Like It by
Sunilkumar Chatlcrjce.
Productions:
The Bangiya
Shakcspearc
Parishad
sponsored
a
partial
production
of
Mdtb?th by the
Irdian
People's
Thearre Associalion
in
1952.
and
a
iull-flcdgcd one by
Rabindra Natya
Parishad in 1951- The Mefth.ui of V.ttice
was
produced
by
rhc Li11le Thcat.e
Group
in l95l and the
IPTA in 1955
(sec
bclow).'The
Parishad
celebraled
Shakespeare
Day on
23 April
1955
(scc
Chapto I
D)
and
PRODUCTTONS IN
BENCALI
t06
SHAKESPEARE
ON THE
CALCUTTA
STA6E
From
lhe
programnre note:
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produced
71e
M"rchd"t
ol
Ue
ice ir English in 1964.
The Parishad had
its
offlce
al Bangabasi
Colleg€
(whcre
Nirendranath Ray
was
a celebrated lea.her
ol Shakespeare).
lAhnled
23
April 1953.
Little Theatre
Group: rr,
Mercha t oJ
Ve
ice.
Univ€rsity
Insti(ute
Hall
Translated by Sunilkuniar
Cha(crjee.
Sponsored by Ba.giya
Shakespeare Prrishad.
Utpal Dutt as Shylock, P.emashis
Sen
as
Antonio. Kllindi
Sen
aS
Portia. Sunil Ray
as Bassanio,
Sckhar
Cliatlerjec
as
Gratiano.
Salya
Bandyopadhyay as Lorenzo. Anuradha
Ray
as
Nerissa,
cila
Sen as
Jcssica.
Rabi
Ghosh as
Launoelol
Gobbo,
Bhola Di*ta
as Solanio,
Birendra Dalta
as
Salcrio,
Provash
Bose as Tubal, Jyoli Sen ris Dukc.
Frcnl a 1957
brochure of the Lirde Thcare
croup:
'We look a healthy delision: Io slage Shakespeare
in
tmnslalion. Bu1
aftcr
slarting
ofl
with
a
lruly
territ'le
production
o,
Sunil
Chatrerjee's
cxquisite translation of The Menlla
t
d
Uenice. wc
l-elt
somewhar
7 November
l9S{.
Little
Theatro G.olup: Macbeth.
Ncw Empire
([requently
r€p€ated at various veoues.
Th€
p€rformanc€
on 15
July
1957 at Rungmah5l Th€alre 1ra$
announced
as
th€
Slst. Among
olher
shows wrrc those
at Biswarupa Theatre
on 18
July
1958;
and
oo rhe Utfarpa.a
Public Library Grornds,
originally announc€d
for
U
May 1958
but
pGtponcd
to
7Jun€
owing to bad
seathet
to mise
funds
for the
journal
Syadli"ard.)
Translnted by Jyotirind.anath Sengup{.t.
Utpal
Du(
as
Macbeth,
Sova Sen as Lady Macbeth,
Sunil Ray
as
Brlquo, Kan(i Mukherjee
as Duocan, Sarya Bandyopadhyay
as
Malcolm,
Dhruba Raychaudhuri
as
Donalbain, Sckhar
Chrlrerjee
as
MLrcdulT, Rabi Ghosh
as
thc Po(er
and Seyward, Ta.un
Mitu as Ross.
Prolash Bosc as Lcnnox, Indranath
Guha as Flcr
ce, Tarun Ch,r erjce
as
Fi6t Muderer,
Samaresh Bane{ee as Sccond
Murdcrer:
Krlindi
Sen. R.rbi
Ghosh
and Samarcsh Banclcc
as
Witchcs. Therc
wcrc sonre
cfianges
in
laier
perfomances.
Dirccled
by
UQal Du(. Lights
by
Tapas
Sen. Stage nranager and set
designer Bibhuli
Mukhedee.
'scholars mighl
debate
whelher
lhe
poelic
qualities
oi
Shak€spearc
are
prcserved
in translation.
-..
The aclor
looks
elsewhere.
If
th€
languag€
of lhe
translation
contains thcalrical
polcnlial.
and thc
true
nalurc
of
the cha.aclerc
is
prcserved
despite
the
oulward
changc'
then
the
plxy
is acceplable
to
the
actor. ll
is
in
respect of
lhese
lwo
f-actors
that we have
bccn
attracled
to Jyotirindr{nalh
SenguPta's
Bengali
translation
of
Ma$eth-
We arc
producing
il
in
the
hope Ihat
the
audience
will also conline
their
iudgment
lo lhe\.
two issues.
However.
we
must
acknowledge
il as
a shorlcoming
lhat
we havc nol
been
able
lo
prescrve the
dislinclive
huc
and
amosphere
ol
a
Shakespcffc
play.'
Frr)ln
the review
;n The
Statesnwt,
Novcmber
1954:
'It was a l-ast
moving. noisy
produclion
-
somedrrcs
pe raps a lilde
too
noisy
-
and a
good
deal
ol lhe
versc
wtN
shoulcd
awkwardly.
... For the
sake of
spccd some
porlions were cut out
and there
werc
a taw
unfbtunate
departures
from the
1cxt.
'Bu1 the
company showed
a
great
deal
of
healthy
enthusiasm
md doggod
determination
to
make
the best
ol a
badly
Lranslated
play
and
ir should be congratulated
ior its commendable
clfort lo
prcscnt
Shakcspeare
in
Bcngali. ...
'Thc
setling
of
lhe
castle
with steps
and dark
pas$ges
in
fionl
ollhc
sccnc
was excellcnl,
ard skilful
Iighting
cfitcts
werc inlroduced
b\
'lrDJ'
Scn.
Bul
'omc
mrgicdl
illu.i.n'
creuted
whcn
Machrrh
,..,,ir..,1
ri"
o,rct".
u.r#
Jrcddlull)
^vcipicrorIrl.'
From
the review
]n S adhhdta
[traoslated
from
the Bengali]:
'The
overall
production by Utpal
Dull descrves
high
praise.
Ir
parlicular,
Bibhuti
Mukherjee's
stage
design
and Tapas
Sen's
l;ghting
enhanccd
the
technical
erpetise
of
the
produclion.' This review.
1oo,
nrentions
the consi(cotl)
high
pilch
and
volunre
oi
delivery
in the murlier
sccne,
whcrc il is suggested
thd
Macbelh
aDd
Lady
Macbeth
s loud
cxchanges
nrusi halc
been audible
in elery
comer
23
April 1955. Scenes
from
nrc Me.chLttt
of
Ve irc *d Otl,elo.
Raj Bhavan
Cclchmtion
ol
Shakesperrc
Day
by
Bangiya
SlrakesPeai:
Parishad.
Scc
Chaptcr
I
D.
IO8
SHAKESPEARE
ON
THE CALCUTTA
STAGE
11
May
1955.
Indian
People's
Theatre Association
(IPTA):
fte
PI{ODUCTIONS
IN
BENCALI
Sarya
Bandyopadhyay
as
Cassio,
Rabi
Ghosh
as
Roderigo'
Sova
Sen
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Merchant
oI
verrce.
St
Paul's
School
Hall;
(from
June
1955)
Min€rYa
Theatre
Under the
auspices
ol
Lhc
Bangiya Shakespearc
Parishad-
Nhmal
chosh
as
Shylock,
Kalikrishna
Banerjee
as
Anlonio,
Asima
Chaudhuri
as Portia,
Tapan
Chatterjce
as
Bassanio,
Anjali
Som
as
Nerissa,
Nani
Banedee
as Lorenzo,
Hasi
Chatter.jec
as Jessica,
Samir
Banerjce
as
Cratiano.
AjitBasu
as
Solanio.
Kamil
s'rt'r
'q
Salerio'
Satya
Chakabarti
as
Tubal,
Dhhaj
Basu as
l"auncelot
Gobbo,
Dwijen
Milra
as
Old
Gobbo.
DhecEd
by Nirmxl
Ghosh.
From fte
review
in The
Statesru
,
l0
June
1955:
'lThe
productionl
demonslrated
anevr'
that
howcver adroitly
a
irans
lator
may
do
his
job,
much depends
on
perlormen
lo
liit the
Bengali
version
of a
Shakespcare
play
oul
ofan unnatuBl
and
inelastic mould'
... Tlre
IPTA,
which
once
scrupulously
followed
ihese
Principles
ir
their
dramatic
produclions,
havc
thrown
them
.lll
away in this
play
30
Aprit 1956.
Little
Theatre
Group:
Scenes
from
'h'elfth
Night
^nd
Julius
Caesar.
South
Poirt
High
School
The
occasion:
l-elicitation
ol Salyajit
Ray lbr Potller
Pancllali'
Casl
ior
n
.#rlr Nishr:
Tarun
Mitra
as
Sir
Tobv Belch,
Rabi
Ghosh
as Sir
Andrew
Aguecheel,
Sova
Sen
as
Maria, Utpal
Dutt
as Malvolio'
Cast
for
Jrlirr
Cr€rdi
Rabi
Ghosh
as Casca,
Tarun
Mitra
as Brutus,
Sekhar
Chatlerjce
as Cassius,
Ulpal
Dult as Cacsar,
SalilBhattacbarya
xs
Trebonius.
The
scenes
presented
fron]
J
lius
Caesat
werc
rhe
r
urder scenc
and
rhe
scene
in
Brutus' tenl-
The
scenes
liom
Tn)ewh
Night
werc
repeated
on I 7
August
and
5
Oclober
at Tilak
HaU,
Maharashtra
Nivas'
(Cf:
Dul's
English
produclions ol J,liur
Caevr
a$d Tfelfit
Niiht
in
Chapter
I-D,
15-17
July
and 2
8
sep 1949.)
FebruarJ
1957. Little
Thcatrecranpt
Julius
Caesar-
Venue
unknown
Translatcd
by
Jyotirindranath
Tagorc.
(Ct
laler
cnlry undcr
10 April
r964.)
8
Dec€mber
1958.
Little Theatre
Group:
Orrre
o.
Bismrupa
Ulpal
Dutt
3s Othello,
Nilinrn
Das as
Desdemona,
Tarrn
Mitra as
Iago.
".
i,niria.
Lr,lt.o
Cuha
as
Bianca,
Sunil
Rav
as Brabantio'
Chandi
Chalterjee
as
Graliaro.
Bidhai
Mukher.jee
as
Lodo ico'
Nimai
Ghosh
as lhe;ukc,
Dipcsh
Scn
as
Montano'
(Cf' Dutt's
English
pDducdon
in I948,
Chapler
I D.)
l0
April,3
Mny
1964.
Little
Theatre
Group:
'I
tizs
Cdesar'
Minerva
Announccd
as
a production
ol
J,lli'r
Ca?rdr
'ihrough
conEmporary
eyes'
('sanakatet .hoilP
)'
though
;t used
the
l9th
cenlurv
trans_
lation
by JYotidndrunath
Tagorc'
The
cast
list
was
divided
inlo
three
groups as
fbllows:
'Followcrs
ol
Caesal
('Caes'rrpa thi?dn'):
Utpal
Dult
as
Caesa
Satya
Bandyop&lhyay
as
Mark
Antonv,
Ni'jr
l Guha
Ray
as Ocravius'
patanr
Oas
as
Lcpidus.
J.ryasri
Kar
as Cxlpu'nia'
Suiil
Gupta
as
RcnLbli.' n.
\-sadt
oL\14n\dn'':
Arun
Rr)
r'
Brulu''
M:rli)
v',irrcrrec r, C*su',
Brrc'htrnr
\rrkhel
J' Ca'ra'
SdnrJnu
Gho\h
rs
Decius.
Anil
Mrndal
as
Trcbonius,
Bircn
Majunldar
as
Mcrellus
Cimber.
NabakumarDas
as
Cinna
ftc
Conspirulor'
Nilima
Das
as
Portia'
Krishrn
Kumar
as
Ciccro,
Anil
Ghosh
as
Popilius
lrna
'Tlrc
Pcoplc
(rd,a/.i):
including
Pralrv
B.lsu
as
Cinna
tlrc
Poet-
From
rhc
repori
in air,,l,
slum
Sta
daftl'
I?
Apdl
1964
bv
RoyNK
aN.K.
Rov):
:sLatespcrre
ncsti,rt
tnauguralcd.
As u\ual
wilh actor-producr
Ulprl
OuLr
anrl
nls troupe,
rtrcre
was
a
good
dealofsplendour
ol
lerbiagc
and
scenes
-
about
thc
show.
...
The
distinction
ahout
lllc
prcduction
was
thc modern
shape
of
idcological
strugglc
givcn
1o
the
play
located
in
a
lasoist
counlry
comPlcte
trith
ils
diabolical
insignia
The
lcliisl
bias'
could not be
nlissed
Lrtpal
Dutl
[spokc
hilbrc
Lhe
pertor
manccl
learnedly
on
the
Poe
dramxtisl\
sooial
consciousness''
(Cf.
Dutl's
earlier
producrion
in 1957
and
English
prcduclion
in
l9:19.)
23 April
1964.
lndian
People's
Theatre
Associstion
{Sirnantik
Sakhnl:./xlias
Ca€sa,:
Ambasan
Nlaidan
ai
Dtrm Dtrm
Dircctcd
bY
Chirrunjan
Das.
From
the
rcporL
in
Ja.q.7nn
,
l8
April
196'l
[lranslated
lrcor
the
Bengalil:
IIO
SHAKESPEARE
ON THE CALCUTTA STA6E
'The
Simanlik
Sakha of rhe IPTA has organircd
a monlh-long
PRODUCTIONS IN BENCALI I I I
this
occasioo
artistes of "Udayachal"
will
slage "Hamlet" in
Bengali.'
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progmmmc
10 celebrate
Shakesp€are's 4tuh birrhday.
J
lius
Caesar
will b€
prtsenled.
There wil,
also
be
rhe
snging of
selecred
scenes
from O/,ello. one-act
plays
and discussion about lhem,
and seminnrs
and
debates. These
even$
will
circulate round
Calcuua
and
rhe
suburbs. A souvenir
volurne
will also
b€ issued.
The tint
pcrlormancc
ofJ /ids
Cderar will
be on 23 Apdl at the
Ambagan Maidan
at Dun)
Dum.
The
play
has
been.direcred
by
Chiruranjan Das.
The
music
and
lishts
are h€ing direcled
by
Kshilish
Basu and
Rabi
Chakrabarti
24-26Ap.il,9
and
17 May
1964.
Little
Theatre
Grotpt Ronteo
and
Jrliet
Minerva
Translated and dirccrcd by
Urpal Dutt.
Cast lis1
divided
as
iollows:
The Capulels:
S ntanu
Chosh
as
Capulct,
Nilima Drs
as
Lady Capulet,
Reena Ghosh ns
Juliet, Sova Sen as the Nurse, Arun Ray
as
Tybalr.
S|nrar
Nag
as Peler, Ami Gupta as Sampson, Bireshwar
Sarkhel
as
Grcgoo.
The
Montagues:
Anriya
Bisw,rs
as Montague, Jalns.i Kar ns Lady
Monlague,
Malay
Mukherjee as
Ronrco, Nabakumar
Das as Benvolio,
Pralay Basu
as
Balthazar,
Sujit Gupta as Abraha
.
Thc Valeniinc lamily:
Jiten Bhaltacharya
as
Duke
ol
Verona.
Urpal
Dutt
as Mcrcutio. Palash Das as Paris
Priesls
('Sa,n
ar6'):
Satya
Bandyopadhyay as Friar Lawrence.
Indrajit
Sen
as
Friar John.
Mrch-doctor
('OJrd',
prcsumably
representing
the
Apothccary): Biren
Majumdar.
(Cf.
Dutt's
English production
in
Chaprcr
I
D,
6
March
1949.)
26
April
1961.
Udayachal: Ha,rla. Nlahajati
Sadan
'16
May, at the Biswarupa Shakespeare [estival at Bissarupa
Theatrr
20 MaJ,
at the
Rabindra
Nlela
at Rnbindia Kanan,
in
Beadon Square
Amar Chosh as Hamlet. Dircclcd
by Anar Ghosh.
Frclll reporr
in
A/rrira Ba.ar
Patika.
18 May 196,1:
'Sri
Suhtid
Rudm. General
Sccret$y. Rabindm Mela, announccs
thc
obscrvancc ol the
Qutrrter
Cenrcnary
lri.l
of
William
Shakespeare
on Wcdncsday
20lh May a1
6-30
p.m.
at Rabindra
Kanrn. On
ISee
also Chapler
IVI
26 Apdl 1964.
Shotrvanikr O.rlslro. Muktangen
SubsequenL shows
and,27
Novernber
I964 onwards,
regular
perfor-
mances.
Tolal
ol
9l
nights.
Translaed
by
Krishna
Kundu.
K
slrna Kundu as Oftello- Shuvra Ghosh as Desdemona- Govinda
Gonguly as Iago,
Gope,
Mukherjee
as Cassio, Gaur Charcrjee as
Roderigo,
Aloka P3l
as
Emili4
Ruma Goswami
(laler
Jyolsna
Bancrjee)
as Bianca,
Ashok Milra as
Brabanlio, Gopal
Sanyai as
Montano, Shibu Majumdar
as
Duke
of
Venice.
Dirccted
by
Krishna
Kundu.
Sets hy
Bimrl Chakraba.li.
Lights
b),
Swarup
Mukherjee.
Music by Debashis
Dasgupta.
From the review in Jtga ta\ 2 Oclobe. 1964
[rranslated
i.om the
Bcnsalil:
'Although
this
iive hour
ls,.l
play
has been reduced lo tryo and a
half
hours, and somc cuts
havc
becn neccssrry
to
achieve
this,
fte
subtle lhrcad oflhe
originalplay has
never snappcd. Rather,
the aciion
has acquircd a new
pace.
... Thc design, wilh
r
single sel uscd
throughout, is excell€nl.'
27-29
Aprtl,T Mar,24
August 1964.
Little
Theatr€ Group: Chaitali
Rater Swap a
(<A
Midsunner Night\ Dream). Minerva
Translated and direcred by Utpal Du1t. Sets by
Ninrxl Guha Ray.
Lights by Tapas Sen.
Cast list
dividcd
as
lolklws:
The fairica:
Sanlanu
Chosh
lls
Oberon. Sova
Sen as
Titania,
Samar
Nag
as Puck, Manisha Sarkar,
Seenra
Bakshi.
Mitra
Bakshi and Swari
Bakshi
as
fairics.
The aristocrat
(
ab,trAri?/a
):
Arun Ray asThescus, Chhanda Chaxerjee
as Hippolyta.
Santaresh Bandyopadhyay
as Egcus, Salya
Bandyopadhyay as Llsrndcr. Ami
Gupl|
as
Demetrius. Nilinla
Das
as Hcrnria,
Gita SEn
as Hclcna. Arup
Bakshi
as
Philonute.
The workers
(
rr,zrrit,u
):U1pal
Duu as Boltorn, Arubinda
Chakraba(i
as
Quiocc,
Bireshwnr S,r'khcl
as
Flulc, Dcbesh
Chak.aha(i
as
S
out,
sLji
Gufra
a.
Srr\rlin.r.
Indrujll
sen
r.
sntr
I 12
SHAKESPEARE
ON
THE CALCUTTA
STAGE
From
fie
revie\r'
in A
a
da Bazar
Patrika
l
Mav
1964
ltrans]ated
PRODUCTTONS
IN
BENOALT
I 13
19$(?)
Macbeth.
Bangabasi
Coll€ge
(?)
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frcln
the
Bengalil:
ln
r
$ord.
Ih
pruducrion
I'
erquisite.
Thc
'el\
dre 1'
rrlrac
r\e
J\
dre
magical
lighling
('alot,ra)a').
The show bcars
u0mistakablc
signs
of
eood
planning
and skiltul
technique
The
aciing is
of
a high
orde'
The
icanlwork
is admirablc:everyonc
has
acled
well.:
However, special
menrion
is
made
ol
tlllal
Du1 ,
Sova Sen, Gita
Sen,
Samar
Nag Salya
BandyopadhyaY
xnd
Atri
Gupta.
From
the
review
i\
Jdnasebak'
I May
19#
ltramlated
iiom
the
Bengalil:
'Chaitali
Rtter
Str?pra
has
madc us
laugh our
hearts out.
hut
thc
shali
ol
concsaled
sxtire
has
rlso
pierccd and
stirred our
coxscious'
ness
again
and agrin.'
From
the
review
in ,€Jlr,
16IUly
196'1
ltranslal€d
from the
Bengnlil:
'Tlrc
{?y thc
pl|y has teen
presenred
in
Bengali'
lreservins
lhe
mood
and
i]awur
of Shakespeare's
orilinal,
calls
for high
praisc-
'
Thc
produclion
calls
for
the
wannesl
praise.
The
stage
design
is
as
excellcnt
as rhe
lighls.
The
ahosphcrc
and hackground
ol
lhc
aclion
have
becn
wonderfully
hrought
out bv the
Ilawless
scls and
bewirch-
ing
lightins.
..-
The
music
is
pleasing-'
This
revicw,
too,
fraiscs
thc
ge crallv
high levcl
oi thc
aclors
and
lhcir
teanlwork.
lt
singles
oul Ulpal
Dull. So\,a
Sen
and
Gila
Seo
for special
traisc.
(Cl.
Dut's
Erglish
Production
in
1948.
Chapter
I
D.
Hc
aiso
reviveil
Chah
ti
Rdtet
Sro,,ta:
see
15lanuarv
1989)
28
April
196,1.
The{tre
U
nitt
Julius
Cus.rf,
Nlahziati
Sadan,
at the
Shakespeare
Festieal
Directcd
by
Sekhar Chatrcrjce.
Kironmoy
Raha
cxlls
it
'an excellen
prodLrction'
('Shakespearc
and
the
Bengali
Slagc
,
in
A Tribut?
to
Shake\pearc)'
t2 Nl^y
lg(A.
Othetlo.
Rabindtt
Bharati
UniveNitv
Cast:
Ajitkum
Ghosh
as
Othello.
Anrar
Ghosh
us
Iago
Mamata
Challedce
as
Dcsdefl)na.
Dirccteo
b)
Sirangshlr
Maitrr'
The
director
and
nrany
actors
werc leachcrs
ol
thc
Univcrsily'
lGhosh
Translated
by
Nircndranalh
RaY.
Cast:
Murarimohan
Sen as
Macbelh,
Ajitkumar
Ghosh
as Banquo,
Sadhankumar
BhatlaclBrya
as the
Porter.
Directed
by
Sadhankumar
Bhattacharya
and
Murarimohan
Scn.
[Ghosh
7
Apr
1965, Shouyanikt
The
Mercha t
of
Venh?.
Muktangan
25 August
1965
onwaltls,
regular
performances.
Tolal
of
30
nights'
Translaled
by
Govinda
CangulY.
Govinda
Ganguly
as Shylock,
Krishna
Kundu
as
Antonio,
Mamala
Chatlerjee
as Porlia,
Copen
Mukheriee
as Bassaoio.
Nimoo Bho\''lmik
as
Lorenzo.
Jyolsna
Bancrjee
as
Jessica,
Nani
Das
as Cratiano.
Bireshwar
Milra
as
Launceloi
Gobbo. Sukumar
Chosh as
Prince ot
Morocco.
Directed
by Golinda
Gangulv.
Adviser,
K shna Kundu'
Scls
by Bimal
Chakrabarli.
Lights
by
Swarup
Mukheriee
Music
bv
Debashis
Dasgupta.
From
the
review ]n
Hind$than
Srazda.rl.
3
September
1965:
' "The
Merchanl
of Venice"
is at once
a drama
ol matchless
lii€ndship
juxtaposed
againsl
a
nation
s
torlured
pcrsonalitv svmbotizcd
bv
Shylock. the
Jew oI
Venice.
