Rabindra Pokharel

Kathmandu:

Humans fear gods no more. It’s the gods who fear them. And that’s not because human beings have become mightier as such. Gods fear them for the simple fact that humans are no longer humans anymore. Corruption, deception and depravity reigns in the human world and the gods are no good at this newly acquired human art. There might be a face or two, who do not constitute the depraved lot, but they fare even worse. Gods can at least find their way back to their heavenly abode, up above in the realm of the clouds, but the poor wrecks have to trudge through one misery after another. “The good person of Szechwan”, staged at Studio 7 in the Naga theatre of Hotel Vazra on 22 April, reflects precisely this deplorable state of the world. The play is one of the masterworks of the 20th century German playwright, Bertolt Brecht.

The play begins with a prologue and is followed by 10 consecutive scenes. A humble water-seller and three gods make their appearance on the stage. The gods are in search of a good human being. The water seller, the first human being that the gods have encountered becomes the intermediary in their noble cause. To their displeasure, none other than a harlot matches their specifications. With the 100 silver dollars that the gods reward her she opens a tobacco shop, which only turns out to be a charitable business to help every lackey in the neighbourhood. She falls head over heels in love with a pilot without a job. What follows only invites tragedy. The variegated cast of characters perform brilliantly. Their costumes and exaggerated gestures perfectly heighten the intensity of the play. The elaborate make up of the characters accentuates the subtle nuances of characterisation. The play concludes tragically with Shen Te (the prostitute) revealing her conflict: “To be good to others and to myself split me like lightening into two people”. Nonetheless, the touch of humour throughout the play and the spectacular performances by Tsering Lama and Himali Dixit are a treat to experience.