Wisdom spanning cultures and centuries

SHARADA ADHIKARI

KATHMANDU: Powerful, moving and funny — Scenes from the Metamorphoses, a play about change — will keep you glued to the edge of your seat till the end and you will step out of the theatre with a satisfied heart, and also with some words of wisdom.

Scenes from the Metamorphoses is a dramatic adaptation by Sabine Lehmann and Ludmilla Hungerhuber that was inspired by ancient Greek tales of Metamorphoses written by the Roman poet Ovid and a contemporary version, written by American dramatist Mary Zimmerman.

The play opened at Studio 7 Theatre of Hotel Vajra, Bijeshwori from May 4.

There a total of seven scenes and one is of Midas (Karma) — a greedy and cunning king who asks God Bacchus to grant him the power to change everything he touches into gold. But at the end it is his daughter who turns

into gold when the king touches her.

One of the most interesting features in the setting of the entire play is a small elegant pool that serves different purposes in different scenes — from a rich man’s personal pool to a serene lake to a wild ocean.

Costumes are diverse and complement the theme of the play. While king Midas wears daura-suruwal, Phaeton puts on jumpers and sunglasses, and others are shown wearing dresses that resemble the characters from ancient time. “The costumes have been designed in ways that span cultures and centuries as the play has messages of wisdom that go through centuries,” says Lehmann, the director of the play.

“Take for instance Phaeton — he disobeys his father not to fly too down and drowns in the ocean. He can be related to the young boys of modern days who die in motorcycle accidents,” she related.

The characters have become vehicles to present messages with witty dialogues and hilarious performances. Karma steals the show with his diverse roles — he is apt as the greedy Midas, is funny to look at as Phaeton — swimming and dancing in his shorts, and is good as Vertumnus, suitor of Pamona.

And every time Aashant Sharma comes on the stage, you won’t stop laughing — be it as a drunken Silenus or as the God of Sleep. Samuna KC has well portrayed role of a passionate lover. Debutant Nirab Rimal is okay while other characters too remain sharp and funny throughout their performances.

“The cast is a mix of old and new and it is quite exciting to work with them,” shared the director who has carefully infused Ovid’s tales in the modern context so that the charm of the play has remained intact. And her direction has helped the cast

remain fresh.

The play will be staged

every Friday, Saturday and Sunday

at 7:15 until May 20.