The
performes oi
the evening
lilied
themsclves
admirably
iolo
an
exotic
sel_up
3nd extracted
the cream
olfie
tbemc
wilh
compctcnce.
None helped
them
b€ttcr than
Govinda
Ganguly.
whose Shylock
was a
tleiLt
to wa1ch.
He went
into
the
very
marrow
of
the
part and
projecEd
Shylock\
tragic
image
like a truc
artisle.
Krishna
Kundu
did
good
jusrce
lo
the
charucter
of Anlonio'
... Mamata
Challcrjee's
portrayal of
Ponia
had lhe
requisite d.amalic
bearing about
it.'
r
Jun€
1980.
N.B.
Enterprise:
Bhla tibilas
(<The
Coneb
of
Enom).
Aban
Mahal
Translatedadapbd
as
a
prose na ative
by
Ishwarchandra
Vidyasagar'
Dramatic adaptation
by
P.ashanm
Deb.
Cast wift
Shakespearcan
equivaientsi
Santosh
Dalia as Chiranjib
I
and
2
{Antipholus
of Ephesus
and
ol S}racuse),
Nimoo
Bhowrnik
as
Kinkar
I and
2
(Dromio
of
Ephesus
and
of
Svracuse)'
Bulbul
Chaudhuri
as Chandraprabha
(Adriana),
Shibani
Basu
as
Bilasini
I I'1
SHAKESPEARE
ON
TIIE
CALCUTTA
STACE
(Luciana),
Subir
Ganguli as Basupriya
(Angelo).
Rabi Sinha
as
Sulradhar
(narraror).
Produced
by Nimoo Bhowmik. Directed
by
Sanlosh Dalta.
PRODI]CTIONS IN BENCALI
I 15
Sekhar Chatlerjce also
did not relax his
restrained
hold over rhe
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Sets and lighting
by
Anil
Laha.
Music
by
BhaskdrMilra.
Songs
wrincn
by
Sunil
Baran,
sung by Manna Dcy
and Shipra Basu,
Anita
Majumdar. Haimanli
Shukla.
From Ihc review
in Ananda Bd. 1r
Pattika,27
June
1980
[lranslated
from
the
Bcngalil:
'In
lhe
cinema
it
is
possible
to
work
rricks
wilh
rhe
camera,
bul
il
is
difficull
to
sustain
a
dutil
role on
stage. Ycl
rhis fear
was
performed
very
smoothly
in
lthis
production].
.-. The
audito
um is conlinually
fillcd
wirh
pcak
ot
laughter.
'[t
is a
bold
task
to ltcl
S
hakespeare and \.ldyasagar's
Bftrardbilas
on
stage..Prcducer Ninroo Bhowmik's
boldncss has
paid
ofi. The
actor-director
Santosh Da(a has
cnsured
lhat lhe comcdy
ol'errors
grows
inesistible by
the
pace
ot' action. ... when linally
Sanrosh
Daita's
dLrmmy Subhash Sinha
Ray
[as
rhc
scrond
Chiranjib/Antiplrolus]
appcars, thc hall resounds
with
applausc.'
The other
actors
too
arc
praised.
lt
is
noted
rlut
rhis
is lhe first
time
Manna Dey sang
playback
lor the
stage.
2 August 1980. Theatre
Unir Srinati Bhalankari
(<The
Taning
o
#e 5?,r?l,). Bijon Thcatre
Translared/adapr€d by
CauLam
Ray.
Cast
with
Shakespearcan equivalenls:
Sekhar Chauerjec as Pralay
(Pet,uchio.
Basabi Nandi as Dolon
(Katherina),
Rabi Ghosh as Milan.
Ofier actorc: Kalyan Chakrabafli,
Ulpal Ray, Gautam Dey. Soma
Mukherjee,
Sudhana Raychaudhuri. Dircctcd hy Rabi
chosh. Sets by
Sushil
Ray
and Anil Saha. Lighls
by
Bijay
Chaiterjec. Music di.ccred
by Anup
Ghoshal. Song,
Soumilra Chatteljee. Produced in inodcm
From rhe review in A
andt
B.tur Paoika,
August 1980
llranslared
from
the Bengalil:
'tThe
productionl
has all the
qualities
ftal
make
fbr a
popular
hit.
...
The ingredients are
tmditioflal,
bu1 direcror Rabi Chosh has
o(ercised serere
control over fte
production,
so
that
the traditionnl
returns as
the
ne\ . ... His own actirrg makes
the
characH oI Milan
exceptional:
his conric trail
is the
use
of chaslc
Bengali diction. ...
characterization
of
his
prrti
in
such
prcductions,
lhcre
is
always a
danger ol cxcess.
... When Pralay arrives
ibr
his
wedding,
h;s
vcry
coslurne
js
his theatrical
rfump
card. .
[Bu1l
Dolon's
stock of fou]
words is
too
limitcd: her
abusiveness comes
to
appear
an eccenh.iciry
rdrhcr
lhdn
d
lurld.
.1cntdl
lrJ ol ch
.acrer.
.
'Thc lightirg
nralchcs rhe
rcsl
of
the
producrion.
It is never
cxcessive-
At
one
poinl
thc
interior
ol-a
train
is
suggesred
wirh
a
lew
deft
touches.
Sushil Ray
and
Anil
Saha
have
nor
done
anything
very
original
about
thc
se1s.
Ar times they sccm
to have
recyctcd
ex ier
sets: clsc why
should Namdurlabh
s
house
have
a iireplace.
as thc
sedng is enlirely locai
and conlcmporarll
It mighr
have
been
symbolically
nlore
acutc
and suggestivc ro have
had a
Uij
exlin-
guishe.
Anup
Choshal's rnxsic is
convenrional. Sounirra
Chxrrcrjee.s
so.g is well,written,
but was
it really necessary?...
At
one
poinr,
Dolon
is shown
in
I nrclancholy
nrood. which
jars
wirh
thc spiril
ofthe
play.
-..
'Quilc
a
few
times
noe:
small
thearrcs
have
been
druwing
big
audicnces.
This is an
encouraging change.
Suclr
prcducrions
ncces,
sarily
nrake
compronriscs.
bur neveroirhe
tearsomc conventionat
sorl.
tlany
pcople
view
thcsc ellarts
in thc srnre
jight
rs rhe
rraditional
commcrcial
staget
but
they
arc difLl.lrnr in
narurc and
nr flavour,
29
December
1980.
I00th
pcrlbrnrance
oiSrn,Eti
BtuDa kai
a\Bijon
Thcal.e.
Report in.4,,,"ra
Bd:ar
Pan
il&1.2 Janlaty
l98l:
.Mr
Amilava
Chowdhury presidcd
ovcr lhe l-unction
and Mr
Sunjt Gangopadhyay
was thc
Cucsl-in,Chicl.'
See also
l0
March
t992.
March,
l8
and
27
Ap
l,
2
lvlay
1982.
Open
Th€at
et
Hantet.
Max
\Iueller
Aha\an.
Sr Paul
. Calhedral
ground\
Directed hy
Anjan Durr.
Anjan
Dult as
Hamlel, Pradip
Sahi as
Claudius, Chhanda
D0(
as
Gcrlrude, Milali
Bhalticharya
as Ophctia.
From thc rcview
in Tlrc
Sdatnan.30
NIarch 1982:
'No
cogent
interprcrarioi
appears to govcrn
rhc reworking
ot rhe
rexr.
The
scenes which
come oli hcst
are rhose Jeli
intacl.
'...
Dult rcliains
liorl rcordering
thc
sccnes. Thc one
exceprion
ooncerns
the ccllarage
sccnc
(he
Ghon ncver pronrprs
Hanrct rnd
I 16
SHA(ESPEARE
ON
THE
CALCLMA
STACE
Horalio
fiom
"benealh"
)
which
takes
place
belore
the
first
court
PRODUCTIONS
tN BENCAII
I I?
Shekhar
Biswas.
Lighls
bY JoY
Sen
From
the
Theatron
brochure
[translaled
fmm
the
Bengali]:
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scenes.
Insl€ad
of
the tamous
opening,
two
drunken
en'ries
make
fun
of
HoBtio
for
identitying
ihe
Ghost
as
Hamleas
fathe'
The
Prince
tries
io
rape
Ophelia
oD
their
first appearance
together
As in
Zadek's
veNion,
a
death
mask covers
his
face
and he
holds a
flower
in his
hand-
Hamlel
presents
The Mousetrap,
reduced
10 a dumbshow,
with
the
help
oiRosencrano
and
Ouildenstem,
lbr
the
players are
omircd'
In the
closet
scene,
lhough
Polonius
remains
absolulely
silcnt'
the
clairloyant
Prince kills
him.
'Fron
Stoppard's
Rosencrantz
a6d
Guildenstern
Are Dead
Mr
Dufl
gets fie
idea
for
the tableau
of
Hamlci
dangling
Claudius'
secrel
lelter
in
tronl
of
its
original
carriers,
the
attend'nr
lords The
mad
Ophelia
wea.s
an
immacularcly
ironed
whiie
d'ess and
screams
at
regular
inlervals.
She
is
not
drowned
ofl
slage,
but slabs
hersell
lo
d;th.
Laertes
dcsc.ibes
his
quarrcl
with Hamlet
as
'class struggle"'
The
swords
are
not exchanged
during
fte
final duel,
Ieaving
Laeftes'
death
a
mystery
wodhy
of
Sherlock
Holmes'
Hamlet
commits
suioide
h\
drinkine
lronr
lhe
nor\oncd
cup'
Iorlinhrl'
cnrer'
Ihc
'uge
rt,rougtr
rtre
.,rairor,rrnr
and
orders
lhc
bodie'
lo
he
rcrnotcd'
'Ndking
pliblior
.lenocr,cl.
E\celr
lor u
'ummr^
ol
-To
he
or
nor
Io
hc
'
inc
gcngr,t;
rran'tarion
ej.clude'
all
rhe
'olrloquics
lhc
'uccr
mu'ic
...
dulls
the
impact
of the
$accalo
dialogue-
'Yet
this rigmarole
deserves
attention,
the
Principal
reason
bcing
Mr
Dutt's
superlatjve
perlbmance
in
the title
rcle'
"
Pradip
Saha's
Claudius
combines
regal
poise with
Machiavellian
shlewdness''
25
June,
2 and
16
Julv,
13 Ausust
$A6'
T\e ron'
Raja
ladr'
Academy
of Fine
Arts,
Rabindra
Sadan
Translalion
assisted
by
Diptosh
Majumdar
Salil
Bandyopadhyay
as
Lear,
Biswaroop
Purakayas&a
as Cloticester'
Diptosh
Majumdar
as
Edgal
Babu
Dulta
Ray
as
Edmund'
Pari
Bandyopadtryay
as
Goneril,
Sanjukla
Basu
as
Regan'
Arundhali
Bandyopadhyay
ad CoLdelia
and
Fool,
Mantu
Bandopadhyav
as
Kenl'
Debashis
Raychoudhuri
as
Albany,
Bijay
Chakrabarti
as
Cornwall'
Sh\antlcndu
Bcnd)onddhlay
as
frinrc'
'druP
Dey
a'
Bursundv'
nriruLCh.rlrahenia'
O.wuld.
DirecreJ
by
Salil
Bxno)opadhlJ)
Scrs
and
costumes
designed
by
Arundhati
Bandyopadhyay'
Music
by
'The purelying
sociely
thal
Shakespearc
depicls
in A:nlg
'?ar
is
tamltiur
to
u".
it;s story
of
man's
greed' envy,
ambition
and
dosire
is eDacted
around
us
every
day.
The
darkness
of
the
time
we
live
in is
aki to
Lear's
mcntal
blindness
we
do
not
know
whether'
like
Lear,
we
can find
rclease
lrom
this darknessl
bul
we
hope
that this
production,
300
years
'ater,
can
illuminate
the
darkness
in
some
part''
10
Jsnuary
1987.
Grafihik.
Macbeth'
G'D
Birla
Sabhagar
Casl:
Bipla;
Dasgup€
as Macbelh.
Regina
Bandvopadhvav
ai
Lady
Macbeth.
Sets by
Manu
Dalta.
Lighls
by
Joy
scn'
From
review
by
Snehashis
Gnha
in
Baia
an'
22
Jxnuary
1987
[lrans]atcd
from
the
Bengalil:
:ttrere
is
nottring
let
1o be
s.rid
about
this
plavi bu1 it
does
need
saying
ihat epic
drama
of this
sort
needs
to
be
acled'
and
ncted
in
Bengali.'
l5 Ja
uary
1989, folowed
bv
regular
run from
26
Januarv'
Paschimbanga
Naaya
Ak,lderI,i:
Chaitali
Rater
Sr)qpM'
Rabindra
UtDal Dull
'
lrdnsldrion
(\ee 27
2')
April
1064''
lnaugurrt
iunrrion
or
Pdschimbanga
Nrlvr
AlJdcmr
rGovemmcnr
ol
Wesinengal
Theatre,lca<lemy).
The
actors
were
drawn from
various
iheatre
groups.
ciled
in
parentheses
afcr
$e
actors' namcs:
Satya
Bardyopadhay
(Calcutta Choir)
as Oberon'
Snigdha
eandyopadhyay
(Calcutta
Choir)
as
Titania.
Ramaprasnd
Banik
(CbenamLrkh)
as
Puck;
Pollv
Sen,
Bidipta
Chakrabarti
Bidisha
Chakrabarti,
Sudjpla
Chakrabarti
as
Fahies;
Omkarnath Chosh (Class
Thealre)
as
Theseus,
Mala
Bhattacharya
(Pcople\ Liide
Thearc)
as
Hippolyla.
Subhas
Sarkar
as
Egeus'
Sabvasachi
Dasgupta
(Thcxtre
Commun")
as
Lysander,
Pankaj
Munshi
(Samikshan) as
D€metrius'
Simr
Mukhopadhyay
(Rangakarmee)
as Hcrmia,
Bishnupriya
Dutl
(PLT) as Helena,
Saibal
ChdttoPadhyay
(Samikshan) as
Philostatei
Meghnad
Bha(acharya
(Savak)
as
Quince,
Mrin'l
Ghosh
(PLT)
a{
Botiom,
Biplabketan
Chakrabani
(Chehna) as
Flute,
Pradip
Bhatucharva
as Snout.
Paran
Banrllopadhyay
as
SlarYeling,
Sandip
Das
as Snug'
I
18
SHAKESPEARE ON THE
CALCUTTA
STACE
Thcre wcre
some changes
in
later performances.
Directed by
Utpal
Dutt. Lighls
by Tapas Scn.
PRODUCTIONS
IN BENOALT
I 19
anrdversary
ltranslated
lrom
lhc
Bengalil:
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Sets by Manu
Datta.
Costumes designed
by
Bishnupriya
Durt. Music
rekcn from
Mendelssohn
and
Tchaikovsky.
Fronr
rhe review
by Aflanda
Lal in Th? TeLegraph.24
January
1989:
'His
[UIpal
Durt'sl
trandation
is on thc $,hole
laithful,
and
wherc
he
does deliale Iiom thc
original
-
as in the
Pyramus
ltnd
Thisbe
enactment
his
interpolations
seem
permissible.
justified
by the
spirir
of bulToonery that infbims
the
cralismen's
an(ics.
For
inslance.
Dutr
adds considerable
horseplay ro the
dealh of Pyramus.
But he str;ves
to relain couplels in
Bengali
for the
play-wirhin-a,play
and
otherwisc,
too, uses
an adequatc vcrse
lorm lbr
Bcngdli
delivery
... he
paints
the
lorest
as a darker. morc mysrerious placc
than
Slukespeare
pcrhaps
intendcd. The
lighl-heared
tiivolily
oirhe r€xr makes
way
iora mthcr
Ioo'serious
approach
until lhe sccond
hall.
'None of
the cast outshone the
others.
which in
one respect is
a
good
sign. Puck
(Ramaprasad
Banik)
appeared the nro(
energetic.
bul
his
somewhal
sinisler
laugh and
aspcct seemed
oul
oi
place in
an early
Shakesp€are conrcdy.
Oberon
(Satya
Bandyopadhyay)
and
Titania
(Snigdha
Bandyopadhyay)
failed ro
express
a
proper
royal
bcaring,
evcn
it
they merely rulc
orer
lairyland. BishnuJ,iya
Duit
acted
in
character as Helena hut
was allowed io overshadow
Hcrmia
(Sima
Mukhopadhyay).
thereby oplettiDg
the
balance
belween ihe
roles. Lysander
(Sabyasachi
Dasgupra) and Dcmerrius
(Pankaj
Munshi)
made
a
valiant
attcmpi
1o individualise
pa(s
ihar
Shakcspeare
probably
overlooked.
The
besl perfo.mances
came
lrom lhe citizcns,
parlicularly
Botlom
(Mrinal
Chosh). whose
pompous
air
and asinine
lransfolmation
camc across
well.
'Although
thc
se1
lbr
the forcst
gave
the
inrpression of
a
magical
environment, Tapas
Sen\ scheme
ol-
chiaroscurc
placcd
too much
oI
il in enignratically
sombre hu€s,
fic(uri0g
a shdowy narure
that
contmdicls
ils
essenlially
henign
quality.
...
The
use ofMcndclssohn
s
Wrddittg Llarch lot Mitlsu
l tu
Night's
Drca
as opcning
(and
lheme) music
sl.uck one
as
illogical
when
rhe
s.lme composer
has
leli behind a beautilnl
Oye,1 r.e to the
play
ftar
would
have
been
ideal.'
Frcm rhe
review
hy Samik Bandyopadhyay
in Ad,dd
Bazar Patrika,
l6
June
1989, of a special
performance
lbr
Shakcspeare's
425rh birth
'll rnigh seem
ar
firsi
sigbl
that A Midsumnrcr
Ni9htb Dredrr is easier
ro
produce
than
Shakcspearean
tragedy.
Aclually. the reverse
is lruc.
This
single
play
combines rhrce
plays
in one that touch
one anolher
ftom
time to
time. or
even
get
enlangled;
but they demand
the creation
of three dislincl
styles. ... Ulpal
Babu has
nol
faced up
to the
problem
at all.
He
does
nol
even
aLlempt
to realize
in dramatic Iems
his
splendid
perception
of
lhe
piay's
signjficance
in
his
Director's
Notel
JThe
critic
fiDds
gra,re
faults in the
presentation
of the .ourtiers and
ihe
fairies.l
Finally. Chaitali Roter
SnpM
gathers
force
only
from
lhe
humour
of the
Mcchanicals.'
In
this
performance,
Bottom
was
played
by
Meghnad BhaMcharya.
28
April 1989.
Thestre Arts
*brkshop: /rr)n?/
Rat
(<Tyelfth
Nianr). Sisir
Moncha
Translation,
direclion,
art, design and
music
by
Daxatreya
Dut1.
Casa Bhaskar Chaxerjee
as
Orsino,
Mahua Challerjee
as
Olivia,
Rituparna
Chakraborty
as
Viola,
Suraj
Mukherjee
as
Sir
Toby Belch,
Siddhartha Dey as Sir
Andrew
Aguecheek.
Nandini
Sen
as Maria.
Jayanta
Chowdhury
as Malvolio. Daltatreya
Dult as Feste,
Kaushik
Mukherjee
as
Fabian, Raja
Mukheiee
as
Valentine,
Milind
Kulapkar
as Curio.
Debu Chakrabarli as Sebastian,
Dcbabrata Chakrabarti
as
Anlodo, Siddhartha
Biner.jee
as
the Captain, Parthasarathi
Kumarand
Shubhrajit Cha(erjce
as
Oficers, Arka
Basu,
Shabidul
klam and
Submla Banerjee
as lhree
Jeslers.
Songs
in
Bengali
se1
to original
Elizabclhan
lunes.
Revellers' song
riten ,iom O,ir?//o ll.iii.
(See
also
entry on revival,
13
August
1991.)
May-Jun€
1989.
Calcutta Group Theatrc:
Svapt,alatulha
(<A
Mid-
su
ner
Nietu\
beam).
Rabindra
Sadan, Academy
of Fine
A.ts,
Girish
Mancha
A
play
hy
Parrha Chanerjee, based on
,4 Mihunmter Night's Drean-
Tbe
relaiionship ro Shakcsp€are\
play
cmerges
l'rom
thc reliew
Casti
Seshadr;
Mukhopadhyay,
Runu
Chaudhori,
Molly Goswami,
Debanjan Sur,
Diiip
Majumdar, Dibya Bhallacharya,
Prabha Sivastax
SHA(ISPEARE
ON THE CALCI]TTA
STAGE
Directed by Anal
Gupta.
PRODUCTIONS
IN BENCALI
t2l
Sec
account of original
produclion,28
April 1989. The l99l revival
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Irom
rcview
by 'Shibsharma'
in ca
ashakti
[rranslated
from
the
Bengalil:
'\Nhen
Clnita|
Raaer
Swlpna
has
been regaling
the
Calcufla
audience
for
four
and a
half
months,
a second version
oI
the same
play
might
draw
plaudits
for its
boldness. ...
The
Calculta
Group
Theatre has not
cited Shakespeare\ name
anywhere
-
neither
io
the
announcements,
nor
ar rhe srarr of rhe
play
irselt _.. why
conceal
lhe dramatisl whose
very name
would
acl as
a dra\,r'? The reason
'In
Svapnakbdha.
the setting and
chamcters are
all
Indian. ...
The
play
wiftin
a
play
at the court is
based
on
the
Mesh
adbadh-
kabla. ...
B mos(
striking
of all
is a
novel
character callcd
lhe
Computer.
The
Compuler
Inusi
count
as a characrer
for it speaks
(though
i1s
words
cannot be undersrood)
and aids o. opposes varjous
acrions
on stage. Whatevcr
rhe
imaginarive
impulse
rhat
created such
a
cha.acter, ho\y is ir that
an
experienced
lroupe could not realize
how
much
il
slackens
the
structu.e
of
the
playl
...
'Were
these
superfluities meant
to outdo
Shakespeare?
h thal
why
his oame is not menrioned
in rhe
play?
If
so,
the atGmpt fails,
because
whatever
is
vilal and enjoyable
in
the
play
is
solely ou,ing
to shakespeare.
...
'But
takjng an overall vie\ the
play
sarisfies us
by
rhe
quality
of
its
production.
This is chieUy
owing
to
the direclor's
skilful
planning
and the
sincere
eflom
of the actors.
There was
no
scopc
10 follow
authentically
Shakespearean
techniques
here, ,or has rhe
director made any such cffon-
The
production
contrasts
in this
rcspecl
\tith
Chaitali Rater
SNap
a.
...
'Before
the
play
opens, there
is
an
a(empl
lo
present
another
play
wilh
the same characters.
This
pa(
is nor
related
ro
the main
plol,
and may
appear sup€rfluous.
-..
[n
the same way. towards the
end
of the
play,
near
the
climax,
there is
a
long
song whose neccssily
might
be examined afiesh by the
direclor. ...
'In
scts,
ligh6,
direction and acting,
the Calcutta croup Theatrc
retains its
brighl
reputalion
untamished.'
13, 15 August
1991.
Th€atr€ Arts
Workhop:
Ilbrirr Rat
(<Tteewh
NMr). Muktrngar
had
the
following major
changes in the
casi:
Barna
Maitra
as
Olivia,
PrasanraBhattacharya as Sir Toby Belch, Antara L,tukherjee as Maria.
Music by Pranab Das.
Frc the review by Ananda
Lal in
The
Telegtaph,26 August l99l:
',,,
not so much a aranslation
as a
compression
of
Shakespeare's
play,
Done in undea two hours, and be.eft
of many verse
passages,
it
turns
morc
into
an exposition of
plot
...
than
characte..
. . ,
B ut then
the
Bard
himself subtilled it
Whar
you
will
--.
'lDaxatreya] Dutt simplifies fie lext into a stmight comcdy,
his
interprctation sunrmed
up in his
owo
performance
as Feste.
A line
singer and nlerrymaker in molley,
he nonetheless neglccts Fesle\
detached,
lhoughrful sidc.
...
Only
Jayanta Chowdhury touches
this
sombre note
wilh
an accomplished
portrayal
of
Malvolio.
'...
Dutt's set design makes some
cffcclive use of backlighiing.'
lO
March lv)z- Madhurcna
(<The
Taming of the Shrcr).
Univcrsity
Institute
Hall
Translated/adapted by
Gautam
Rry. See also
Srimoti
Bhq"a
kati,
2
Augnst 1980.
From the review in Basu
tati,
3
April
1992
[translalcd
from
the
Bengalil:
'When
Gautam
lRayl
lransforms The Taning ol rhe
Shrc||
into
MadhurcM,
rhe
laughler
becomes only
the extemal covering ol
thc
play.
in the fotm of satirei within it, it
retains the
Shakespcarean
ideology. Naradurlabh Haldar. the avaricious. mcan
mindcd trader in
dried
fish, Milan.
Kanak,
Dipak- allenter the
play
as
representalives
oI
capilalisr values.
And
beneath
the
wrapping
of
arrogancc,
Pralayshankar
[=Petruchio]
presenls
the audience
wilh
an unclu(ered
humanity that
surely
repr:sents
the
value-system,
prized
by
Shakespeare, that had been
pillaged
by feudal and capitalisl
society.
Pralayshankar raises alofi
the
pennant
of
hu
anily
and
human
relations rhat had been crushed by
the
weight
of
weallh.'
3 Octobe. 1992, Chetana: Corrolarrrs. Sarala
Memorial
llall
Brecht's veEion of Shakespeare\
play,
lranslated by
Suman
Mukherjee.
TotaUed
I
9
performances.
Supriya Dutta
as
Coriolanus. Nandila Ray Chaudhuri
as
volumnia.
PRODI]CTIONS IN
BENGAL1
t21
SHAI(ESPEARE
ON
THE CALCUTTA
STACE
Mihir
Banerjee
as
Menenius,
Sudip
Chakrabarli
as
Aufidius
Prabai
Kanti
Ray
as
Sicinius,
Supriya
Palas
Brulus,
KalPana
Panda as
Valeria'
lo attain
me\imum
impact
...
'The unlikely,
diminulive
Supriya
Dfta
in
the eponymous
role
logethcr
with
thc only
Brechlian
pcriormance'
onc
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Directed
by
Suman
Mukhcrjee.
Sets
by
Kaustrbh
Sen'
Lights
bv Dipak
Mukherjee.
Sound
by
Kalyan
Chakrabarti'
Fro'n
th;
review
by
suraj
il
B andyopadhyay
in
P'a"dl'r,
24 December
1992
ltranslalcd
fiom
the
Beogalil:
'The
dircclor
Suman
Mukherjec
has
succeeded
in
preservirg
lh€
proper mood and
atmospherc
liom
beginning
1o
end'
He
has
guided
ihe
reins
oI
a
dilficull
plav
with a
finn
hand'
"
UntbriunaElv'
onlv
rwo
of
the
actors
assisi
his
puryose to
any nolable
extent
llhe
ones
playing
Coriolanus
and
Volumnial
."
-
'it" ,"lt
helP
in
rccreating
thc
pedod and seltirrg
oi the
plav'
The
idea
ol
bamboo
scafiblding
is
cxcellent,
and
Snman
uses
it so
well thal
il can
suggcst
everylhing
l'iom
$e
palace to the
balllelicld
ir
an
inslanl.
Tlrc
ambicnce
has becn
vitalized
by lhe
sound ol
sticks
and
thc
clash
of
weapons
coo$ircd
wiih
microphonic
sound''
From
fie
review
by
Dharuni
Ghosh
in
TIrc States
nn'
1992:
'Chchna's
Coriolar.rr...
needs
to be
praised not so
much
tbr
what
ir
achicves
as
tbr
the
couragc
of
its youlhiul direclor
,'
howeleL
amateurish
the
atlempt
may
b€' cxploring
a
difiicult
tcxl
withoul
aoy
hopc
of commcrcial
success
has
hs own
rewa'd
In the end
the
vielvcr
gains
somc
undershnding
of the
political mrn
'The
version
tirst
pcrfomed bv
the
Be
iner
Ensemble
in
1964
'
shows
no more
than
two
nrajor
cuts'
"'
Since
Mr
Mukherjee
does
no1
make
further
delclions,
..
Sh*espeare
saves
him
fionr
sinking
beyond
'The
bed.aggled
costumes
(russel-coloured
forRomans
and
green
tor Volscians),
noi to
menlion
thc
omission
of
leathcr
t'iom
soldicr's
uniiorms
on
bolh
sidcs. once
morc
demonsnale
fte futility
of
staging
Brechl on
n shocstring
budsel
Hc
ob
ned ausierity
at
greal
expense
...
A
revohing
disc
ought
to
carry
Coriolanus,
who reluses
1()
stir
out
of
h;s
corner,
to
rolcrs
during
his
campaign
tbr consulship'
Mr
Mukherjec
spoils
thc
eflect
by
having
lhe arrogant
ge$eml
walk
up
lo
cvery
ordinary
cirizen.
Wcre
lhc
man
able
to
do that
il
would
hJ\e
hecn
J dilicrcnr
slu).'
From
rhe
review
by
Anan da
Lal
in
me
Telesr'tph
'
23 Januarv
I
991:
'The
productbn
...
rarelv
chatlcnges
what
Rrechr deridcd
as
re
"bour;eois
lhealre",
nol allowing
anv
of
lhe several
political conllicrs
holds
Ibe
show
is reminded
of
Brecht's
own
commcnls
on
this
pffl which
does
not
requirc
phlsic.rl iorce
to
inspire
fear,
therelbre
no
nced
lbr a'sixleen_
srone
Coriolcnus'
...'
Apiit
1995.
Hillol:
J
liur Cae&tr.
venue unknown
Translalor unknown.
SupriyaGupla
as Caesar,
Rakesh
Sahanias
Brulus,
Alok
Mitra Thakur
as
Cassius.
Abhijit
Mandrl
as
Mark
Anronv.
Directed
bv
Abhijit
Mcndal.
From
Ipshita
Mukhopadhyay
s
review
in
D.
,
l9
Mav
1995
[t'ans-
lared
iioln
the Bensalili
'Thc
renson
why
$is
noble
lragedy
has suflered
a
loss
of
weight
is the
naturc
of
thc
translalion.
...
The translalor
has
sclected
quick
llowing
colloquial
prcse
as his
mediurn' -
Bul
'/'li's
Caer'ir
cannol
be
judged
sole,y
by
lhcme.
without
considering
thc distinctivencss
and
lariet)
oi
its
P.osody.'
23
April
1996.
Shakespeare
Socieav
ofEast€rn
Indis:
Sc€nes
from
Hamler.
British
Council.
Amar
Ghosh
as Hamlet
Dora
Mukherjce
as Gertrudc'
Frcm
Tie
strrerr,.,r,
29
April
1996:
'Thc
evening
began
wiih
the
rcading
ol ShakcsPan:
sonnec
by
{he
English
pocl
Joc
Winto
and
was lbllowed
bv
a rcmsftable
oreali\e
output
tlre
stoty
ol
Macbeth
rendered
drrough
qanntti
8a
' "
Su;g
in
the Bcngali
style
\T ere'Tomorrow,
tomon)w
and to
orrow"
and 'Out
ou t briel
candle"
that had
fte
audience
in spl ils
of laughter'
' ' '
'As
if
io bring in
an element
ol
scriousness
Acl
lV
from Hamlet
was
cnacted
in
Bcngali
bv
Anrar Ghosh
and
his
group''
lSikdar
23 April
llx.
Theatrc
Nbrkshop:
Scenes
fmm
Ma',e"L
Madh$ndan
Nlanclu
Dirccted
b]
Ashok
Mukhoprdhyay'
20
June
1996. Theatre
Passio
n*
Tempest
A/lademy
of
fine
Arts
Translaled
by
SYed
Shamsul
Huq.
SHAKFSPFARE ON THE CALCI]TTA
STACE
PRODUCIIONS
IN
BENCALI
125/
Chandan
Sen as
Prospero,
Saplaparna
Basu
as
Miranda. Manik
Das
as
Ferdina d, Kharaj
Mukhopadhyay as Ariel, Shanlilal Mukhopadhyay
22
July
1997.
Total
The.tre:
Ilomr?,
Rsbindra
Sadan
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3s Caliban,
Barun
Gangopadhyay
as Alonso.
Deb.anjan
Nng
as
Conzalo,
Shahzada Parlez as
T.inculo, Arun
Tapadar as
Stephano.
lndranil
Sa.karasAnlonio. SukeshChakraba(i asSehaslian.
Dircclion
by
Ramaprasad
Banik. Music by Baniprasad Banik. Sel and costumes
by
Manu Dutla. Lights by
Bdal Das.
Makeup by Saflrirr
De.
From
the
,€yiew by
Shekhar Samaddar
in,4,ard,
Ba.ar
Patrika, l'7
Augusl 1996
[translated
from thc Bcngali]:
'The
Tenpert
has not so far
been
performed
ti.e..
in Bengalil
... using
Syed
Shamsul Huq s fairly faithtul lranslalios,
Theatre Passion has
slagcd
the
play
in
a
manner suited
to our limes-
'The
dhecror
has on the one hand crcated rhe illusion intended
by &e
dramatist
... hut also. atnidsl it. certain scenes rhai touch rhe
mind, like rhe ]caves sudde.ly
lighting up with a green ghw when
Ferdinand
and
Miranda
join
hands.
or
Ariel
at ihe end
flying
a
nag
on
thc
mast
of the moving
ship.
Septemb€r
1996.
Saurabh
(women's
r,trine')t
stimtti
BhaJankari
(<The
TaDins
of
the Shrelr).
Kalakunj
Gautam
Ray's adaptalion.
(See
2
August
1980.)
Casl
(all
women):
Polly
Mukherjee
as
Dolon
(Kurherina),
Sandhya
lliswas as
Pralay
(Pelruchio),
Kalpana Nlitra .rs Naradurlabh.
Swapnaiekha
Ray as Kanak,
Moli
Ganguli as Alu.
Shubhra
Mitra as
Dipak,
Dipali
Ray as Chatak,
Sunanda
Mukhcrjcc as
Sanalan.
Directed
by
Kalpana Mitra.
Froin the review
in
P,zrdni,27
Scptember 1996
[lranslatcd
liom the
Ben*qalill
'This play
was
bng
perfbflned professionally
by
well-knowrr
actors
on thc
professional
stage. I had been afraid
I
would bc disapfDinlcd
by
rhe
prescnl production.
But
as
lhe
play
progressed.
the hall
filled
with more and more laughter ...
By
olie
ng
a
resume
o,
thc
story
in
song
bctb.c
the
play
started. and by
making
the chrmcters
inrrcduce
ftemsclvcs
anrong coloured
lights.
an excellent cinematic
'All
the roles
were
played
hl women.... The coslumcs
and
makcup were so effeotive drat
lhis could only
be
madc
out
lmlll lhe
voiccs- B. Brothers
[the
makeup
lirml can
lay
claim to
praise.'
2 Norember
199?
onwards,
regular
run
at Sarala
Nlemorlal
Hall;
6 Iuay
1998
onwards,
open_air
performances
't
the Fort
willia
grounds and
the
gmunds opposite
th€
Academy
ofFine
Arts'
apart
from
pedormances
at Sarat
Sdan,
Howrah
Adapted
by
Santanu
BandyoPadhyay.
Santanu
Bandyopadhyay
as
Hamlet.
Indranil
Pal
as
Polonius Direc-
tion,
design,
music,
costumes,
lighiing
by Saolanu
Bandyopadhyay
From
the review
by
Ananda
Lal
in The
Telegraph,25
Julv
t997:
'...
lrom
the starl,
we
become
pleasantly conscious
of
walking
inrc
an
unusual
show:
a meticulously_planned
se(
oi
dark
rnetal
abslrac_
tions
-
tin barrels
heaped
on
the side.
a
nanow
bridge downstage'
an
ominous
hollow
coffin
dangling
overhcad.
a
lone
'in
slowlv
bcaiing
a
huge
drum
-
all
backlil
by
a blue
grcen cvclorama'
The
lights
remain
this
colour
throughout
...
'Marc€llus
and Bernardo
enler
flashing
lorch€s
into the
hall'
"
When Hamlet
enters
in
white
(against
the
black
coslume
schenre
lor
the
rest
oI
Deninark)
we smile,
recognising
thd
Bandvopadhvay
knowingly
upsels
the acccpled
convenlion
of
drcssing
hnn
in blrck'
'He
charactcrjses
th(r hince
e.ccntrically
too
-
unheroic'
grimacing
and stammering,
his
gangty {ranc
someLimcs
leaping
aboul
like a
wildebeest.
This
invenlive
yct apl
streak
manilests
ilscll'
variously-
Claudius
speechifies
into
a mike:
Hamlct
traps thc
Ghost
in a
nct
and
asks
him
questions
raised
on
signboards
"
fte
dumb
show
involves
two
hand
puppets
wift
nasal
nlllradot
'
Claudius
interogales
Hamlet,
trussed
and
hung up
lrom
a
rod' about
Polonius'
body;
Laerles
displays
prowcss as
a martial
arlist'
'Not everything,
of
course
is
praisewonhy.
...
A
pas
dc
deux
bct\,ren
him
lHrmlel]
and Ophella
is ludicrous,
but the
big
mislakes
'He
makes
Hamlct
guilty
oI Polonius'
prcnreditaled murdcr,
and
rhc
las
scene
fealures
a hallhour
duel
reminiscent
of
Hindi
iilms;
hesides,
Hamlcl
rciuscs
lo dic
and ins;sls
on
having
the lasl
word'
Neverlheless,
a fine
altempt
holding
promisc of
grcater things
to
From
the
rcvicwby
ChailiDhar
in P,add,n,
30
Januarv 1998
ltrunslaled
i'om the
Bengalil:
Thc
aclors
lake
over lhree
areas
-
the shge,
the
SHAKESPEARE ON THE CALCUTTA STACE
PRODIJCTIONS
IN BENGALI
Thc
production
was
part of the Colden
Jubilt'
celehrations o{
the
grorlp Srimrncha
ot
Paikpam,
Calculln.
See
review
in P'a'dr'
8
auditorium wherc the audience is seated, and
the
balcony
abovc
-
as
(hcir
acring
space. This rcmoves thc distrnce belwcen the ac1i,s
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November
198.
(R)
BY
BANGLIDESHI
COMPAN'ES
3
D€cernber
1988.
Nagarik
$nd
Theatre,
Dhaka:
Mac""'
Acad€mv
of Fine
Arts
(at
the
litth
Nandikar
National
Theatre
Festival)
Translated/adaptcd
by
Shamsul
Haq.
Aly
Z.tkcr
as Macbeth,
Ferdousi
Majumdcr
as
Ladv
Macbeth'
Akur
Rahman
as
Banquo,
Khairul
Alam
Sabuj
as
Malcolm
Atxlul
Hayat
,s Duncan,
Tari.tAnam
as
Mrcduli:
Direcieil
bv Christopher
SaDdford'
Stage dcsign
by
Kim
Witchcr.
Light
a'd
sound
bv
Howard
Han'ison'
Fm
lhe relicw
in
Jegdrrdr.5
Decembcr
1988
llranslatcd
iiom
rhe
Bcnsalil:
'Th;
ranslrtor
is lhc
lamous Bangladcshi
l,e1
Shansul
Haq
"
Bul
a
lot ol the
diahguc
has
bcen
rcndercd
heavv
bv
'ii
cxcess of
rhcloric
rndallireralion,
which
mostottheacrorsarc
unahl.
r. h..r .- Direcrcr
Sandfo.d's
grand design
lvas nippcd
in
the bud
by
thc
poor skill
of
(hc
actorsi
yet
hc
ha.l
a(empted
to
introduce
some bold
choreography
and an
cpic
notc.
Slrangely,
the
lighting
direcror
Howard Harrison
did
not
avaiiot
a singlc
opporlunilv
to create
stage'illusion
\''hich could
have
madc
up lbr
many
oJ
thc
shorlcomings
ol
lhe
producdon
"'
The .ostumcs
werc
altrxctive.'
From
the
review
by Dharani
Ghosh
ln
The Stat"t
nn l0 Dccembc'
r988:
'... rhe
dislrcssing
spccracle
ol
a oast
at
cross
f'urposcs
wilh
the
dirccior...
bewildered
nren
and
\\'onren,
without
a
clue
lo thc
rhythrrr
ftc hcadlong
rush
ol
elcrts
demands,
dispose
o[ lhcir
lincs
11
breakncck
spccd,
as
il
rliaid
that
the
words
sould cxplode
like trombs
honr thc
rc iew
by
Anrnd
rLal
hThe
Telesaph
l0
Dccembcl
1988:
'...
The Nasarik'The.rlrc
productnnl
sanely
ioUo\lcd
thc
iexl
"
not
sn,rying
into
intcrprcti c
nuances.
It
convcvcd
adcquately
the classic
case
ol
selffuliilling
prophccv
rcprcsenlcd
bv
thc
pla)''
and
fie audience,
but
prevonls
cerain scenes
liom
gelling
properly.
'Sanlanu Bandyopadhyay's dramatic
version is not only
a
trans'
larion: il is a
synlholic
presenlalion of the
prescnt
rcality of our
smicty.
This
is brought
oul
though
many
scqucnccs ol diakrgue,
soliloquy
and
song.'
5 August
1997. Anya Theaire: IclYt lu Tithit Calpa
(<h+,elfih
Nrgrrr). Sarala
Mcmorial Hal,
Translaled
hy
Dattakeya Dutt.
(See
als{ Jll)r,idr ]?rr,
28
April 1989.)
Bisrvanath
Mukh€dce
as Orsino, Seenia
Blrdlacharla as Oli.,,ia
Mahua
Srrkar as Viola. Uiiwal
Chalt€rjec as Mi},olio, Dcbabrata Chalirabarti
as
SirTohy
Belch,
Bidhrtridev
Sarka. as
Si.Andrew
Asueclcek. Aiur)
Chakraba(i
as Feste.
Direcled
hy Dallrtrcyn Duti.
Frorn thc
relicw by AnandaLal;n The
Telestaph,28 Notcrrbe. I997:
'.
-
Dult does not adapt but
mnslates Shakespcarc\ TvelJih
Niqht
lailhlully
-
albeir not
in vcrsc.
..
The rppealing
aspecls
oflhis
show
are Dutfs
dircctorial
mise-en-scene
...
and
his abilit
1() cast a
Viola
and
Scbastian
who
hok
rcasonably
alike.'
Dulr acted Sir
Tohy
in this
show.
From
rhc
rcview
by
Saumitra
Basu
in Anokla
Ba.dl
Ptnrika,29
November 1997
flranslated
lionl the Bengali]:
'A.ug
is laid out in dre
middlc
ol
rhc auditorium. Steps co'ne
down
lrom thc slage to the
levcl oflhc audicncc. A slrelch ofolen
sprre,
likc a
coffidor
surnunds
thc audience
seatcd
on lhe rug.
whcn
thc
play
opens.
iL is sccn
thal
the entire area,
ercept
for
the
pa.t
where
Lhc
andicnce is
seated,
pl.o\idcs lhc
acting
space.
...
For vrrious
faclors,
this dcsign fits in
ve.y
well wilh
thc
play:
it
does
not secm
an
exrinsic
gimmick.
...
The
acting spacc
c.rn be expanded
or
contaclcd
ns
necessary. ...
Inslcad oi spccially dcsigned scencfl,.
th.
aclual
airhitccturc oi the auditorirm
is
put
to usei even ils delccts
ean be turncd
to
good purpose.
... Unxhlc lo drcss lhe shge as hc
rnighl
wislr, the direclor
has had lo corry)cns:rlc by somc ertrn
brightncss
in fie coslumcs
and makcup
-
rnd in Lhe .lcting.'
2 November
1998. Srim{ncha:
Cofl.rl,trxs.
Cirish Nlanchg
SIiAKESPEARE
ON
TIIE
CALCUTTA
STACE
'...
Questions
could
atso
b€ raised
abour
Christophcr
Sandford.s
direclorial
decisions.
He dropped
-
needtessly,
it seemed
-
the
scencs
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of Banquo's
murder
lnd
young
Siward's
dealh at
Macbeth's
hands.
He cunailed the
dagger
scene
and
the
conversation
betwe€n
Malcolm
and Macdufl which
conrains
essenrjll
retiections
on
chamcter
and
political
rarnilications.
Aod
why was
Lady Macdut}
stabbed
to
dea$
on slage bul Macberh
dispatched offstage,
in
contralenrion
of
rhe
lext?'
3 May 1991.
Nagarik,
Dhaka
Darpa
(<Eantet).
Academy
offin€
Arts
(at
the Bohurupee
festival)
Adrpred and
directed
by
Ali
Zaker
Khaled
Khan as Hamler/Daryan,
Nima
Rahman as
ce.trude/
Begum,
Kaisar
Chaudhuri
(as
Claudius),
Abul
Kalam
Shamsuddin
(as
polonius),
Shahin Khan
(as
trertes),
Shannishrha
Rahmao
(as
Ophelia).
From thc review
by
Ananda
Lal
in
The T"tegrph,
t7
May l99l:
'Nagarik
... refer
lo Da,Zan
--. as an
efforr
to make
Hanld.,more
deeply
ou. own".
They nced not apologise,
for ir is a
iairl)
straight-
tbrward
albcit
sho(ened
prose
tmnslarion
with
the
cha.acters
and
,rluJrion
Irrn,po\cJ
inru
Lhc rL,Jl
BrnplJJe\hr
cn\
onnrcnt.
'Among
rhe
more
successfrl
alrera(ions,
thc
ghost
ot
Hamlel
Senior remains
unseen.
its
presence
suggesred
by
an eerie
spottight
that shines up
cenlresragc
liom
above,
iIS voice
heard over
the sound
slstem.
The roving playcnj
get
rransftrmed
into
one
main
ilincrant
minstrel,bard,
and
Zaker
pcrceptively
rerains
rhc
elaborate
dumb show
prccetling
rhe ll,lousetrap plry.
...
Pcrhaps
the
only maior irritanr
in
Bengalifying
{hc tragedy
is rhe
conve.sion
ot
Rosencra.tz
and
Guildenstem
into
identical
lookiog
mu
ahs.
'But
in Acr
Five. all
o[
a
sudden,
Shakcspeare gcrs
thrown fbr
a toss
(panicularly
in rhc
final scene whjch
abruplly
opcns wilh
Hantel
and
Laei(cs wrestii,rg).
In an
almosl imparienl
hu.ry
to
end.
Zakcr curs
lhe Fortinbras
subplot, the
G.avediggers,
sccne
... and
the episode
wilh
Osric.
Alrhough a
rheatricalty
lense
duel
lollows when
Hamler
and Laefies brandish
rasry
swirchbtades
atier
rheir
wrcslling
bou(
...
the
truncated
conclurion
finds
Hamler
slabbing
Claudius
but nor
ib.cing
him to
drink liom
rhe
poisoned
chatice
as
Shakespeare
m
PRODUCTIONS
IN
OTHER LANGUAGES
(A)
BY LOCAL COMPANIES
'Al lhat time
[lhc
lgth ccntury] some
phys
of
Shatespeare werr
trarslated into Urdu by Ahsan Lakhnawi. Aficr him.
the most
importani
pcrsonaliry
and
successtul dramatist ofthe
Urdu
thcatre
was
Agha Hashr Kashmiri.
--.
To
produce
the
plays,
he set up the New
Shakespeareao
Theatrical Company.'
lTranslated
from
the
Bengali of
Rafiq-ul Islam,
'Kalkatat
Uftlu
Natak'('Urdu
Drama
in
Calcutta'),
Prat
iitt.26 Febt.uary 19951
Dec€rnber l9lS. Parsi
Alfrcd Theatrical Comprn):
Some
Shak€sp€arean
adaptations
in U.du.
Alfr€d Th€aare
B^zm-e-Fa'ri
lRomeo
a
n
Juner)
Shaheed-e-Naz
(Measxre
Jor
Measuft,
Mureed-e-Shak
(7rr?
Wintet\
Tak\
Khoon+-Nahaq
(flai,
re,
Thc
leading
ackess
was
Miss Gohcr
[a
laDous
singer
loo, known
as
Gduhar J.,nl.
[The
Be
gal?e.
Dccanbet
t915
Ad\<ru.emenr
ii thp
Bcryatpe.
l
'
Defembcr
IqI5:
'Afrcd
Thedtre /
9t. H$tison Road / The Parsi
Alfred Theatrical Co.
/
will
perform
/
To-night, Friday
ar
9
p.ni.
/ Mnfted E
Shak /
Shakespeare's
Wi
er's
Tale /
(In
Orienul Garb) / Prices:-
Rs. 3. 2,
I
Anr l)&6
In the 1920s,
Calculta had lwo 'Parsi
Theares'
(rheatres
run
by Palsi
129
I3O
SHAXESPEARE
ON
THE CALCUTTA STAGE
managers
for
the
staging of
commercial Hindi-Urdu
plays).
the
Corinthian
on Dharamtala
Street
and the
Alfred on Hanison
Road.
The
PRODUCTIONS
IN OTITER LANCUACES
I3I
Cordelia,
Arun
Sharma as Edgar,
Ashok
Walia as
Edmund,
Mehmood
Alam
as
Albany, Kunal
Padhi as
Comwall,
Pradip
Ray
as
Kent, Rajaram
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mosi celebrated
writer
for
the Parsi
theatre was
Agha Hashr
Kashmiri,
an Urdu
poet
who could write
quotable
rhymed
lines and
knew
the
art of atracling an
audience
wilh
plenty
of melodrama
and music,
grand
scenery and colourful
costumes. and enchant;ng
visual
settings
and illttsions'
[Mukher]ee
By i950,
the Parsi thealre had closed
down comPletely except
for the
Moonlight
Theatre in Calcutta
under the renowned Fida
Hossain. He
produced
adaptations of Shakespeare.
I'Calcutla's
Urdu
Theatre Revived',
Atnrita
Bazar Patrika,g May
1981
25 and 27 April
1964. Prachlav,nij
Venice-Vanijon
(The
Merchant
o/
yedc€
in Stnskria).
Biswanrpa
Theatre, Mahqiati Sadrn
Translaled
by Jaindra
Binal
Chaudhuri.
Pandil
Anath Sharan
as Shylock, Urmi Chatterjee
as Porlia,
Anindyasundar
Chatterjce
as
Bassan;o.
Dirccied by Jatindra
Bimal
Chaudhuri.
From
the
report
in Antita
Bazar
Patika.
S June
1964:
'...
ihe Prachyavani
Sanskrit-Pali
Players' troupe staged
lhe Sanskril
version of Shakesp€are's
Merchant
of
Venice.
This
is
lhe
first-ever
staging
of a Shakespearean
drama in Sanskril.
The excellent
lransla_
tion,
singing
and acting
... drew
applause.
...'
From
the
review in
Darsldi.
vol. 4, no. 20. 1964
[tmnslatcd
from
fie
Bengalil:
'Venice-Uanion
was
such a
failure as
thealre
thai
il
is unworthy
of
discussio$.
The audience
referred
to it fie nexl
evening
by
the
witty
query,
"How
did
you
eojoy
The
Comeb
ol
Etots
last
evening?"
'
lsee
also Chapter
Ivl
5
November
1988.
Padatik n4la
kdr
(Hindl).
Gl'an
Manch
Translared
by Ak.hay
Upadhyay.
Shyamanand
Jalan as
Lear, Shakil
Khan as Gloucester,
Cheha Jalan
as
Gonenl,
Sanchayita
Bhattacharya
as
Regan, Shampa
Ghosh as
Yagnik as the Fool,
Balmukund Hada
as
oswald.
Directed
by Fritz
Bennewilz
of the Weimar National
Theatre, German
Democratic Re_
public.
Siage
design
by
Franz
Havemann.
From
the
review
by Ananda Lal
in The
Tekgraph,
15
NoYember I 988:
'...
it
did
not offer any new angle,
style
or
adaptation:
it
was
a faithful
bur )omeqhal
condensed lranslalion.
'Indeed
jt
nay have been
this compression
fiat
diminisbed
the
impacl one
normdll)
anLicrpate(
from l^Pdr.
'.-.
Shyamanand
Jalan's approach
of
underplaying
the role
lof
Learl cannol rLselt be laolled
... a
qureler
charactert.rtion
providcs
a
welcome
and different
perspective.
At
the same lime, Jaian's
Irar
never rose
to he;oic
heights...
so
thal the downfall
was not
steeP
enough
to
sufficiently arouse
either our
pily
or
tenor.
..
'lt was Rajaram
Yagnik.
fte
Fool, who
made
lhe
most of one
of Shakespeare's
splendidly
theatri€al
parts.
...
[I]n
the mid-seciion
of the
play
...
there is
a
buill-in
tendency in
the lines for the
FooI
10 overshadow the
king,
wbich
is
wha happened as Yagnik imper-
ceptibly cornered lhe
spotlighl
...
'[Gloucesiet
Goneril and Regan
a]so said to be
too muied
l
In
comparison.
Ashok
walia's depiction of
Edmund, evil manifest
in
buman shape,
proved
much
more convin€ing
.-. building up
a
confidential
reladonship
wilh the spectators by
employing
glances
direcied knowingly at $e
audicnce.
...
'Franz
Havemann's stage
design
disappointed.
centring on a
massive throne consisling
of
an amorphous
torso, the
groin
of
which
(for
som€ reason) seNed as the
seat.
Overhead
was susPended a
rocky
ceiling,
as
backdrop
a
cyclorama
on
which clouds
flew
past
during
lhe
slorm
scene, and upstage a
few sPodighls mounled
on scatTolding
to
give
the
eff€€a of
Brechtian
alienation. The use
of masks in the
opeling
scene was
inleresting
and suggestive
of hypocrjsy:
the actors
remole.d them
after
Cordelia
-
honesly
embodied
-
Iifled
her mask
and
utiered
her
firsr
speech-'
From the review by Sekhar
Das
in
Aajkal,
16 November 1988
laanslated
from the Be,tgali]:
'To €ome ftom the rear to
the main acting arer, one
has lo cross
soma
psnitiom
of
broken
planks
and drawn cunains:
a stage \rithin
..;a-; ,: q- --
I32
SHAKISPEARE
ON
THE
CALCUTIA
STAGE
a stage,
the
gate
ro "the greal
stagc
of footi..
From
a few
iron
rods
geometrically
arrangcd
there
hang two
lamps
on
each side,
as wel
PRODUCTIONS
IN OTHER LANCUACES
(B)
DY YISITING
COMPANIES
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as a crdne:
clear sign
ol the
lron
Age.
Ihc
certing
eloke,
rhe
Srone
Age.
Alrhough
nol
obtrusively.
rhe
srage
is divjded
inlo
three
liers
as
on
the
Shakespearean
srdge. On
rhe
middle
stage,
and ro
the
tefl
of
the
back stagc,
the.e is
brighr
modcrn
fluorescena
ljgiring.
...
Bur
to
the
left
of rhe
lronr
slage
is
the ruined
Rcnaissance
archilecrurc
of
Albany's
paiace,
with
a royal
flag
stuck
on it.
To rhe
righl
is
a
throne made
up of
broken
images.
... The
dramalic
tlllte
of
Raja
Lear
extends
from
the
primeval
to
(he
modern.
'[Of
LLar
after Cordelia.s
retusai in
I.i:]
Where
is
that rnger?
It
begins
1o
seem
as
though
Lear is not
a
king
but
the head
of
a middle-
class
joint
famill
and
thc
story rclts
of rhc
breakup
of
such
a fhmilv.
The piay
fem. ro hr\e
bcen srificn
l-) C\ethov.
\\h
e i.
rh;l
surge
of emotion.
rhat grear
craz_ed
griel,
the
rhsorplion
in the poetry
of
pain?
...
'This
play
h very
much a
director,s producrion,
and
thc
director
does not
like
emotionat renderings
....
5, 6 Septemb€r
1994.
Pad
^tikt
lo
Dil
Chahe
l<TwetIth
Night).
Cyan
ll,Ianch
The Hirdi
.itle
means
'Whar
your
Hearr Wanls'_
Casa
Shakil
Khan
as Feste,
Sanchayila
Bhaliacharya
as
Olivia.
Seema
Adhikary
as Viola,
Subrat
Chowdhary
as
Orsino.
Azhar
AIam
as
Malvolio,
B.
M. Hada
as Toby
Belch, Luna
pan
as
Maria.
Dirccled
by
Israfil
Shaheen.
Music
direcred
by
Debangshu
Sengupta.
From
the review
by Ananda
Lat
it The
Teteeruph,
g
Dccenrber
1994:
'...
direcror
Israfil
Shaheen
neglects
this aspecr
[of
Twelfth Nilht
beingadarl.omcdil.Lon\cnlionatt)
tahetrng
il.the
g,eJle,t
con,eJ)
of the
greatest
playwright,
the
ultimate
challengc
{or alt
theatre
directo.s,"
withour
recognising
rhc
sombr€ rrurh
behind his
hyperbole.
'Thus,
[the
aciors playing
Orsino.
Olivia
and
Malvotio]
...
miss
thc
gloor
ier
nuances
ol
rlrcir moody
melancholia.
...
lFesrel
sings
dreadlirlly
out of
tune. ...
Seenta
Adhikary (Viota)
and
Luna
pan
(Mar;a)
managc
to
save rhe
show
with
some
effervcsceor
acting
and
rhe former\
colouriul
cosrume
design.'
13-18
April
1981.
National
School ofDrama
Rep€rtory Compary,
NewDelhi.
BarnA Ua
d
(Macbeth
inHindi).
Vidya Mandir,
Kala
Mandir,
and
lSApril
st Academy of Fine
Arts
Adapted
by B. V
Karanth
(into
the Kannada
traditionat
forn
oi'
Yakshagana).
K.
K. Raina
as Macbeth,
Utara
Baokar as
Lady
Macbeft.
Fron
the rcview
\n
The
Statesna
.24
April l98l:
'... Karanlh purs
the
tempestuous action inlo
the slrairjacket
ofa style.
Maskcd witches
wave
pieces
oI cloth with
rre€s
paintcd
on them. In
Act
IV the
appadtions
greer
Macbeth from
behind hand,hetd
currains.
Apat flom these
irnovations,
lhe
production
looks qujte
shabhy.
The
exits and entrances
ol all characten
arc in rhe
same
way.
Rolt
hLl
of
drums
rendcr
large
parts
of
Macbeth's
grcat
speeches inaudible.
Thc appearance
oI
Banquo's ghost
at
rhe banquct
and the concluding
batlle
scenes
yield
no1 a
single memorable image
of
horror
or violencc.
Even if
excuses
can be
offered for rhc'omissjon
of th€
porrer
and
thc
kiUing ofMacduff's
family, Macbcth
slaying
Malcolm amounrs
10
a
perversion
oflhe
Shakespearian
design
oforder
succeeding
disorder.
K.
K. Raina's
excellent Macbelh
is shocked at
lhe
evil within
himseli
Handicdpped
by a
clumsy
dance
in
rhe
sleep
walking
scene, Uuara
Baokar
nevertheless
brings
out the
savage
tenderness
of Lady
Macberh.'
27
July
1984.
National
School
of Dram,
Repertory
Company,
New
Delhi:
Orrrlo
(Hindi).
Academy
ofFin€
Arts
(sr
the
trirst
Nsndikar
Festival
of
Theatre)
Trttnslated/adapred
by
Raghuvir
Sahay.
C.ll NJnrde
,,,
Orheilo.
Hinrdri
Bhafl J, DcdcmonJ.
yu\rdj
Sharmx
.ls Iago,
Lalit Tewari
as
Cassio, Basu
Paril
as Rodcrigo,
U(ara
Baokar
as
Emilia.
Directed
by F tz
Bcnnewitz.
Sets by
Robin Das.
From
the revic$ in
?Ic Sr.r/"rnra,r,30
July t98,1i
'Benncwilz
avoided
any kind
oI interprclation,
telting
Shakespeare
"spcak
for himself'.
adding nolhing,
subtracling
nothing. The result
was
a
babel of
individual
voices,
each speaking
tb.
ilsetf.
'Ir
is
nor rhat
Bennewitz
,ever interfbred wirh
lhe
action.
He
134
PRODUCT'ONS
'N
OTHER
LANCUAGES
I]5
looks] more
like
a
strapping
wrestler
lhan an
idealistic
SHAKESPEARE
ON
THE CALCI]TIA STAGE
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,eedl€ssly
began
with
the ending,
interpolating Cassio\
words from
rhe
drinking
scene:
"Gods
above
all, and there be souls
thal musl
be
saved. and
there be souls
musl not be saved",
and treating
the
rest
of
thc
play
as a
nashback. A translucent
panel
bearing Othello's
line\.
"..
perdirron
crlch
m/
'oul
lelc.l
ua'
lit.d
near rhe fli.\ and
lit
Lrp
severrl
times
during
the
pcrformarre
...
'Robin
Das's setting broughl
to mind Caspar Neher's
design
for
The
Life
ofCalileo,
particularly
because
of
the economic
use
ofprcps,
including
a
geographical
globe.
aDd the
criss_cross
of two
wide strips
olcloth
above. .:. The coslumes
lvere
an uneasy
mixture of
the
ftodern
and the semi-Elizabelhan.'
Fron
the
review by Prabodhbandhu
A.lhlkati
h Anatula
Bazar
Pdrl,?d, 30
Augusl 1984
[iranslated
fronr
thc
Bengali]i
'The enrire
produclion was in
the
spirit of
a
light Hindi fiIm
... One
feels
like asking
Bcnnewitz, is
a(
only a literal
reproduction
of
experience,
or ils
ptucessed
fbrm?
...
'
'Thcrc
was
no
struclure
on
stagc,
only
lwo
crossed swathes
of
light
greenish
cloih, like
an awning, overhead.
... This reviewcr
is nol
aware
that
Ot ?llo
had ever been slaged
on such a
widowed_looking
From
the
review by
Chittaranian Ghosh
in
D?rr. 8 Seplcmber
1984
[translaled
from
the
Bengali]:
'Thc
chiefquality
of Bennewitz's
productiofl
is
ils
clear_cut trimncss.
There
is
nothing superfluous.
As
a rule, we do nol
make this lype
of
play
so
free
of flab. Everything
is minimalr unchrtlered,
sharp,
lbcused.
The slage
is devoid of
propsi
only
once a
high
throne,
once
a
bench,
and in
the last scene
a white unadorncd
bed. Only
$e
lighting
is
lavish.'
9 March
191 National
School
of Drama
Repcrtory
Company,
New
Dethi:
Julius
Caesat
(Hindi).
G.D. Birla
sabhasar
Directed by
Ebrahinl Alkazi,
lransiaied by
Arvind Kumar
Shrivallabh
Vyas
,rs
Caesar,
Abhijit
Lahiri
as
Anlony,
Ravi
Kaushal
as Cassius. Ravi Khanwilkar
as
Brutus.
Fmm
the review
by Ananda
Lal in The TebstaPh,
3
April 1992:
'Jllius
Caesar...
was the
biggest distrppoinnncnt
IiD
a
wecklong
festival
of
plays
by
the NSDI. .-.
tcassiusl
behavcs
as
if ir a
permancnl fienzied
fit. Brutus ...
has
no clue
of
the
man\
dilemma
or nobility. ...
'[Antony
ycl
shrewd
young man.
... Alkazi's
own
sel desigs.
of
imposing
steps
topp€d
by
pillars, tlorks
well in $e
first half
but
becomes
a major
negotiatory
nuisance
during the
batlle
scenes.
Arvind
Kumar's
Hindi
translation
misconslrues
several
passages.'
2l
Dec€mber
1993
Pratvav,
Kolhapur:
naJ:o
r'sd' (Marathi)
Acad'
emy of Fin€
A
s
(at
the
Tenth Nandikar
National
Theatre
Festival)
Translated
by
Vinda
Kamndikar.
Sharad
Bhuthariya
as
tear,
Prakash
Phadnis
as
Glouccster,
Anjalika
Tamhane
as Coneril,
Rupa
Gokhale
as
Regan.
Manisha
Rajopadhvay
as Cordelia. Hrishikesh
Joshi
as
Edgar,
Sagar
Talashi*ar
as Edmund'
Anaod
Kale
as
CornwaU,
SamirDaini
as
Albanv,
Sukum
Patilas
Kent'
Direcicd
by
Sharad
Bhuthariya.
Stage
design
by
Sharad
Naware,
Anani
Rashilvadckar
and
Vinayak
Bhonsle.
Sets by
Anil
Sadolikar
and
Kimn
Khcburkar.
Lights by
Anil
Sadolikar
and
Bhushao
Kheburkar'
Music
hy
Narzar Kulkarni,
Pawan Kheburkar,
Avinarh
Yadhav
and
Nivedita
Khare.
From
the
revicw by DharaniGhosh
in
Ir,"
St letnrd,r.
I I
January
1994:
'Erccpt
lbr ahe
stamina evidenl
in
a thrce
houl
perfornrance' there is
noi
nruch
to
praisc.
-..
If the
evenls
on the slage
still
sustain
inlercsl
till
the
cnd, the entire
credit
goes
to Shakespeare.
. .
Sagar
Talashikr's
Edmund
eclipses
the rest
of the cast,
including
..
Lear
...'
From the
review
by
Anar'[J.aLal
itt
The
TelegruPh,
l4 January
19941
'... too
much fidelily
can bc
counterproductive,
as
proved by $e
Mararhi
edition
of Rajo
Lear'
... On sLrgc,
nexl to
dircctor
Sharad
Bholhariya's
lirtuoso
periormance
as Lear, thc
resi ofthe
cast
behavc
so
unresponsivcly
that one
relalls
the
l91h
century
aclor
manager
tradition
i. which lragedies
wcre
merely
vehicles
fbr stars'
23 December
1993. Naya
Theatre,
Delhi: l:am
r€, ka
Apna'
Basattt
Rilu ka
Svap
a
(Hi
lit'Scen.{
frotJJ A
Mi
umnt
Night\ Drcam')'
Academy
of Fine
Arls
(at
the
Tenth
Nandikar
National
Theatrc
r'6tival)
Adaptcd
by
Habib Ta
vir
Govind
Ran as
Bollom,
Ram Charan
as
Quince,
Chait Ram as
Flute'
Bhulwa
Ran] as
Snug,
Cirish
Bhai as
Puck. Directcd
by Habib Tanvir.
(o'rume'
anJ
prons
b) l\4oneeka
N4i'ra
Tantir.
From
fie
review
by
DharaniGhosh in 7re
Sralerrur,
I
I
January
19941
136
SHAKESPEARE
ON THE CALCU'ITA
STA6E
'-.. colourful,
boisterous,
and
hence
Elizabethan
in spirit
...
'Habib Tanvir
removes the Lysander-Hermia-Demerius-Helena
PRODUCTIONS
IN OTHER LANOUAGES
131
edited,
slicedup
and
reassemblcd
in a
purposely
random
nonsequenlial
manner
slariing
Irom
the end,
while slides
p.ojecled the
equivalent
played C{'son
wellei'
film
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subplot
without causing
the least discomfo(.
...
The
loss
ofthe
coualy
comedy
is balanced,
in
parl
i{
not
enlirely,
by the
Chhattisgarhi actors'
enlhusiasm
for
the
fhrce of the
mechanicals.
'Nandikar's
l0th
National Thealre
Feslival
has
yielded
nothing
more
delightful
than ihis
rehearsal
of
Pyramus and
Thisbe:
... Puck\
final
apologia
to
the
audi;nce
becomes
a
haunting
song
by
Bhulwa
Ram
siepping oul
of
his
role.'
Fron
the review by
AnandaLal in The
Telesrapl, 14 January 1994i
'This
venturc mises
furlher
questions
on
thcatrical
fidelily.
Tanvir
omils
Ihe Hermia and
Helena subplots completely,
pushes
theTheseus-
Hippolyta
story
to the baokground,
and
concentrates on
the {airies
and fie
artisans'play....
Yet
he is failhlul
in his
own
fashion:
in the
scenes
rhat he does
incorporate. he
lraoslales
blank
verse
into Hindi
blank
yerse,
rhyme
into rhyme,
and
prose
into
prose;
he
lavishes much
care on Shakespeare's
allention
to
planl
and
animal
life, rcdiscovering
the
Bard's love
of
naturc,
which
most contemporary
critics
neglect;
he
transposes
the dramalic
rdrd into
the Indian context supe$ly
-
for once
the
Baslar lribals.
who know
nature so well,
lll in
perlcctly.
'Among
thc innovations
he
inlroduces. the
mos(
elfective
arc his
musica, compositions.
all
in
metre,
lvhich owe a lol to
the
s/arals
ad thu
j/is
of old-time
Parsi thealre
and Nautarki.
...
Tanvir\
Chhattisgarhi
probges
make
for
ideal caslingl
they dre
carpenlers,
weavers, tink€rs
and
Dilors
anyway.... Ultimalely, this
may
not
be
Shakespeare's
play,
but
Tanvir's
comedic
direction
captures
Shakespearct
spirh
nonetheless.'
25
NIarch 1999.
El T€atro,
Trois: Orrdra
(Arabic).
Rabindra
Sadan
Sponsored
by
the
Indian Council
for Cultural
Relations and
Govcrn-
ncnl
ol
West Bengal.
El
Teatro
is
a
Tunisian
group.
Directcd
by
Taoufik
Jebali.
From
lhe review by
Ananda Lal in The
Tel"Enph.g
April 1999:
'...
a
morr
unlikell decun"uucle,l
rcndcring.
..
'Taoufik
Jebali,
the director,
created
lhis highly
unusoal OlYllo
for
lwo
players,
in the
parts
of
othello
and Desdemona,
who
occasionally
mouthed
olhe$' lines as
well.
namely lhose
of
lago and
Bmbantio. They delivered the
lext in
Arabic
lranslation. ruthlcssly
English
passages
and a
Tv
"'
'switching
the
Bard's typcs,
the Semitic
aclor
and Moorish
actress
physicalised the
inGracial
passion
rnarvellously,
even daringly
by
what we know
of
north
Afiican
Islamic cullure.
Bul
lh€
only other
polilical
angle
comprised
taped
recordjngs
of lhe US
Presidenfs
anli-
Saddam
dialribe. The
high-contrast
lighting, black
and
white
mono-
lilhic decor
anil cosume
design
proved
effeclive:
however'
the
colour
scheme looked obvious.
Most obviouslv
of all,
Othello
kcpt donning
an
apish
mask
whenever
in
green eyed monsler
mode
-
far too
lileral
a
rcading.'
SHAKESPEARE
QUAT.ERCENTENARY
FESTIVALS
Minerva
Thealre, using
recorded songs'
The
programme
was revised,
as evidenced by
laler newspaper
reports:
see relevant
entries by
date.
l]9
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IV
SHAKESPEARE
QUATERCENTENARY
FESTIVALS
(l)
Litde Theatre Group: Shak€sp€are restival,
April-Msy 1964
Arnouncement ;n
lhe
A
anda Daz Pattika, l?
January
1964
ltranslated
from the Bengalil:
'The
Qualercentenary
of Shakcspeare's
bi
will
be
celebrated
across the wor,d
in
1964.
On
thisoccasion,
the
Little
Thealre
Group
has
undertaken
an
exlensive
programmc.
Thcir
Shakespeare
Festival
will
begin on
I0 Apr,l and end on 2a April. Thc
fro3rrmme
i,
gr\cn
l0 April: Discussion at Mi.erva
Thearre on
'Shakespeare's
Social
Consciousncss'.
Strging
of a
few scenes in
Bengali
and English.
17 April:
Public
meeting
on the Maidan.
Discussion on 'Shakespeare, the
Poet
of rhe
People'.
Performance
of
parls
of
Co
tiolanus
and JuLiLts Caesar
in Bengali.
23
April:
The
programme
will
be
inaugurared
by
Mr David Hughes, Rcgional
Representative of
the
British
Council. Othe
o will
he suged
in
English.
Venue:
Minerva
Theatre.
(See
Chapter I-D.)
24, 25
and
26 Aprili
A Midsu
€r
Night\
Dreant
(Chaitali
Rrier
S,',ap
q
lo be staged in
Bengali at the Minerva.
(See
Chapier It.)
ln addition, there will be a
programme
of
Shakespearean
music on
23
April
momjng
al
the
133
(2)
A
rita Bu Patrika,
1l
April
1964' reported
a
'Shak€spcar€
Utsab'
tf€stivall:
'The Calcutta Arl Society
is holding
shakespeare Utsab
ton
Bengau
New Year's
Day,
14
Apdl.
at Singhi Park.
48
Girriahal Roadl.
'Thc special featu.e
of
this funcdon
will be
readings liom
Shakespeare
in different
languages
of the
world
anang€d
by
the
dilferent lbreign
missions
in
Calcutta.'
(3)
To c€I€brat€ ahe
400th
anniveNary
of Shakespeare's
birth, the
Biswarupa
Natya
Unnayan
Parikalpana
Parishad
organized
Shak€speare
performances
from
25
April to
1
May 1964
and
9
Mey
ro
13
June,
every Saturday
(excluding
holidays)
at Bis$.rupa
Thestrt-
LH
ittdusthan
Stund 1rd,24
April 196'{
'fhe
Hindustla
S,arrlard announced
the
tbllowing
programme
for
25 Ap.il.
Prachyayani:
vsni.e-Uaniiam
(<The
Mercha t of
yeni."
in
Sanskrit).
See ChaplLr
III-A.
9 May.
IPTA
(Simantik
Sakha):
"I
lrxs
Carrar
(in
B€ngali).
See Chapter
IL
16
May. Udayachal:
ganre,
(in
Bengali).
See
Chapter
IL
30 May, Ainateur
Unit:
The Tenpest
(in
Bengali)
6
June.
Rupadaksh.:
Mrkha'mu*l&n
kThe
Tuni
gofthe
511I?]r,,
in
Bengali)
13
June. Eureka:
As
You
ait?
L
(4)
A Shakesp€are
Festiyal
was held f.om
25 to 28 April
1964 at
Mahqiati Sadan.
[Anita
Ba?ir
Pattika,24 April 1964
25 April.
Aikatan: fre
Me
rchant ol
Venice
{h
Eng}ish).
See
Chapter
I-D.
26 April. Udayachal:
Errrre,
(in
Bengali).
See
Chapter It.
27 Aprif. Prachyavani:
yenice-Vania
t
kThe
Merch^
of
ve"i." in Sanslffit). See
Chapter
[I-A.
t40
SHA(ISPEARE ON lHE CALCUTTA
STACE
APPENDIX
A
28
April
196,1.
Theatre
Unit,Irrirs
Caesa,
(in
Bengali),
See
Chapter
U.
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PUBLISIIED
SHAKESPEAREAN
TRANSLATIONS
AND
ADAPTATIONS
IN
BENGALI
lwhere
oo
Bengali
title
is
gilcn.
il
can
be
$sumed
to
be the
samc
;s
the Engtish.
Sources
for
this
compilation
-
which
is
no doubt
lncomolete
-
inctude
Ahmed.
Ah'Jn
S'
V;lra'
A
T'ibut'
to
\hnl.'n.are
a
Choudbtrry'
ed"
A Checklisl
ol
Tran'lalion\
of
Europ;an
Texts
in Bengali"l
CoI€{tions
1895:
Hitabadi,
Shakespeare
cranthaboLi
[Vr'orks
of Shakespeare]
1896
1903:
Haranchandra
Rakslrit,
S/ule'?ea'?
(12
volumes)
ls23: Basumali
Sahilva
Matdit,
Shakesp"nre
Ganthal'ali [works
of
(5)
Announc€ment
in A.n ta
Bazar
Patika,6 May 19641
'Procceds liom Shakespeare Shows
to
Army Welfare.
The Shakespeare
Festival
Committee, represenling
the
Amareurs and thd
Dramatic
Club ofCalcutta.
will
stage two
dramas
at
the
New
Empire Thealre
to
celebra@
the
400th
anniversary
of william Shakespeare.
The commiitec
will donate
all
of the nett
proceeds
of
the
shows
for
thc welfare of
troops
in
Eastern
Command.'
See
rhe relevana entrics
in Chaptcr
I-D.
(6)
Reports of
performanc€s
of Shakespearcan
plays
in Baruipur'
Chinsurs,
Jalpaisuri
i) From
lhc
report
in Anvita
Bazar Pat'ika, 19
May
1964:
'[On
l0 May. at
the
Hooghly Mohosin
College
Hall,
under
the
auspices
of
the Shakespeare Sociely,
Hooghly-Chinsural Two
scenes
of
Julius
Caesar
were
enacted
in
play-reading
by
lan
Hastie
as
Mark Antony ard
Mirza
Mahammad
as
Brutus and the
bed-chamber
sccne fionl Olhello
was
stagcd
with Miss
Aparna
Bhattacharya
as
Dcsdemona, Sri
Narayan Roy Choudhury
as
OrhellD
and Miss Dhira Dutta as Emilia.'
il)
Dainik
Rasunnti,
25 May 1964, carried
a
photograph
of
a
performance of t'lacbeth
ar lalpaignti organized by the
Jalpaiguri
Shakespeare
Quater-centenary
Samiti.
iii) A
review
in Dairit
Earxmari,
I
June 1961
ltranslaled
from
lhe
Benga,il:
'
'An
a(raclive
programme was
organized
on
fte occasion
ol
Shakespeare's
Qualer-centenary
by
Baruipur Cullural Unit. ...
The
second
balf
consisted
of singing
of Elizabethan songs and
thc
performance
ol
the
last two scenes of Orrero. The
aclors were
Basudev Chakraba(i,
Baladev Banerjee.
Jaydev Chaknbarti,
Ramaprasad
Khan. Mukul
Bhatlacharya,
Shyamali
Cbaudhuri,
Kumar
Nath, Gopeshw$ Banerjee and
Mohinimohan Chakmbarl;.'
(7)
Report
in Hindxslra
Sta
dqrd,19
JUn.e
19641
'Chakra
Baithak staged
selecled
scenes from Jlllixr Ca€rar
on
June
14 on a specially
conceived Shakespearcan
slage to cel-
ebrale
the
quarer-cenlenary of lhe
Bard of
Avon.'
Shakespearel
VOLLTME
I
l.
Macbeth,
Munindranath
Ghosh
2.
Maner
Matan
(<As You
Like
It
L1D'
MukhoPadhYaY
3-
Anto,\-
o Cledparra'
Devendranath
Basu
4-
Rotneo
Jutiet,
Hemnhandra
Batdyopadhyay
5 veto ar
Rhodrqiusat
(<The
T\')o
Centlenett
of
ven
a)'
Saurindramohan
MukhopadhyaY
6.
J
lius
Caesar,
Jyotirindranath
Thnkur
(Tagore)
VOLL]ME
tr
/.
Oriello,
Devendranath
Ilasu
?
Vznicer
Banik
(<TIE
Mercha
t
oJ Venice)' Saurindranohan
MukhopadhYaY
J.
Raia
aear.
Jalindramohan
Glmsh
a. Dwadash
Raiani
(<T\'?lfth
Ni8[r'
Pasupati
Bhathcharya
5.
Riti,nta
(<Measure
for
Medslrc)
Saudndramohan
MukhoPadhYaY
6.
Crmbeline,saurindramohan
Mukhopadhvay
1974:
Reiact
Publications
shakespeare
Rachanabali
lwrilings
of
Shakespearel
l4t
Saudndramohan
142
SHAKESPEARE
ON THE
CALCUT"TA
STACE
IndiYidual Plays
1805-1809:
C.
Monkton,
fre Tenqejt
l?l
1848:
Gurudas
H?ira, Roneo
evan
Jutietera
(<Ro
PI]BLISHED
SHAKESPEAREAN
TRANSLATIONS
1892: Surendrachandra
Basn.
Roneo
and Juliet
1892
93: Lalitmohan
Adhikari, Ha,t/e,
1893: Kaliprasanna
Chattop ddhyay,
OtheLlo
t43
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teo
ann Juiet)
1852
|
Jogendrachandra
GuDta, Kinibitas
(<Hamten
1853: Harachandra
chosh, Bhanumati
Chitabitas
(<The
Mercha
t
1864: Harachandra
Ghosll, Charunukh
Chitahara
(<Romeo
an,.l
Juliet)
18681
Satyendranath
Thakur
(Tagore),
Sushita
Birsinha
Natak
(<CJmbeli
e)
1868:
Chandrakali
Ghosh,
Kutunkunati (<Ctnbeline)
18681
Hemchandra
Bandyopadhyzy,
Natini
Bajanto
(<The
Tempest)
1872: Kantichandra
Vdyaftina,
S
shita
Channruketu
(
<helfrh
Nigh,
1873:
Benimadhab
Ghosh, Bhtanakautuk (<The
Co
e4 of Etots)
I874i
Rabindranath
Thakut
("talorc).
Macbeth.
Onty
a few scenet
a.e
1874:
Harachandra
Ghosh.
R drapat
(<Macbeth)
1874i
Pmmathanath Basu,
Annni
ha (<Hontet)
1875: TarakDath
Mrkhopadhyay,
Md.rd,
1875:
Tarinicharan
Pai,
Bhinsinha
(<Othello)
1876:
Biharilal
Adhya, Madanmanjari (<The
Whter's
Tale)
1877:
Piyarilal
Mukhopadhyay.
Srrdlara (<The
Merchant
ol Venice)
1878: Jogendranarayan
Das
Ghosh,,4rFdld
o
Bitasbati
(<Roneo
1878: Radhamadhab
Kar. Aasantakumori
Natak
(<Roneo
a
d Jutiet)
t878: Kedarnath
Ganguli,
fte
Tenpes,
I
882-83: Charuchandra
Mukhopadttyay,
prakriti
Natok
(
<The
Tenpee)
1882-83:
Nilratan
Mukhopadhyay,
Sharatshashi
Natak(<?
A
Midsum
mer Niqht\
Drean)
1884:
hhwarchandra
Vtdyasala\
BhrantibiLas
(<The
Cotnedy
ol
1885:
Nagendranath
Basu,
Kannbir (<Ma$eth)
f887:
Gobindrachandra
Ray,
Roiteo
Juliet
1888:
Gobindrachandra
Ray.
Bhishak-Dfita
(<ALl's
WetL That
En(ls
Well)
l89l: Dhirendranath
Pal.
Bhtanar
(<Macbeth)
l89l:
Surendrana6
Bhauacharya.
Surusundai (
<Othelto)
1894: Siddheshwar
Gupta.
Chondranath
(<Hamlet)
1894; Chandiprasad
Chosh,
Hdrler
t894r
Hemchandm
Bandyopadhyay,
Ro reo
Juliet
1894:
Nabinchandra
Sen, Naidagh Nishith
Swapna
(<A
Mihunmet
Ni9ht's
Drcanl
1895
96: Nagendranalh
Chaudhuri
(published
in
Amarendranalh Dult's
collected
plays),
Harimj
(<Hanlet)
189?:
Annadaprasad
Bas\, Anangarunsini
(<As
you
Like h)
1897:
Satishchandra
Datln. nn
Bhaqini
(<KinE
Lea,
1900:
Ashulosh
Ghosh, Mocbeth
1902: Jalindramohan Chosh.
a?4,"
1903:
Girishchandra
Ghosh, Mdcber,
I
903:
Salishchandra
Chatt opadhyay, lahanara
(
<A Midsunlner
Nis}'k
1907i
Jyolirindranath
Thakur
(Tagore),
Jtrliur
Cderdr
1909:
Bircndraoalh
Ray.
Biiimat"
(<Meas
e
lot
Measure)
l9l3:
Nagendraprasad
Sarbadhikari.
Jiarura
(
<The
Tenqest)
l9l4:
Pramathanath
BhaMcharla, Cllop.rrfa
(disputed:
some
influ
ence
ot Anto
a d Cbopatro
claimed)
1914
(1918?):
Dhanadacharan
Mita,
Rani Tanalini
(<The
winter's
Tale)
l9l5:
Bhupend.analh
Bandyopadhyny,
Saodagar
(<The
Merchant
ol
1915:
Krishnachandra
K'rrld\,
Cleopatra
(<Antonr
and Cleopatra)
I9l5:
Nagendmnarh
Raycha
h$1,
Sadkhot
o
Saodogar
(<The Mer"
l9l5:
Manojmohan Basu,
Sonq
Soha?a
(<The
Merclant
ol
Uenice)
1919: Pashupati Cha(opaihyay,
Tenqest
l9l9: Devendranalh
Basu. Arr?llo
1920:
D€vendranath
Basu,
Kuhaki
(<A
Midsunner
Night's
Drean)
1920i
Pashupati
C-haltopadhyay,
Merchant
aJ
Venice
l92l:
Surendmchandra
Ras]u, Dtuma ba
Rat apuri
(<KinB
kor)
1923: Upendrakumar
Kar,
Macr€rl,
SHAKESPEARE
ON THE
CALCUTIA STAGE
1925-26: Ashutosh
Ghosh.
Merchant
of
Venice
1926: Mahadeb
De, Ve ice Banik
(<The
i|erchant
ol Ve
ice)
1952: Nircndranath
Ray, Ma.rerl
APPENDIX
B
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1956:
NirmclkdnU
Mallik rChduJhuri:r
remp"v
1956: Manindra
Darta.
Ma.rzri
1956:
Surilkumar Chatlopadhyay
(Chafterjee).
Mercha t
of
Venice
1956: KalyaDbrala
Datta,
l,lercha
t of
Ve
ice
1956:
Manindra
DaBa.
/
Midsu
unet
Night's Drcant
1957:
Kalyankata
Dalta. r(rua Ze.r.
1958:
Suoilkumar Chattopadhyay
(Chauerjee),
Ar
yor
tiie
/r
1959: Ashok
Cfia, As
You Like tt
1959:
Ashok
Cuha. Ma,I'erl
1959i
Ashok
GD.ha,
Melchant
of venice
1959: Sudhindranarh
Raha.
Julias
1959i Sudhindnna$ R*,a- Ma.t)?th
196l: Ashok
Gufia- ,ralr/.i
1960, Ashok Gt]l|,a, l
lE
Tenpest
1960:
Sudhindranarh
P.zha.
Rotneo.Juliet
196l: Ashok
Cuha, Azrol) anl
Cleopatru,
Cohe.b
of
Ertun,
1962:
Ashok
Guha, lrerry
Vlll, KinE
Lear
1967: Sunilkumar
Chattopadhyay
(Chauerjee),
Orlello
1976: Abu
Shariyar. ,ex nn*et
RajkuMt
(<Ha"let)
1995: Sunilkunrar Chalropadhyay
(Chalterjee).
Arrary and
Cleopatru
A MISCELLANY
OF
BENGAL
SHAKESPEAREANA
1772:
'An oliicial
document
of
1772
indicates
ftal
David
Gariick
helped
in
the
slaging
oi
plays
al
the New
Playhouse.
At
lhe
request oi
lhe
directors
ol
Johr
Company,
Ganick
senl
his associale
Bernard
Massinck(?)
1o
Calcutta,
who irnparted
spccial
inslruction
in
lhe
srAging
('l
Richard
ltl and
Hatnlet.'
lTranslated
frotrr
Ahmed
1790:
A number oi
lhcalte
patrons
trom Calcura
sent
a medallion
to Mrs
Sarah
Siddons
in apprecialion
of
her
hlcnt
in
playing
the
rcles of
Shakcspearern
heroirles-
1798:
'In Novembcr
1798,
Shakespea.c
was
paid
homage
in
Calcutta
bv
an
unusual and
altractivc
,neans.
A
paintcr named
Mr
Monis
adorned
ihe walls
of the Calculta
Thcatre
wilh
various
piclures
represcnting
lhe Garick
Thealre
on the banks
of
thc Thames.
One
piclurc
showed
Garick
staoding
bctbre the
slatue oi
Shakespeare
This
was reported
h
the
Caldita
l o,tthb
.lotmal'
lTranslated
Ircm
Ah'ned
1827:
'The
following
extraordinary
scene
occurred
r an
enteruinment
given
by Sir
Charles
Metcalfe on
fie
21st December
1827
to the
Right
Hon'ble
the Govcrnor-General
and
th€ Countess
Amhersl.
The
com_
pany amounrcd
to about
400
persons comprising
all
thc ranks, bcauty
and lashion
of
Calcuth.
In
the course
of the
evening,
a
group of
visitors
madc
their appearance
in the
proper
oostuore
ol
lhe
principal
characters
in
Shakcspeare's
plavs, lcd
on
by
Prospero
and
(he
rear
broughl
up
by
Dogherly.
On reaching
lhe
gorgeous
pdvilion
where
145
146
SHAKESPEARE
ON
THE
CALCUTTA
STAGE
the Govemor-General and
his
parry
were
seated, Prosp€ro delivered
an appropriate address. The
several
perconages
in
rhe
group
then
mixod
in
the
dance,
exhibiting sundry
amusing anachronisms.
Fahtaff
A
MISCELLANY OF BENCAL
SHAKESPEAREANA
141
Othello'sjealousy,
fiese
were the
things lhat
roused
us
to enthusiastic
admiration. Our
restricted social
li[e, our
narrower
field
of activity,
was
hedged in
with such monotonous
uniformity
that tempesluous
Ieel_
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led out a fashionable
beauty of
the ancie
regime.
The
chost
of the
father of Hamlet too
might
haye
be€, observed
holding commerce wirh
Titania
until scared
a
liltle
by the suddcn
appearance
ofBoitom,
who
jusl
brayed
his appreciation
of
the
scene
and
then
vanished.
Shylock
also,
for
a moment,
forgot his
bond and
spoke
to
some
lady
whom
he
recognized.
while Henry VIII
addressed Lady
Percy and Anne
Boleyn replied
to Drrcaius who did not
at all
ger
surprised
to see
Oberon treading on
(he
toes of the vernacul.r
Dogberry or rhe
haughty Wolsey holding
a long confab wirh a
jolly
car er.'
[w.
H. Caren The
Cood OA Da -s
ol the
Hon'bte John
Companr.
ot.
t,
pp.
t24-2s
1854:
'Nothing
will
giye
us
g.ealer pleasure
than to
behold Shakespeare
springing inlo
new ljfe
under
the hislrioric
talent
of
our
cducared
countrymen, but wc cannot
calmly look on while
the old
genlleman
is being murdered and mangled.'
lcirishchandra
chosh. foundecediror
of the
Hinrloo Patriot
(nol
to b€ confused
wilh
rhe
actor of the same r]?'rf,e):
Hindoo
Patrior, 11 May 1854
1917:
'...
Our
literary
gods
then we.e
Shakespeare. Milron and
Byroni and
the
quality
in their work which slirred
us most was srrength
of
passion.
In the
social
Iife
ofEnglishmen
passionale
outbursts a.e kept severely
in
check. for which very reason,
perhaps.
they so dominate
their
'
literature, making i(s
characteristic to bc
the
working
out
of exrrava-
gandy
vehement feelings
to an inevitable conflagration.
At least this
uncontrolled
excitement
was what we leamt
ld look on as rhe
quintesscnce
of EngUsh literature-
'[n
the impetuous declamation
ol' English
poetry
by Akshay
Chowdhury,
our
initiation
into
English
literarure.
rhere was thc
wildness
of
intoxication. The frenzy
of Romeo's and Juliefs love,
ihe
fury
o{ King kar's
imporcnl
lamentation.
lhe
all-consuming
fire of
ings found
no
enlrance;
-
all
was as cahn
and
quiet
as could be
So
oLrr
hcaris
naturally
craved thc
lile_bringing
shock of
the
passion-
ate emotion
in English
literature.
Ours
was
not
the
jubilant
welcome
by stagnation
of
a
turbulent
wave, even
though
it should stir up
to
the
surface
the slime
of
the
bottom
'shakespeare's
contemporary
literalure
represents
the war-dance
of
thc
day
wheo the
Renascence
came to
Europe in all the
violence
of
its
reaction
against
the
sevcre
curbing
and cmmping
of fie hearls
of
men. The
examination of
good
and cvil.
beauty
and ugliness,
was
not
the
main object,
man then seemed
consumed
with
the anxicty
ro break through
all
bariers to
the
inmost
sanctuary
of his
being,
there to discover
the
ultjmalc
image of
his
own
violent desire
That
is why in this
literature
we
find
such
poignant,
such exuberant.
such
unbridled expression.
'The spirit
ofthis
bacchanalian
revclry
of
Europe
lbund
entrance
inlo
our demurely
well-behaved social
world,
woke us up, and madc
us lively.'
lRabindranath
Tagorc,
Remiticences
1964:
'From
this morning Calcu(ta
will have
a road named
aftcr
Shakespeare.
Theatre
Road
will
now be
called
"Shakespeare Sarani".
'The
renaming
of Theatrc Road
was
proposcd by ihe Mayor a1
Friday's meeting
of Calcutta
Corporalion,
and
the Councillors unani-
mously
agreed
to
the
proposal.'
lFrom
a rcport i Hhdustha
Sta dnrd,25
April
l9(,4
Thcarc Road had been
so named after thc
Chowringhee
Theatre. The
reason
for its renaming
probably
had less
10
do wilh
this
historical
association
rhan with the
facl that the Calculla
office
of the
British
Council
was. and is, located on
this road.
tg87:
'Why
then is Shakespeare
so
neglecled
in our
theatre? Can he not
salisly
us
aoy
more?
Has he
grown
old? It
is hard to accept this'.
I48
SHAKESPEARE
ON THE
CALCUTTA
STAGE
In the
most
modcrn
and
progressivc
counries'
Shakespcarc
is al
the
oeut
of
li"
poprta.ltv.
in
soviet
Russia,
Germany
and
Englttnd'
shJkesDe.re
is being
pre'enlcd
in
new
way''
Bul
in
our
counlrv
rn
APPENDIX
C
.HAMLET'
AT
A
BENGAL
FAIR
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te moaern
thearre
movemcnt
lhxl
gol
under
ur)
in thc
lq40r'
ue
Doinlcdl\
isn.rrcd
sha[e'pcdre
and'
in
our
3n\icly
lo
be modern'
wenl
i",,irr,'
tr,.
dooF
ol
r$cnlierh-ccnlur)
Euro$Jo
rhedrre'
i""J.t;.,'",
rhc
dr.rmdrisL
ror
all rime
couu
n'rr drcs
us'
Ir
i'
a
.r,,.4"r'
Or.'**.'rf,"
advanccd
lhcatricJl culture
ul
lhe
sorld
ir
,,r.,
*
*.*
Jnd
u'e
Shdte"pedre:
-bu(
lhi'
PIcd
poet
and
d.amalist
hxs
becn
exlled
from
our
ttrge'
lTranslated
from
SuPriYa
Dhar'
'Ban|la
Thedre
e Ni'bdr'a
S'dt"rp?4rc'('Shakespeare
Exiled
f;m
fte
Bengali
Theate')'
Ganashakti'
5
April
1987
(Blackwootl's
Magazine,
October
1910)
It
was
at
an
Up
counlry
Fah
in
Bengal
that
we saw
'Hamlef
played
by
a nadve
company,
and
it
rounded
otf
our
fairing
in an
inslroctive
and
delishtful
wcy.
.r-'...
'"
i"
w:rndering
lrorn
lhc
Farr'
and lhc
chi'l
c\cnt
in
it,
which
was the
pertbrmance
of'Hamlef'
I
look
place
la1er
in
the
Jrv.
hcsinn,ns
ar eighr
o
cl.'ck'
and
lasled
u,]lrl
drrer
mrd.lighr'
Ir
."'.c".,"-fu
p"L,rrnce
ro
$hich rhe
Railh
hdd invired
u'
rnd
it
;as
thereforc
not to
be
wihess€d
without
duc
ceremonics'
We
had
lcod
save
tne
ring'
as
we entcred,
and
wcre
ushered
bv
the
BanisleF
ui-ir*
to
th"
aro*;ngrnom
suite
in
green brocadcd
satin
liom
which
$'e
had
been
privilcged
to
watch
the
camel-iighl'
tt was
now
the
tronl
row
of
the
siaus
in
the
big
marquee
thar
consrkuled
ihe
theatre'
The inside
orchestra
consisted
of
(l)
a
hamonium-player
on
thc lett
wing
of
the stagei
(2)
a lom
bm
playor
on
the right-
Whal
it
may bc
asked
-
had this
orchesrA
to do
with
Hamlef
l
what
-
as
far
as ihat
goes
-
lras
any
orcheslra
10 do
with
'Hamlef
l
As
a
matier
of fac1,
lhis
pai. was
pretty busily
engaged;
ior
'Hamlef
in
Bengali
is
-
if
I nay
attcmf,t
a
delinition
-
a musical
tragedy
of
imbrogiio.
wbencvir
the
action
palled
(and
there
was
lots
ol
action)
orc
oi
rtre
players sang
a song
not
so
much
accompanied
bv
the
o..t
"rtro
u,
a"l"a
ly
1,.
Hamlet
himsclf
was the
only
man
thal
had
a
chance
againsl
lhe harmonium,
and that
was
duc
lo the
penetralingly
nasal
qualiiy of
his
roice. Again.
I have
nevcr
hcad
any
onc
so
nasal
as
Hamle .
...
Here,
belbre
I
enlargc
upon
the
acting,
I
will
set
down'
act
bv
acl.
the
progrannne
ofthc
play, ofwhich
the
ploi
was
specially
prirtcd
ibrus
in
lnglistr.
so
lhat
we
rnight
uDdcrstand'
'The
plot in
sho("
it
is called.
it
lics
bctore
me as
I
wrile
I
givc
it
as
priitcd'
The
lii\r
(ene
olc.s
with thc
King
chcltins
$ith the
Queen
in a
'ooi'
nr lhe
c (10.
tte
$en
fcels
drcurv
anil
subeqkntl'
f'lls
tsleepr
\hetuupon'
ii"
d,*"
"*.
ior
hcr
husband\
brorhe'
Fatrukh
nd
induccs
hnn
to drop
149
I5O
SHAKESPEARE
ON THE CALCUTTA SfACE
pokon
in
his
ea.
Tho
KnrE dies
of
ils elTecrs, rnd lhe
Queen
gives
oul,
nnponunately
atdbutng the
cause
to
a
ieee.au
bie. ,ahangn
mou,ns hn
larlEfs
death and
AlhBr, his
i,iend .nd Nociate, conlons hih.
.IIAML,ET'
AI
A
BENcAL
FAIR
I5I
a lit(le
disappoinling.
Here
is the syllabus
of
it
-
At lhe
openine
of lhe
s(o.d
acr Faftukh
in coun
putine on the
guie
of
anxiery
fd hhrngn's
s.fety
shows concems
dd
enqunes.
Musoor
Ihe
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This,
it
will
be
observed
is Shakespeare,
though not
in
the order
we know
it.
Liberties have b€en taken, but
what aclors have nol
taken
rhem?
The
point
to be noliced
is that
the
plot
servcs
India
admnably.
Look
al
the
Queen
imporlunalely
atlributing
her
husha.d's death
to
a
serpenfs
bile.
k
is
rhoroughly
Bengali.
Olficial
returns
of
to'day
atlribute
an enormous
proporlion
of
dcaths
among natives
to snake-
bite:
individuals say that
lhe
variety
of snake is a human one.
Anyhow,
the
pi1
understands.
Jahangir is.
of
course,
Hamlel. In his
make
up he conformed to the
English tradition so fhr as
to
wear
Hamler's
black cloak. Otherwise
he was an innovator. He wore rowing
shorts,
puttees, and a
pair
of
football
bootsi also a big
pislo
in his
girdle,
such as highway-men used
to
carry,
and, fully exposed
like
a decoration.
a
large
gun-metal watch and chain over
his
hean.
We
supposed at
iirsl
from
its
calibre that the
watch was merely a
der:oralion.
bui this was not
the case.
It
had
a dmmatic
value
loo.
You
remember the famous
lines
in Act
III.
:-
'Tis
now the
lery witching time of
nisht,
When churchyards
ya$n
and hell nscrf bB0rhes oul
Conrigion
ro lhis
*odd : now could I dnnk hot
blood,
And
do such bitter business as
th.
day
would
qu*e
to l@k on.
Well,
Hamlet
wanted
to make
quite
sure
that
it was the
very
witching rime ol ,ight
when he could drnrk hot blood,
and he
consulted
the
gun'melal
waich accordingly. There
was a
pleasing
accuracy about
this thal
seems
lo
indicale
fiat
the
actor
took the
view ihal Hamlels madncss
was only feigned.
what with the
watch and the
pistol.
Hamlefs
was
a sporiing
rather
than a historical makc-up,
and I think
Akhtar
(Horalio)
was
rather
envious of
il. He was somewhat of a Job's comfoner.
but
nothing
wns likely to
qucll
Hamlot's mouming. ln
Bengali
it
had to
be
of a
prisdne
ceremonial
order
There was no
possible doubt about
its
inieDsity.
He
simply
'waked' his
Falher. and,
wilh
the
assistance
of the
harmonium, approached
the banshee ai its best. One
fell lhat
some acrion
was
bound
lo ensue.
and
Acl lI.
was
in the circu
rstances
Wuiz.d talls
lore
wilh
Meherboo.
Sulenun
ente^
lnd
3 conle6ado'
pNses
on
Akhtar @ox
s
the
lccidenl
of
$e
gr.ve
to
Strlemar
Seine
Jahangn
enrenng,
Sulemln
wirhdmws. Akhhr
quenions
lahangn
lho c'ifidcs hin wilh
th€
disclosor€.
Mansoi
in tEn2,
il€clffis his
lov€ for
h€r
'Her'
h,
of
cou.se, Meherbano
or
OPhelia.
The chief
inlerest
of ftis
act consisted
in
the
introduction
of fie
characters
new
to
Shakespeare.
Mansoor ihe
Wazirzada
was the
most
importa,t
in rank.
but
Suleman
was more
important dramatically.
He
was,
so
to speak'
rhe
ShdlerDeJrian
cloqn
lndidni.ed
taler
he
became
lhe Firsl
GrJ\edigger.
The
(hing
abouL him
was
Lhrt
hd
w's 2
hl"l
m'n nol
a
brown
one.
Thal
was the
comedy
of
him. The
audience laughed
when they saw
him.
Everylhing
he said
was ajoke.
I could
not make
out
quiie whai his
rclations
were
to lhe other
chara.lers,
bul
I'do
not
think
they
greatly matered-
The clown
may enter
arywhere. He
giv.s relief,
and
in
lhis
act one
was
g.aleful
for
reliei
The acting was
all
very emotionally
pronounced, and fte
harmonium
was at his most
energer,c.
With
.exl
scen€
we
come
lo o r@m
wheE
lhe
Quecn
is *en
ervrnlkins
uiil,
Fdrukh
Then
enteB Hum,yun
th€ Lord
Ch.mbcrlain
vno. s@n
lfter.
i;
despotched lo console
the Poncc.
The
Queen,
then,
gives
publicitv
lo her
union
*ith
Fanukh.
Meanwhile
e Wazi.
des to
solae
lhe
PrinF
who hea6 hir
wnh flighliness
.nd cynical
disdain, dnd
PouN
fonh in
soliloqv hh
honor at
his Motheis
mafiileo.
'soliloqy' hardly
expresses
the
prolonged and rampant
vocalism
to
which Hamlel.
undetened
by
lhe harmonium
and
the tom-tom,
treated
us. Bul here
again. of course.
his horror
had lo-be
very
great.
Not only
was
his
Qucen
Molher
marrying her
hrrhind\
mtrnlerer'
but
she
was remanying;
and to a Hindu
Hamlet
a
widow's
maniage
would
jusrify
any oulbursl.
The
Queen's
action
rcpr€senled
shame
lessness
and
passion,
or
was supposed
toi bu1
none
of
the
womcn
in the
play
showed any
emotion comparable
wilh thal
of
the
men.
I1 would not havc
been
proper,
or,
presumably, like real
life. This took
away
a
good
dcal of the interest
of Ophelia,
who
had
her chance
in
I52
SHAKESPEARE
ON
THE CALCI]TTA
STACE
Act
IV. as
the
programme
shows
-
Meherb .o\
siving
wenl lo
her
love lor
.,ahatr-qir
Her
]tuids_of_honour
going Fatheas
Alhrxrs aM Sulem"
s
,HAMLET:
AT
A BENCAL
FAIR
I53
fte master
wills
it
After
this,
Acl
V,
though
full
of
incaent'
seemed
in
ils'way
qujet. The
Iollowing
eYents
look
pli'e
-
Mcnrcor's
md
Sahelink
iestins
wnh
each
orher
in
lhe
wav
His
going in lhc
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soorhi.s
herl
lahrogir's
ro hh
smvc.
oleFighring
him
Th€
openins
ol
rlE
smvo.
The
arpeanng
of
the Ghost
md
infoming
hinr ol
hn death.
Meherbano
gave.
it
scemed
to
lne,
the very
meekcst
possible
'went' lo hc.love
for
Jahangir, and her
maids-of_honou'
had
liltle
or
no
difficully
in sooth;ng
her,
though
ihey spread
fteA
consolations
over
a considerable
period.
Meherbano
was a small
artiste,
wilh
thc
voice
of a
iield-mouse.
She
had
on a chcrry-colouled
satin
drcss'
which
reached
barely
to hcr
knees,
and
with
a
view to
caplivating
Hamlel.
no
doubl
-
a
pair
ol
European
black
stockings'
No
shoes-
The
exccedingly
loose
fit oftbc
stockings
led
to an
uninEniional
piecc
ol by-play
at one
point.
She
was
giving
'wenf
io her
love by
squeezing
a liny
pocket handkcrchiet
ol
which
she
made I
good
dcal
of
use
throughout.
passing it lhrough
ber
lingen
and
laying
i1
on
her hreast.
when
she
accidenlallv
dropped
ir
In Bengal
when
vou
drop
a
thing.
there
is
no bothedng
to
sloop and
pick it up
You
usc
yo
r
fooi.
One
of
the
courlicrs
not very
courbously
-
nudgcd
Ophclia.
and
pointcd to the
tallen
handkerchiel'
Absenl-mindedlv
she
p;l ou
one big
toe at
it
grrccl-ully,
lralf
raiscd it,
and
then had
thc
morrification
of
seeing
il
lall
again.
She
hxd forgotten
hcr stockings'
pdsoncd in
which
her
prchensile
toe had
lost
its cunning
She
had
io
bend
down
lo
gcl
it
lf
this
act
gave
ophelia
her
oppo(unitv'
it
also
gave
Hamlel
his al
the
graveside.
That
was after
lhe
ippearancc
of
the Ghosl.
who
looked,
il musl
be allowed,
more English
than
thc
rest
of
the drd,aris
pelro,l"'
and
had
a fairly
good speaking
part'
Roused
by h;s
tale,
Hamlct
did
a
sword dance.
prepurltory
to taking
lengcance.
It
was
a
grcat
c{fo
,
thal
dancc'
laslirg
roughly
lor
rcn
mirrutcs.
Hamlet
tloing
Iadian
clubs
with his
sword,
and shrickjng
at
'the
top
ol
his
voicc
throughout.
The
young
sn at the harmonium
appeared
to
be rcally
moved
by
it,
and,
as il
\n're.
challengcd
Hamlet
ro musical
combar.
The
conclusion
wm
a forcgone
one
Hanrlcl
did
hi\
hest. but
a
man
cannol
contend
with a
harmonium
;ndefinitely
The
young instrumentalist
rcduced
Hamlet
10
a hoarse
imPotencc
in
the end,
and
went
on
by
himscll
for
n minutc
or
two.
jusl
10
show
wbat
an agony
of organ
notcs
the
hamonium
crn
give
forth
when
-,*"
"',n
,*" *4. O..u"nP
hh
lo\c
ro
MlnerbrD
HJr oc
lin're'
Cotr'ing
ui
il;;;"
il;;.
;;il,-;,,."i'
r"'u
or
e\e4onr
i1
rhc 1J"''re
h
FJnurh
..d ;h,"",,
",,"-*s
prrrormJn'e'
The
Llc'rh
ol rll
The
nrosmrnnle
lr
nol
perlecll)
clelr'
A(
lar
ds I
relnelnber'
Il
*^
r"r-*"**
*",
inro
rhc
garaen
$ilh
lhcrr
l'clp
'
Arrlhos
he
*,.," rrrc
,:"raen,
in<l
rahdngir
canrc
cnd
IillcLl
h'rn'
Hc
killed
him
bv
c,minc
ip
b.
hind
3nd
shoorrng
hrm
in
lhe
hJck
wirh
r
'hinv
nc$
,,].i'.iii..
tJ,**
.,"
nrve
Frven
rdhangir
rhe
ruok
rifle
JI
rhe cnJ
of
.t.t
tV,
p".t ap.
instead
ol
a
bouquet'
I
teel surc
he
had
no1
."..".*a
,, U.,o,",
or
he
w.'uld
hJ\e
hruughl
il
on'
The
sounJ
",".r,,cea
br rr.
be ,je.
bcins
m^rrJl.
wlc ot
a
\er)
Tiinlul
nrrure
i'"i
la,n'.,or
aenicrea
il
sirh con'umnrste
'krll'
lndceJ'
apJn
ttom
u",.r"'.'**a
a""",-JIhcdeJrholdll
whrrh
lollo$ed
larcr'thcre
was
nolhing
more
apprecialed
by
fte
audicnce
On
lhe
English
stage
aeatt,
ar"
io.
ttte
lno"t
part
swilt.
il
dranralic'
ln
llalinn
opera
lhey
iof."
fo"g",
*.y
"li"r,
lrrt
the
ciforts
oi
the
artisrcs
are
concentratcd
,J",
,i',
g"i,l"g fteh
notes
out
successlullv
ftan
upon
depicting
*c o,,,,rle'lnO
'rrrrhing'
in
undulv
hdnoqrng
la't
Ihr'i*'
Singe^
"."
i"..*.frf
ot
rhem'el'es'
31d'
as c
rulr'
too
n^ul
Io
urrrhe
convincingly.
flere
werc
no
such
disabilities
here' Mansoor
had
sct
a sublimJexarnple,
and
all'
$hcn
dealh
camc
upon
them'
strcve
k)
",r.,i
rr't
*,i"r..*.
ldo
nul
kno$
wh) rhc
dearh
olall
occurreJ'
ii'
li
o,o'-
0,,,"
iuddcnl\
I
J ^uld
'J)'
:r
hcsan
ro
do
'o
quirc
*ia"nrr.
-
-a
though
il
canre
in rhe
lorm
oi
rhc
po}on
cup
pi'tol
.i"^
,"a,rr.
',"t.r
"
l.ss.jr.
ir came
s xh
'rmilJr
lingerins
$rilhing'
r,oiJring
preriIninuties.
Ophelia
relained
her
breath
the
longes
and
ifr",..".-f"
her
cnd.r
disiinct
touch
of
thc
star
aclr€ss'
She
had
,irii"a
n"'"",r;"
g".a,ime
with
a
verv
large
sragc
dagger
wrought
"i:*o.a
*a
.i,*.-p^p",
which
puckercd'
hut
she
rcservcd
hcl
death
for
the
last.
She
aliowcd
ahout
a
quarter of
an
hour
lbi
the
oficrs
a
".iin",
ono
then
staggered
lo
&e
ho$t
and
was aboul
lo
hll
A
ditficully
presenEd
itselt
Thc
stage
was so
packed
with
lhe
dead
iJi""
ti"i.p*"
"a"q*,e
fbr llrc
deceasc
oflhe
heroine
was lacking'
154 SHAKESPEARE
ON
fHE CALCUT"TA
STACE
at any
rare
in Iie
fronr. Ophelia
showed
rhe
practical
common-sense
that
has
before now
distinguished
arrisles.
Nothing
daunled
by
the
affair
of
the
handkerchiet
she agajn
used
her
foor
to
kick
one
of rhe
APPENDD(D
HAMLET,
HARIRAI
AND A
BENGAL
FAIR
l
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crowd
in the ribs.
With
one
of
ftose
convulsive
spasms
that
have
been
known
lo
occur even
after
death,
he
jerked
himself
10 one
side.
Hamle(
was rhe
other too
foNard
corpse.
but a
poke
in
his
ribs
enabled
hjm to
pertbrm
rhe
same
phenomenon.
Then
Ophelia
coutd
really
abandon
herself t6
die.
and
djd
so.
.
The.e
was susrained
apptause
from the
whote
1hettrc,
particularty
from
the
front row
of
the
stalls. and,
after ir
was
over,
Mr
Chundar.
who
had
been busy
between
the acls
handing
us chocolate
and
biscuils, carne
up to find
out
what
we
rhoLrght
of
the
performance.
'You like
ir?
You think
it
was
wel
acrcd?,
he asked
us,
smiling.
but wirh
an
anxious
eye on
the Rqjah
at the
same
time.
We
all
declared
that
we
liked
it
immensely,
and
thar
il
had
been
acted very
linely indeed,
and
Mr
Chundais
smile
expanded
and
expand€d.
Only
rhe
Rajah
had
yer
ro
speak,
and hc,
judging
rhat
we
had
been
plcased
and
satisfied.
and
that
nonc
of the
faiture
araching
to
the
camel
races
could
be
assigned
ro
this
perfo.mancc,
said
wirh
complacence
'Yes_ ll was rletl
acted.
you
shall rell
the
cornpany
that
they
did well.'
And
he
added
courreoLrsly
to me,
who
sal on ono
side
of him, 'It
is
a
good
little
play.
Yes.,
Next
moment
rhe band
oubide slruck
up
.God
savs
ihe King,
for
positively
the
last
time, and
to
thesc
toyal
skains
we walked
out
into
lhe
Bengal night.
It
was a lovely
nighl.
The
srars
glinered
from
a
black
velvet
sky.
and
in
the srarlighr,
as we
drove
back, we could
see the shrouded
Bengalis
shuffling
home
atong
the
dusty
road_
Though we
had.
all
of
us, been
seeing Shakespeare's
.Hamlef,
I
had
lhe
strange
feeling that
we
were moving
in
some
lime
and place
that
were pre-Shakespearian.
R-E. }ERNiDE
Exactly
a
hundred
years
ago,
a
drama
review
was
published
in a
local
ne\|spaper,The
tndian
Mirmr(22 May
1900),
which
slaled:
'We
musl
confess
that
Babu
Amarendranath,
righdy
called by
the theatrc_going
public
fie
Carrick
of
the
Bengal stage. absolulely
surpassed
himself
in ir. It is
an
exlrenely
difficull
part
and
there arc
not
many
actors
in England
who
are
upto
playing
it,
and
yet
he
manages
it
so
well
as
to
compare
favourably
with
some
of
the
best
actors in
England
'
The'extremely
difficult
pan'being refened to
is thal
ofHamlet,
morc
correclly
of Hariraj
in
Nagendranath
Chaudhuri's
Ha,zlel
adaptation
of
the same
name.
HarrraJ.
The
play
was
first
pcrformed
on
2l
June
1897
(perhaps
a
private
show in
1896
predated
the
premiere)
by
Amarendranath
Dutt's
lroupe
at rhe Classic
Theaire.
It
held an
imporlant
place
in
his rePenoire
and
was
coniinuously revived.
ln
lhe
first
decade
ot
the
lwenticth cenlury'
Hariral
was
playing
at the
Slar Theare
with
a new
leading
actress,
Kusumkumari.
Amarendranalh,
a remarkable
cntrepreneur
ofhh
age'
sold
his
play
texts lo Basumati,
a Bengali
publishing house
Thus,
being mhtakenly
incorporated
into thc
€orpus of
Amarcndranalh's
plays,
the
text ot
Hatimj hns survived
to
this
day. Gramophone
records
of the
songs
and dialogues
of dariral
also
survive,
ahhough
in
private
colleclions.
However,
I have been
alerted by
Dr Amlan
Das
Gupta to
the
danger of
assuming that
the
facl
ol
re€ording
is in itself
an
index 1o
the
popularity of
the
play.
Recordings
of
Hotimj rnighl
have
resulled
from the
availability
of
alistes
mther
than
public
demand;
moreover,
Amarcndmnaft
had his own
interesls
in the
new
gramophone company.
The success
of
ildli,ai
on
the
commercial
Bengali stage
is
difficult
to
gaugc.
The
ge0eral chorus
of
apProbtrtion
atlests
to
its
popularity
while maintaining
that lhe
play
is a
poor
imihtion
of r/drler.
The only
dissenting
voice is lhal
of Ahindra
Choudhury,
celebraEd
actor of
the
generaion afier
Amarendranalh.
His
reminiscence
merits lo
be
quoled
in
full, since
il discusses
the
iabilir, ol
r
Benglli
Ha'alct
producrion
ttom erpericnce.
155
t56
SHA(ESPEARE ON THE CALCUTTA STACE I',4ML'I
I,/IT/RNJ
AND
A BENGAL
FAIR
'He
(Amarendranath
Dult) made a
great
deal ofendeavour
to see
thal
the drama docs
not obtain
lhe
samc
tate as Mrcbel,ft. It
was
ibr
A
play
that
could
atracl
altendon
over
de'ades
and be
consid-
erea as
iit
iext for
a
ctraritv
show
by
a
group
of
'disreputable'
female
desc
bed
on the
tidc
page
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this reason
that the
grealtragedy
was re-named
Hari Rai in Bengali.
The
quccn
was madc
Srilekha. Enough money
and labour
was
spent
for making
il a
grand
success.
But
unfortunalely
it
could
not anract
sullcient
public
applause.
The author
of
this articlc
had seen
it
pcrfonned by
amateur
cluhs
in
Calcutla to whom
il
proved to
be
of
immense success.
It
wa6
also
highly appreciated by
amalcur
clubs
as
such even
;n 1906
and
1907. In his mighty rcle Amar
Duita
played
in such a
magnificent
way
that nobody dared to
perlorn
again after
his
death.
parlicularly
in $e
hero\ role.'
('Shakespeare
Worship In
Bengal',
Rabindra
Bharati
U
iversitr JounaL. Vol.
2,
No 2, April-
June
19tu,
pp.
l3- l,l)
Ahindra Choudhury's
repofl nra*es
it
clcar lhal the Bengali
versions
of Shakespcarc\
grca1
imgedies
whclhcr Girish Chandra
Ghosh's
translalion
of
lt'Iacbeth
ot
Nagcndmnath Chaudhuri's
:rdap-
tation
of tld,ir.q
-
could not
win
thc
heans
oi
Bengali
playgoels.
Amarendranalh
s
subsequent
production,
Kshirodprasad
Vidyavinod's
Allrdlrd.
brcught
grcater
commercial
succcss. Then could
thc reason
behind
thc continuous
rcvi\,al
oI Har?i
be the
parcity
of
good
playsl
Or was Amarcndranalh
trying to
c$h
in on the fascinalion
wi&
Shakcspeare
in rhe Bengalj nrind?
Latcr
rdvcrtisements sought
to
draw audiences
by calling,
Hatiraj
t
-Hindu
Hrmlet'.
Conlrary
10
Ahindra
Choudhury's
report, Monomohan
Goswanri had arcmpted
a
rcvivalaller
Dulfs death. The
extendcd
lile oflhe
play
on Lhc
Bengali
stage
is
besL
illustrated
by a
rcporl in N.r.rglrr-, thc
Bcngali theatre
journal,
which
stalcs lhal Hdlirat
will
bc
pertbrmed
at
Monmohan
Natyamandir in January
1925
by
rn
all
wooran
t
oupe named
Bhikhaini
Thcalre.
Morcover
this
would
bc
acharily show and the noncy
raised
by
selling Lickcts
would be
spent
fbr
sonle
public
beneiit.
The
announcenrenl
b
NLtchshar,3
Magh
l33l
(January
1925. tmoslatcd
irom thc
Bengali), slalcs:
'A lheatrical
group
called
'Bhikharini
Theatre"
will
nct Hariruj
and Hin
nn)i
on
Mondxy
next
at
lhe
Monmohan
Natyanrandir. This
group
consists
cntirely o1
women. The
procccds ol lhe show
will
be used
lor works
ol
public
welthre. h is
a
good
sign
tha(,
ahhough
they
are beyond
the
pale
oi
society,
the
heads
of
hapless
fallcn
women also
respond to the sutlering
of lhe
arristcs
requires
closer
alte.lion.
HdriraJ,
ol-
the
printed
texl
as a
lragedy-
based
on
history,
is neither
historical
or
a
lragedy
but
a
melodrumatic
tale
oi
murdcr,
revcnge'
passron
,nO
ae*t.
ittit
is
Hdrl?1
sans
madfless
sans
Rosencmntz
and
Guiklenstern.
sans
the players
and
lhc
mousetrup'
Critics
niighl
bervail
that
this
is
not
Hdnlet
^
all-
Il
thc
problem
of
na'tigating
cultural
mores
is raised,
the
playwrighfs
solution
is
o
lackle
th€
issue hcad_
on.
He
solves
the
problcm
oi
Ihe
widowed
Gerlrude's
inccstuous
rcnlarr;age
by
nraking
Hariraj's
mother
Srilekha
a
parrner to
the crime
commllled
ry Ceneral
Javakar
who is
not brother
to
fie
king
but
an lspirant
to
the firone
tn HdrirdJ'
characlers
commil
gmve
crimes'
givc ihLrnrlerous
specches
or mcel
in
gardens and
'cgularlv
brenk
inlo
iongs
(eleven. in thcr).
Inslearl
oI
Gerlrude.
the
ruthless and
arnbitious
oucen
who
hal(hc.
a
plol
lo
1;11 1,.,6q
n
'6n
1e'cmble:
Cl)
Iemne\lrn'
il,.
.p..ct". rhrouuh
which Srilckha
tnck(
her
lover
Jdlatur
are
lifted
straight
trcrn
Macbeth
(pcrhaps
this
lends
credibililv
lo fie
conjecture
thar
Har,rdJ
was conceivcd
by
NagendraDaih
Basu'
who
haJadapted
Md.rs
as
Kd,,L#ir
in 188'l)
An
enlircly
new
character
ca,led
Dadhimukh
has
be.,
introduced,
who
is a tradilional
Indian
surrxdhar
(aBrahman
direcior
manager)
and
a sympathizer
ot
Hariraj'
playing
a choric
rolc
ol
comnrentatot
messenger
and
clown
as
well
," on
r.,-.
gariolt
princely dignity
remains
inlacl
as
all
his mad
speeches
have
becn
tanslerred
to
the
moulh
oi
Dadhimukh
His
ill
;enl.rcnt
of
Aruna/Ophclia,
who is
betroihcd
to
hirn and
is moreoYer
a
chitdhood
swcethearl,
is assuaged
by$e
lact
thal
he
could
not have
marricd betore
thc
cuslomary year
of
Hindu mourn;ng He
takes
charge
of Aruna
when
Kuladdhvaj/Polonius
goes awny
convenienlly
on a;ilgrimage,
and
then
neglects
her
Aruna
does
nol
have
a brolher'
txr
iariraj
nas a
younger si(er
Suranra.
vr'i1h
whoor
Kalhan/Hora'o
is in
love.
In
$e
end,
afler
Javakd(
stabs
Hariraj
and
is slabbed
in
rcturn.
Srilekha
iumps
inlo
fie
river
h
end
her
lifc
and
Aruna drops
down
rlead
alier
showing
mild
signs
oimadness'
Kalhan
is lefl
alive
to
mal-ry
Surama
ani:l
presumably
to
irheril
the
ftrone'
tnstedd
of the
cold
and
bleak cdstle
ofElsinore.
the
backdroF
ic rhe vale olKashmir
with
its
gardens and
rivers-
The
ghost
appears
onlv once'
appropri-
I53 SHAKESPEARE
ON
THE CALCUTTA
STAOE
rtel]
ar rhe
hurning
gha .
Il whal
happens in
Hrriral
seems
funny,
lhen
anorher
related
Iext
could
bc
scrutinized
jn
order to
I/,4MIEI,
H4Rl(A,/
AND A BENCAL FAIR
grcat.
Not
only was his
Queen
Mother marying her husbandh
niuderer,
but
she was remarrying;
and ro a Hindu Hamle( a widow,s
marriage
would
juctil)
any
ourhu^t.'
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conduct,
as it were,
an
anatomy
of such laughler-
This
other rexl
is an article
by R.E. Vemede
entirted
'Hamlet
at
a Bengal
Fair',
published
in
(he
Brirish periodical
Bktckwood\
Maed.ine
in October
1910.
This
article ctaims
to be
an
eye.witncss account
ot'lhe
perfonnrnce
of
a
Bengali version
of
Hanlet at
an
up-counrry
.fair,. Ir was
a command performance,
held
in
honour
of
rhe
visir
o,'some
Englishmen
to
fte
estate
of
a local
raja. An
English-educaFd
barrister,
Mrchundat
had been
enrrusted
with providjng
eniertainment
and
he
had
arrangcd
for an
orchestra
playjng
'cod
Save
The
King'.
a
camet race
and Hanlet.
yefiiAe
informs
us thar the
synopsis
of
ihe play
$,as
prinred
in
Engtish
specially for
rhe
visirors,
and
proc€€ds
to
quote
yerbatim
from
this
syropris,
'Thc
plor
in shorr',
as ii
is
callcd:
'The firsr
scene opens
wkh rhe
King
chatring wirh
thc
eueen
in
a
room in
the
casrle.
He
then fcels
drousy
and suhsequentty
frls
aslccp;
whereupon,
rhe
Queen
sends
for
her
husband's
bmrher
Farrukh and induces
him
b drop poison
in his
car.
The KiIlg
dies
of ils
effects,
and the
Qucen
gives
our,
impo
uDalcty
attriburing
rhe
cause
to
a
serpcnl's
bire. Jahangir
rnourns
,ris
thrhcr,s
death and
Akhtar, his friend
and associare,
comforts
him.,
Vernade
ften
commenis:
'This,
it wiltbe
observed
is Shakespearc,
lhough not
in rhe
ordcr we
know
ir.
Liherties
have
been taken.
but
what
aclors
have
not taken
them?
The
point
to
be noiiced is
rhat
the
plor
serves
India admirably.
Look
ar
the
eueen
importunarely
altribudng
her
husband's
dearh
to a
serpenl,s
bite. Ir is
thoroughly
Bengali.'
The whole
accounr
is writen
in
rhis vein:
a kind
of discourse
thal ol]e
associates with
colonial
racial
pre.judicc
and
which
lhrolvs
up
randomly
such commenrs
as:
1)
Harrler
in Bcngali
is
_
if
I may
allempl a definilion
-
a musical
rragedy
ot
imbroglio.
Wlenever
ihe
acriol)
palled (and
thcre was
tors
of acrion)
onc
of the
ptayers
sang
a
song
-
nor
so much
accompanied
bv rhe
orchesrra
as dei]ed
by
i(.
2) "'Soliloqy'
hardty cxprcsses
rhe
prolonged
and rampanr
vocal,
ism
to
which
Hamler,
undcten€d
by
the harmooium
and rhc
ron_
tom.
treated us.
Bul
here again,
of
course,
his
horror
had
10 be
very
It
is
(o
be
noted rhat
VernBde
forgers rhat
Hamlcl
a\
Jit\angir
has undergone
yet
another
l.ansformation and rhat a Muslim
widow
maffying
a
brother-inlaw would
nor
b€ as objectionable.
The slip
is
curious.
Why
the
Hindu
Hamler
becomes
the
Muslim
Jahaogir
is
anybody's
guess.
The
changc
mighr
have been effected
to
draw
audiences in a
part
of Bengal wirh
a sizeabie Muslim
populaiion.
Furlhc
it
may
be conjecrured
rhal the
change was made,
and the
plot
Iurned
inside
out,
in
order
to
claim originality
for a
rural
production
which
was obviously borrowing
heavily from rhc
play
on
thc
Calculta stage
Ha,ir.r/.
A
comparativc sludy
of
the three
plays
-
Shakespete's
Hdhiet,
Harifti
^nd
the
Hantet
at
thc fair
,
reveals rhat
ihe
inspirarion for
ce
ain
sccnes
in rhe hirground
Hamlet.ould have come
only
f,om
Hariruj.
Fot inslance,
there
is
a sceoe
in which.
according
ro
rhe
prinled
plol
included
in
Vernide's
accounr,
Meherbano or Ophclia
givcs
'wenf
10 her Iove
and her maids of honour soothe
her. Vernade
thus describes
the scene:
'Mcherbano
gave,
il
seemed
ro mc,
the
very
meekest
possible
'went" to hcr love
for Jahangir, and
her
maids
of-
honour
hrd
li(le
or no ditljculty
in soothing her though
ftey spread
lhci.
consol.uions
over
a
considerablc
period.'This
seems
ro
mc
10
bc
a dirccl
borrowing
frcm
fie
scenes in
ltdn'lal
involving Aruna./
Ophelia and her
ra*nis
or
nuids
of honour. The consolarions
spread
over
a
long
period
are mos( probably
the
songs.
The
batflemenl
causcd
by
the addition of a
clown called Suleman is dispersed when
one remembcrs the
role
played
by
Dadhimukh
in
lrariraJ.
Howevct I
must meniion that this
perlormance
of H6nlet, ;n
spite
of having plenty
in common $)th
Harirat, is by no mcans
a
slavish
inrilation.
The
unknown
playwrighr
had
nor only changed lhe
names
ol characters
and added
the
scencs
of
the murder
of
rhe king,
bul he had
also
worked
out his own
sokrtion ofHarrl?r. A hve triangle
is introduccd
by adding the ligurc of Mansoor
rhe
Wazjrzada,
wbo
corresponds
struclurally
1lr
Laertes
but
in this
play
is not Meherbano/
Optelia
s
brother
Mansoor/Laenes is, rather, in lo,re with
Meherbano
and
thereby Jahangir/Hamlefs
rivaland encmy. The
faul fight berween
the
rwo rivals is
rhereby
retained-
As to thc
delails,
the synopsis
of
160
{I]AI(F,SPEARE ON THE CALCUTTA
STACE
,,AMLEI.
'Ai,&.1J
AND A
BENGAL
FAIR
l6
Act
V as
given
by
Vcrnede
does
not enlighten us.
Ii says: 'Mansoor's
and Sahelin's
jesling
with.each
olhel
in
the
way. His
going
in
the
garden with
their
help. DeciFrirg
his love
to
Meherbano.
Herdeclining.
Jahangir and
his kiUing
Mansoor. Coming
of
evervone
jn
when
the
Bengali
actors
die
Painful
and
prolonged deaths'
they
are
mc.ely fotlowing
in
Mr
Wopsle's
foolsteps'
H€ loo
had
dicd
by
inches
from
ankle
upwards'.
Unfo{unalely
for
us,
the
Bengali
language
production's
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Coming
of
rhe
Tamasagah.
Farukh
and Jnhangir
witnessing
pertbrntance
The'
death
of all.'
This
version
of lrdrnle,
deviates so much
tmm Hrr,raJ
in
the final
ac1 that a suspicion
lingcrs
in
the mind
(hat
one ma) bc
commilting
an
error in
hssigning
1o
HaIil4J
the
posilion
of
an
Ur_
Text. Therc
are
indced
other
conlenders
in the
liay
The eadiest
tanslarion
ol
Harle,
inlo
Bcngali is Pramalhanaih
Bas]r's
A a$inha
(1874).
A
sudden spate
of Harle,
translations
i,
thc
last decade of
thc
ninelccnth
century
yields
three
more: Lalitmohan
Adhikari's
Hdnltet
(1892193),
Siddheshwar
Gwra's
Cha
.lranath
11894\
and
Chandiprasad
Ghosh
s Hd,ret
(1891/98). Moreover, Hamnchandra
Rakshit
ranslated the
whole ol Shakespeare
(obviouslv
including
lra,,1el)
io
twelve
volumes
between
1896
and
1903.
Nonc of these
plays, howevcr,
suggests a
Muslim adaptation.
ln
the
second decade
of
the
twentieth
century. Parsi
adaplations
ol
Shakespeare,
fbr
example,
Khoon
e'Nahak
lHanl?t),
werc
very
popular.
ln
1902. a
gramophone
record was
relsased containing
the songs
ol
Hoimi
and
Khoo
-e-Nahak-
In
I915,
an
adverlisement
ol Khoon'e'Nahak
tlc-
scribed
it
as Shakespeare's
Harle, 'in oriental
garb'.
In
the absence
of
more
inlormation regarding
Parsi
adaptations, onc
can
only specu_
larc aboui
i1s
influence
on
Bengali
theatre.
Vernade. upon
encountering
a Bengali Hd,lei
in
oriental
garb
and
wilh language
and slyli7-ed
acling
posing barrie,s 1I)
undcrstand-
ing, look
recoursc
b aivializing
the
performance as a
kind of inferior
aping.
Thus he can snceringly
ridicule
the unintended
byp,ay
created
by
Ophelia
picking
up
a
handkerchief
with hcr lbot with
such
comments
as: In Bengal.
when
you
drop
a
thing, there
is no bolhering
ro
stoop
and
pick
i1 up.
You use
your
fbot.' The
racisl
discoursc
raises
our
indignation
till
one
realizes lhal
ii is
wrilteh in a lypically
Dickensian
comic
vein
-
a
recognizable
type otiournalistic
iict;on
But
Vernadc
evidently
does nol know
aboul Mr Wopsle/Waldergarver's
Hamler
in
Chzptlt
3l ot Great
Erpectutioni.
All
the
esranging
or
outlandish
elements
of
production
menlioned
in VernEde's
account
have thek
coqnterpar(s
in
Wopsle's lrdnl€r
histrionics,
uninlended
byplay,
the
orchestni,
even Ophelia's
'slow
musical mdnesJ.
So
proves
io
be
an obslacle
1()
any
rea, estimtrtion
ol
the
Thc
Dickcnsian
mould
of
Vernadet
account
resisls
our
classifi_
catory
impulse
anll'HamLet
at a
Bengal
Fair'
cannot be
fitted
into
any catcgory.
cifier
Bengati lranslation or Bengali
adaptation'
In lact'
tre accoint
resurfaces
ln acolleclion
ofBritish
w'ilihgs
aboutcolonial
lndia as
an excerpl
from
Vernade\
A l?norunt
In lndi't
(1911)'
k
was
published
in British
Lile
In
hditt:
A
An
lolo$ oJ
Hunbtous
Wrnrrgs,
edited
by
Vernede,
by ftc
Oxford
Univemity
Press
and is
availablc
fbr
public consumption.
This
pmblern
of cl;ssificalion
brings
us
to a
final
problemi
of
chaning
onc's
course
through
a
bewildering
nrass
olinformation
while
rracing
the
history of
Shakespearcan
productions in
the nincteenth
and
early twcnlietlr
centurics.
This
is the
period
in
which
the
Bengali
thcare
was mosl
inf'luenced
by
Shakespeare'
The rise
oI
the
com_
mcrcial stage
was lacilitated
through
lhe earlier
European
or
indig_
cnous
amaleur
producrions
oi
Shakespearean
plays
in English
l
need
nol
go
into
the history
ol
the
sprcad
oi
fie
Shakespeare
canon
ihrough
figures
like
D L.
Richardson
and
Derozio
ai
the
Hindu
College.
The
cntire
galaxy
of
Be.gali
stalwarts
of
the Lhcalre'
bc
it
Nlichael
Madhusudlran
Dutt
or
Girish
Chandra
Ghosh
or
Dwijendra
l-al
Roy,
was
inspired
by both
the lorm
and lhe
cootcnl
ofshxkespeare's
plays.
Whal
role
did
the
lranslated
versidns
ol
Shakespcare
have
in
furtherjng
Shakespeare worship?
One
suspecLs
ihat
lls the transladons
originated
as tribuies
lo
Shakespcarc'
their
targel
audience
also
was
thc
English-educaled
Bengali
man.
Thev tolr'hed
thc
rest
of
lhe
masses,
whether
able |o
read English
or
not' only
tangenlially
Thus
we had instxnoes
of indigcnous
journals
carrying
revicws
of
such
publicrriors;
lbr
irrs[nce.
The
Be,ryatee
ot
25 i'rnc
1902'
an English
periodical,
carricrl
a
revie'v
of Jatindrantohan
Ghosh's
ranslation
ol
Bengali
trunslations
of
Shakespeare
are divisible
inlo lwo
main
calego.ies:
Iitcrxl
renditions
with lhc
nanlcs
of
placcs
and
charactcrs
rclained
or
changed
to
Indian
namesi
and
frec
adaptrtions
with
162
SHAKESPEARE
ON
THE CAICUTTA
STACE
varying
degrees
of
Indianization.
On
stage,
lhe adapled
versions
were
generally more
successlul
in
the
nineteenlh
century.
Prompted
by the
staging
ol
Kuswnkumari
(qnbeline'
1874:)'
Rdrapal
(Macbeth,
H,\MI-ET
,'I,4R/II,4./
AND A
BENcAL
FAIR
163
new
form
when
he
muses
al
fie end
of
his
reporl:
'as
we drove
back'
we could
see the
shrouded
Bengalis
shuffliog
home
along
the dustv
road.
Though
we
had,
all
of us,
been
seeing
Shakespeare's
Laflle''
I had the
slaange
lecling
thal
we were
moving
in
some
tme
and
place
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1814)
ad Bhbnsinha
(.Othelo,
18'15),
Girish Ghosh
attempted
his
ranscrealion
ol
Mrcbe./1
at the
Minerva
Thealre
in 1893
He adver_
lised
it\
the
Antla
Bazat
Pdrrita
in the
following
manner:
'Opening
night
/
The Mincrva
Thealre
/
6 Beadon
Street
/
Saturday.
the
28'h
January
9
p.m.
/
Shakespeare
in
Bengal.
/
MACBETH
/
I
have
got
the
piece mounled
by
/
European
Arlists
and
Dressed
/ it under
European
Supervision
/ aod
"make_up
by
Mr
J
Pimm"
The
adver_
isement
poinG
10 Girish
Chandra's
altempt
al
an authenlic
Shakespeare
The
play
left
reviewers.
but
not the audience,
overflowing
with
praise.
Evcn
today,
cridcs
praise Girish
Chandra's
translation
while
i"g."uirg
lri" addition
of
exlra
songs
to
the tragedv
But
the
nineteenth-century
audience
was tolally
diseochrn@d
-
by
Girish
Chandra's
own
admission,
the
Minerva
Theatre
was
emPly afler
the
firsl
few
nights.
one of
the vjewers had commenlcd
in
his
presence
that
in
his ten
years' experience
of watching
theatre,
he had
never
Dcspite
this commercial
failure.
Girish
Chandra
showed
the way
for
latcr
experimentation
and also
evolved
a style
of acting,
dressing
and
slage
sedng
which
proved of immense
aid
10
Amarcndranath'
Righ
from
the
days
oi
Richardson's
teaching
in the
Hindu
College'
th;
appre.iation
of
Shakespeare's
plays
had
been
bound
to
watchins
oeriormance'
A hetghlened
emolionah\m.
flambolant
:peeche
antl
a
.pccracular drrmotii
Iorm
hao
rcsulted
which
owed
ir' rnspirarion
io
prevalent
Britisn
theatrical practice. The
efforls
of
Bengali
actors
an;
acrcsses
were
repeatedly
measurcd
against
those
of
Garrick
or
Mrs
Siddons.
Amarcndranalh
as Hariraj
was
slill
being
compared
anachronisiically
wilh Carick
as late
as 1900
i
the
Indian
Mirror
When
we
ideniify
rnelodrama
as the
vehicle
for
transmittiog
Shakesp€are
1o Bengali
audiences
in
this
period,
we
must
'emember
thal
ihe
\ictorian
fondness
for
melodrama
I'ooms
large
over the
scene'
At
a
lurther
stage
of
transmission,
at
the upcounlry
{air'
vi€bnan
melodrama
meets
indigenous
folk
fieatre
or Jatra
and
the two
forms
mingle
to become
one
are
trans-formed
Vernede
perhaps
grasps
this
thai
were
prc
Shakespearean.'
Divested
ofthe
glamour of Shakespeare'
the
plot ;hanged
beyond
recogoitiot,
this
ve(ion
of
Honlet
snc-
ceeded
as
thealre.
Vernedc
contirms:
'There
was
sustained
applause
from the
wholc
thealre.
parlicularly
from
the
front
row
of
the stalls''
The
question
thal
Mr
Chundar
anxiously
asked
tl]e English
viewers
-
'Y;u
,ike it? You
rhink
that
i1 was
well
acted?'
-
relcals'
I think'
not
anxiety
but
pride
in
his
counlrymen's
ability
to
malch
standards
ol
c\cellence
by
acring
Shake'peare
'
HafllP/'
.
If
wc accept
th^t
Homlet
al
the
Bengal
fair
is actually
a
take-
of
fiom
flarrai
and
not the
ignorant
half_educated
Indian's
version
of frdnlrt,
the
entire
entcrpnse
can
b€
viewed
in a
less Dickensian
lighr
Walter
Benjamin,
raling
the
translatability
oftexts
by
ayardstick
oiher
than
linguistic
fidelity,
slates
in
'The
Task
of the
Translator'
(l
tlntiiotion|.
oanslated
bv
Harrv
Zohn'
London:
Fon'an'Collins'
ISZO,
p.
St),
'ftt" tigt",
the
level
ofa
work,
fie
mor€
does
it
remain
transiatable
cven
if
ils
meanjng
is louched
upon
only
lleelinglv
This'
of course.
applies
1o origina)s
only'
Translations'
on
$e
olher
hand'
prove
to
te
untranstatable
not
because
of any
inherent
difficulty'
but
;ecaose
ol
the looseness
with
which
meaning
altaches
to lhem'
Judged
in
this
1ilht.
Hairaj
is a
successful
tanslation
of i/amkl'
Eve;
ihe
unintelligibility
of &e
fairground
Ha'nle|can
be
explained
by
jis
being
a translation
ol
a tmnslatiot'
Success
in
performance
forces
Lrs
to deviate
from
this
formulation
a little
and
say
that Bengali
versions
of lramler
succeed
as
they.achieve
thal
'lransparency'
which
Benjamin idendfies as the hallmark
of
a
rell
lranslation
'A
real
tranilation
is
transparent,'
Benjamin
writes
elsewhere
in
the
same
essay.
'it do€s
not
cover
the
original,
does
not blo'k
its
lighl' but
allo;s
the
pure language,
as
lhough
rei'forced
by
i's
own
medium'
to shine
upon
fte
original
all
the
more
fully''
(p
79)
we need
(o
reconsider;nd
rehabilitaie
the
Bengali
productions
of Shakespeare
in
this
light.
RANGANA
BANERIEE
APPENDX E
TIIE
THEATRES
THE
THEAIRES
165
Kumar Bhaduri
in lhe
1940s,
when
it
was called Srirangam.
Brislow The.tre
(1789-90)
residence.
An
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lAn
asterisk indicates that the theatre
is still in operation.l
*Aban
Mahal
(establish€d
1974)
Located
in
Dhakuria. Set up
by
the
Children's
Litlle
Theatrc
group.
+Academy
of
Flne
Arh
(established
1970)
Adjacent 1I)
Rabindra
Sadan. Atlached to
what
is
(as
its nalne
indicates)
primarily
an
art
gallery
and
exhibition hall,
the
audirorium
is thc maior
ltnuc
for
Bcngali
group
lheatre. Approximarcly 750
seats.
Alfred Thertre
(est
blished
l9l0)
Locatcd
at 9l
Harrison Road
(now
Mahatma Gandhi Road),
rhe
iornrer
sitc
of the Curzon Thcalrc
(cstablished
1904).
A nujor
vcnuc
lbr
the
Parsi theatre.
Now
Grace Cinema.
Athenaeum
(1812-14)
Established at l8
[Lower]
Circula.
Road
by Mr Morris.
Poor
perior-
mances resulted
in
dwindling audienccs and
haslened
its
closure.
B€nsal Theatr€
(€stablish€d
1873), briefly
Udque
Theatre
(1903-04),
Natioml
Theatre
(190s-191r)
The first
permanenl
stagc
ior
proiessional
Bengali theat.c. Lmalcd
at
9
Beadon
Strect,
the
prcsent
site
of
$e
Beadon Strcet
Posr
Oflice.
Inlroduccd
actrcsses
on
stage.
+Bi&n
Theatre
(esrablished
1979)
Acommeroial theatre al5A Raja
Rajkrishna
Slreet. Apprcximately
550
Biswarupa
(established
1956)
A mrumerci.tl theatre at
2A
Raia Raikishra
Streeq
rhe
site ofthe earlie.
Natyanikekn
(established
l93l).
This
stage was
made
l'amous
by
Sisir
Establjshed by Mrs
Emma
Brisbw
at her Chowringhce
all
women amateu. company.
f,{e
CaIc
ta Cazexe.
? May l?89,
described
it as 'a
perlecl
thcatre
dilTering only
fron
a
public
one in
ks dimensions'.
It
was olosed
after Mrs Brislow
leil for
England.
Calcutta
Th€atr€
See N€w Playho|lse
CholYringhee
Th€atre
(1813-39)
Localed
al the crossing olchowringhee
Road and Theatre
Rond
(now
Shakespcare
Saftni).
It
was
the
longest-running
and
besFknown
English theatrc
in Calculta. Allhough,slyled
a
'private subscriplion
thealre',
il dcfiayed the cost
oI
consnuclion
by selling shares,
supplenrented by agencrous
donaljon
fronr
lhe Governor-General
Lo.d
Hastings
of
Moira.
The
building,
crowned
by
a
domc,
was described
by
Stoqueler
as a
'clumsy
edifice'.It
was
controlled
by the
Amateur
Dramrlic
Society, also known
as the 'Chowringhce
Theatrc
Becfsleak
Club'.
The male
rolcs
were
played
by 'gcnllemen
amrtcurs' and the
female
roles
by
wonren
who rcsidcd
on
the
prcmises
and receivcd
monihly
salaries. Among
lhem were
Mrs
Bland,
M.s
Francis, Mrc
Godieb
and
Mrs
Eslhcr Leach. Among
th€ amaleur
malc
actors was
one
Captain
W.D.
Playiai..
who
'as
Faislaffhad no
equal'
[Cal
Stage].
The
Chowringhce
Theare
rcached
its
highest
celebrily during
Lord Amherst's Govemor-Generalship.
Perfomances
wcre held every
week, usually on
Thursday
evenings.
The charge
was Rs- 8
(boxes)
and
Rs.
6
(pi1).
In
1835, when lhe Thealrc
was lacing closure
owing 1o
a huge
debt,
'Prince' Dwarkanath Tagorc
came
to i1s
rcscue. Some
changes
in the mantrgemenl
were
inlroduced
subseque
lly. In the
€arly morniog
of 3l May
1839,
thc
Chowringhec
Theaire was htally
dcslroy€d by
firc.
Corinthian Theatre
Located at 5
Dharaml
a S1ree1
(now
t-cnin Sarani).
Now thc
Opera
166
SHAKESPEARE
ON
THE CALCUTTA
STACE
Cinema.
A
maior
venue for
the Parsi
theatre.
Empire
Th€atre
Locatcd
at 48
Chowringhee
Place.
Now
fie Roxy
Cinema'
TllE
TIjEATRES
t61
+Madhusudan
Mancha
(1995)
Localed near
Dhakuria
flyover
in south
Calcutla
Built'
along
wilh
Girish
Mancha,
by
the
west
Bengal
GoYemment
to
crea(e
more
spaces
lor
performance.
Approxirnately
850
seats'
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*c.
D.
Birla
Sabhagar
(1984)
Localed
at
l9
Queqn's
Park,
Ballygunge.
Perhaps
the Unest auditorium
in the
city,
bul
owing to
high
rcntal charges
used
mainly
to
stage
shows by
visiting
companies
Approximalclv 650
scats
*cirish
Maftha
(opered 1986)
Located
at
7611 Bagbazd
Streel
Built
by the West
Bengal
Covernment
in the locality
famous
tbr
its
past rcsident.
$e
aclor-manageFdranatist
Girish
Chandra
Ghosh.
Approximately
750 seats.
Creat
National
Theatr€
(1874'77)
Located
at
6
Beadon Street.
Built
by
a
group
oi
theatre
cnthusiasts
includirg
llnancier
Bhuban
Neogi and
archilecr
Dhrrmadas
Sur
*Gyan
Manch
(opened
1981)
Locatcd
at
ll Preloria
Strcet.
on the
premises of
Abhinav
Bharati
School.
Populnr
venue
for
the
Hindi and
English
language
iheatres'
Approximately
400 seats.
Hindu
Theatre
(1$r)
Establishcd
by
Pmsinna
Kumar
Tagore
at
his
garden house
at Sura'
Functioned
for only
one
or
two
years.
Jorasanko
Theatrc
(1854)
The
venue
of
pcrlbrmances organized
by
Pcarymohan
Bosc
in
his
residence
at Baranasi
Ghosh
Strect,
Jorasanko-
Not
io be
confuscd
with
the
Tagores'
thcatre
ofthe
same
name in thc;tJorasanko
mansion'
*Kalakunj
Basemenl
of
Kala
Mandir.
Approximately
360
seats'
+Kata
Mandir
(te68)
Located
at 48
Shakespeare
Sarani.
Appmxnnarcly
1100
scats
tMahajati
Sadan
(optred
1958)
Located
at
t6e
Chiitaranjan
Avenue
The
idea
ol
ihis
'hall
of
lhe
nation'
emanalcd
lrom
Notaji
Subhashchandra
Bosc'
Thc
foundation
stonc
was
laid
in
1939 bv
Rabindranath
Tagore'
but
ihe
building
became
operaiional
well
alcr
Independence'
Approximately
lmo
+Ntaharashtra
Nivas
Localcd
at
15 Hazra
Road.
A ccnlre
lbr
the
Maharashtrian
commuDily
ir
Calculta.
Has an
a$ched
auditorium
named
Tilak
Hall'
*Max
Mu€ller
Bhavan
(1969)
Localed
at
4
Pramathesh
Barua
Sarani
(Ballvgunge
Circular
Road)
The
cultural
cenlre
ofthe
Germrn
consulac
in Calcutta'
$ith
puryose
built
audilorium. Approximatclv 220
scats
*Min€rva
Thcatre
(established 1893)
Set
up
on thc
sitc
of
thc fomer
Great
Nationat
Thcatre
OPcned
with Matheth.
on
28
Januarv
l893
The
original
building
was
desiroyed
by
tile.
The
new building
continucd
as one
of lhc
chicf
commercial
stages
of
Calcuk
till
it i'ell
into
decline
in
lhe
1950s'
tt
was thcn
taken
o €r
by
Ulpal
Dutl's
Li(tle
Thealre
Croup'
who
stngcd
many
ol
their
signilicant
produclions
herc'
including
several
Shakcspeare
plays.
+Muktangsn
(est^blished
1962)
Locatea
ai
tZ:
Stryamaprasad
Mukherjec
Road
Small
theatre
owned
by
lhc
Beogali
grcup, Shouvanik.
Origirrally
lcmporarv
stage
(hcnce
tire
naorc
,Mrtrarga,r,
'frec'
or
'open
stagc')'
The
pcrmanenl
slage
was buil(
atter
a
lire.
Approximalely
zl00
scats'
National
Theatre
(1872'74)
Scr
up
3t
Madhusudan
Sanyal's
housc
in
Iorrsanko
(365
UDrrer
168
SHA(ESPEARE
ON TI]E CALCUTTA
STAGE
Chi(pur
Road,
now 279A-F
Rabindra
Sarani)
by
members
of the
Bagbazar
Amateur Thealre
or ShyrmbaTnr Natyasamaj. Among them
wcrc N0gend.anarh
Banerjee.
Ardhcndu
Se(har Mustafi and Dharmadas
Sur
THE THEATRES 169
Seminary, Ie.d
by
Keshabchandra Ganguly
and Priyanalh Datla. They
financed
themsehes.
Ire
BensaL
Ha,'karu,'7
Aptil
1853,
reported that
alumni and sludents
donaled Rs 800 to build a theatre dedicatcd
to
slaging
Shakespeare.
They
tvere
directed
by Mr
Clinger, fonnerly of
Sans
Souci. and
larer rrdincd
b) Mr. Ellir.
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N€rY
Empire
Incated
at
I/2
Humayun
Place. Now
a cinema
hall
New Playhouse
or Calcutta Theatre
(1775-1808)
Located at the crossing ol
Lyons
Range and
Clive
Sreet
(now
Neraji
Subhas
Road). Founded by
lhe
auctioneer George Williamson, also
known as 'Vcndumas(er'. Patrons;ncluded Wanen
Hastings,
Richard
Barwcll.
Elijah
Impey.
David
Garick was approached
for help.
Hesent
an
associalei Bernard Massinck. Sec
Appendix
B-
Fron
a
lerter by Mrs Eliza Fay,
26 March l78l
(OrigitruL
Lettercfnnl
'The house was buill by subscdption; it is very neatly
fitled
up,
and
fte scenery
and decorations
quite
equal to
what
could
be expeclcd
here.
The
parts
fie
entirely
represented
by
amat€urs
in
thc
drama
-
no
hired
performers
being allowed to
act. t assurc
you
I have seen
characlers
supported
in
a manner thai would not
disgrace arl
European
stage
.-.
'...
lor
my own
part
I think
such a mode
of
an evening
highly
rational; and
were
I not debarred
by
the expense should seldom miss
a representalion
-
but a
gold
mohur is really loo much to bestow
on such a lemporury
gralification.'
twe
also
learn
that lhe
price
lor a seai in
the
pit
was
eight sicca
ruppes, and that actresses were
originally
barred
from
appearing
on
stage.l
Opeaa
House
Located at
Lindsay
Strcet.
Now
the
Clobe Cinema.
Orienbl Theatr€
(1853)
In Cour Mohan Auddy's Orienral Seminary, 268
Garanhata, Chitpore
Road
(now
Rabindra Sarani). The first attcmpl
by Indians 10 se1 up
a commercially-run English-language theatre,
though the acton
were
amateurs:
a company of
studenrs.
old and new, of
thc o
ental
lhe
Playhouse
(?1753-?1756)
Located opposite St
Andrew's
Church.
cast
of lhe
present
Wrilers'
Buildings.
Established
by the
'Young
writers
of
John
Company'.
Productions aided hy
David
Garrick.
No inlbrmation exists about any
plays
sraged
here. Reportedly deslroyed when Nawab Siraj-ud-Daula
arrrcled
Cnlculta
*Rabindra
Sadan
Located at the crossing of Acharya
Jagadish Chandra Bose Road and
Cathedral Road.
Planned as the leading auditorium in the slale, one
of the
chain sel up
in
Indian
s1a1e
capilals to mark
the
birth
centenary
of Rabindranalh
Tagore
in
1961.
Approximately ll00
sea$.
RqiBharrn
An
imposing
colonial
buildbg.
now
(he
office and
residencc
of
the
Governor
of
West Bengal. Contains
lhe
Marble
Hall, used
fbr
cerenronial
occasions.
Rungmahal
(€stablished
1931)
Commercial
theare
al
76ll
Cornwallis Street
(now
Bidhan
Sarani).
Sans
Souci Theatre
(189"40,
1840-44/49)
Mrs l-each,
who had been in England
when ihe
Chowringhe€
Theatrc
was
burnt down,
retumed soon
after
and renled
a
large
warehouse
at the
comer
ofGovernment
Phce
East and
Waterloo Streel. This was
converled
into
'an
eleganl theatrc lo
accommodalc
four
hundrcd
p€rsors'.
I1 opencd
on
21
Augusl 1839 and
ran lill
1840.
wilh funds raised lhrough
subscription
by Mr Sloquelc
a
contribulion
lro
rhe
Governor-General
Lord
Auckland, and a morF
gage
on the
propcrty
and its contenlsi a
new thealrc
buildiDg
was
erected in Park Strcet,
where S1
Xavier's
College
now
stands. The
architect was a Eurasian
genlleman
named J. W. Collins.
Il was
SHAKESPEARE
ON THE CAI,CL]TTA STAGE
completed
in
May
1840
and the
first
perfbrmance
was
held
on
Monday,
8
March
1841.
Besides Mrs
Leach.
notable acto6
at the
Sans Souci
included
Mrs Deacle,
who
as
Miss Dadjng
had
made
'a
gorgeous
Cleopatra
THE
THEATRES
ll
I
Star The.tr€
(1888)
Afr,er
having to
vacate
their
old
iheatre
the Star
company
built
a
new
playhouse
at
7613
Cornwallis
Street
(now
7913/4
Bidhan
Sarani)'
Burnt
down
in a fire.
1991.
7/23/2019 Shakespeare in Bengal Checklist.pdf
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ar the
Adelphi',
Miss Cowley, and Mr and Mrs
Barry-
On 2 Novemb€r
1843.
during a show
where
James
\aning
rendered
exiacts
horn
The
Merchant
of Venice, Mfi
Lgach's dress caught fire
during the subsequent
Dedormance
of a farce, The
Hanhome Hu|-
6afld.
She
was severely burnt. and
succumbed to
her
injuries on 18
November.
Soon
afler Mrs
Leach's
death, the
Sans
Souci
was
plunged
into
financial difficulties-
The last known
per{ormance
at the
theatre
(of
othello) rook
place
on 24
April
1844. Ir that
year,
rhc
building
was
sold to
Archbishop
Carew for Rs.
40,000.
bul
pcrformances
by the
company
continued elscwhere
till 1a49. OtheUo
(18.18)
may have
played
a1
14 Wellington Square,
Mr Barry's residence
[according
1o
Das Guplal.
*Samla Memorial Community
Hall
Located
at l/l Hadsh
Mukherjcc
Road. Part oI Gokhale School
and
College,
and named
after
their
lbunder
Samla Ray.
Shri
Shikshayatan
A
womenh college
at
11
Lord
Sinha Road
with
audirorium.
*Sisir
Mancha
(1978)
Locatcd
at l/l Acharya
Jagadish
Chandra
Bose
Road,
next to
Rabindra
Sadan. Buill
by lhe WestBengal Govenrment
in the memory
of celebrated
actor-director
Sisir
Bhadui.
Approximately
400
seaB.
S(ar Theatre
(1883)
/ Emerald Theatre /
Classic
Theatre
/
Momohan
NablMtardir
The Slar Thcatre
was sel
up
in
1883 at 68 Beadon Slree
by Girish
Chandra
Chosh and
Binodiri
Dasi,
wilh
finance
from
Gurmukh
Rai.
It changed namcs
and hands many times.
It was known as the Classic
Thealre
liom
1897,
when
Amarendranadr
Dutl
took it
over.
In
the
1920s, it was also
krown
as
the Monmohan Natyamandir.
Demolished
193 t.
Thestre
Royal
(1872)
Also
known
as
Mrs
Lewis'
Theatre,
on
Cholvrjnghec'
Town
HaU
(1814)
Situated
to the
west of4
EsplanadeRow.
Needless
to
say.
noi
priinarily
a
theatre,
but
some
perfolmances
were
hcld ficre'
*University
Institute
Hall
(established 1891)
Located at
7 Bankim
Chatlcrjee
Street.
beside
College
Square
Foundcd
;n l89l
at lhe
initialivc
of some
eminent
lgih-century
Bengalis
such
as
Dr Mihendralal
Sarkar,
Sir Gurudas
Banerjce.
the
Rev
Kalicharan
Bancrjee
and
the
Rev. Pralap
Chandra
Majumdar,
with fie
suppon
01'
Sir
Asutosh
Mukherjee
and
the
pdncipals
ol
various
Calcutla
collcges'
Originally
called
the Society
for lhc Highcr Training
of
Young
Men'
theinstilute
quickly
becamc
lhe
most important
centre
for thc
cultural
activities
ot
college
sludents
in Calculla.
It
suned
staging
plays
from
1899.
and
Soon becxme
fic
nursery
of
young
theatrical
Ialenl'
It was
destroycd
by
llre
in lhe I9?0s
and
rebuilt
wilh
assistance
from
the
West Bcngal
Covernmenl
'vidya
Mandir
Localed
a1 I Moira
Strccl,
owned
by
Birla High
School
(loflnerly Hindi
High
School).
Approximalclv
800
sents'
wheel€r
Phce
Thdatre
(u97-98)
Established
by
Edward
wheeler,
3
member
of
Warren
HastiDgs'
Council.
BIBLIOGRAPIIY
lRetiews
cited
in
the rnain
text
aft
not
i ctuded
hele,l
B'BLIOCRAPHY
I-13
Tagorc,
Rabindranath.
Re,,l,,ir.€rc?r.
London: Macmillan, 1917.
A Ttibute
To
Shakespearc.
New
Delhi: Theatre
&
Television Asso-
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Bool'3
Ahmed,
Shafi.
Ran?adeshe
Shakrspearc.
Dhaka:
Bangla
Academy,
1988.
Ahsan,
Naznrul.
Shakespearc
Tratstation
in
Nineteenth
Centur)
Benqali
Theate.
Dhaka:
Bangla Academy,
1995.
Bhattacharya,
Shankar
BarSta
Ranqalqer
ttihaser
Upada . Vo1.
2
O901-I9@).
L
3
0
9I G 1919).
Calcuttr:
paschimbanga
Natya
Akademi,
19+96.
Bose,
Amalendu
(.ed.).
Calcutra Essals
o
shakespear..
Catcnr,sl
Calcuxa
University,
1966.
Chakrabarti,
Rathin.
(allotar
Nat)acharcha.
Calcutta:
paschimbanga
Natya
Akademi,
I991.
Chowdhury,
Indira
(ed.).
'A
Checklisr of
Transtations
of
European
Texts
in
Bengali
I 800, I
900' . Calcutta:
Deparment
of English,
Jadalpur
Universily,
1996.
Contenryomtt
htdhn
Thearrc.
Ne\t
Dethi
sangeer
Natak Akademi,
1989_
Das
Gupta, Hemendra
Nath.
The India,t
Thedtre_
Delh
i:
Cian
publish-
ing
Hous€,
repdnr
1988.
Kendal,
Geoffrey.
Tre Slzr
kespeare Waltah.
Harmondswonh:
penguin,
1986.
Milra,
Sanat Kumar.
Shakespeare
o
Bongla
Nard*.
Calcurta:
pustak
Bipani,
1978.
Mukhe{ee,
Sushil. The
Story ol
the
Calcutta
Theatrcs
t7S3-1980.
Calcu(tar K.P.
Bagchi,
1982.
NambooJrr).
Ud:r)un.
St-
Xavier\.
Thc i4dking
of
a
Catcu
a
tn\ti-
rrrion. New
Delhi: Viking/Penguin
Books
India,
t995.
Raha,
Kironmoy.
8?rgall
Trearre.
New Dethi:
Nalional
Book Trust,
1978;
second
cdilion
1993.
Raychaudhuri,
Subh
(ed.).
ailart
Jatru
Theke
Sfodeshi
Theatre.
Calcutla: Jadavpur
Universily,
t972.
Satka\ Salll.
Theatrc-et
Kalkata. C^lcul],a:
Mirra
& chosh. 20m.
Sikdac Lipika.
S/ri?rp€a rc in
the Media.
Calcutta: Avanlgrrde.
press,
t\,9.
117
Articles
Banerji, Brajendra Nalh. 'Thc Early History
of the
Bengali
Theatre'.
The
Mode Rerie$., Oclober l93l and November 1931.
'The
Calcutta Srase'.
The
Stites
n
,
22
and
29 October
1905.
Choudhury, Ahirdra. 'Shakespeare Worship in
Bengal'.|^
Rabindru
Bharati
Uttitersiry
Journal
Shakespeare tssue
(Vol.
2, No. 2.
April-
June 1964).
Ghosh,
Ajit
Kuma. 'Shakespcarc In Bcngali
Translalion' in WodAr
Word: Essdrs o,t Tta
llation
in
Memo.- of.lasa
na
l
Chakruwry'.
Ed. Visvanalh Challeriee. Calculla: Papyrus, 199,1-
Gupta, Nagend.anath.
Some
Celebrities'.
The
l4odem Reriew. May
)9n.
Lahiri Choudhury, Sheila. 'All the Depa,hent's a Stage' . Souv ir
ol
irc
Depaturcnt
of
Ettglish,
ladat,pur
U
ersit,.
198'7.
Mitra. Amal. 'Some
Celebrated
Artistes
of Shakespearean Drama in
Old Calculta'.
Hindunha
StundarLl, 19 April 1964.
Mookerjee,
Kanli
(intorvicwcd).
'From Srilckha to
Shylock'.In
Or:|8rn
,V"',r
lQuarterly
House Jounal
ollndian Oxygen
Limiled].
Vol.4.
No.
I & 2, January-Junc 1964.
Typescript
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(Nalya
Shodh