 | | Al' Daakan review | |
|  |  | THIS STORY LAST UPDATED:
25 February 2003 1715 GMT
:: Al' Daakan
:: Tobacco Factory
:: 12-15 June 2002
:: Para Active theatre company | | Sleep Teacher from Al' Daakan | | | |
| | Al’ Daakan is a weird but wonderful journey of a young girl struggling to resolve her recurring nightmare.
It was fusion theatre at its best, confidently using different art forms to mix seamlessly into an innovative production by the Para Active theatre company.
The story line is very simple: Zenobia (Persis Jade Maravala) is a young girl who has dreams of her Aunt Rukhsana.
In the dream, the aunt is possessed by a jealous male spirit.
Zenobia sets off with her friend Vasya (Mayur Zaveri) to find the ghost of her great aunt.
Interaction throughout
The play begins in a burst of Gujarati, the dialect of the Parsi community in Surat.
This doesn’t ever affect the audience’s understanding of the play - and there was loud appreciation and interaction throughout.
There was Bharatanatyam and Kathakali (two well known South Indian dance forms), as well as the martial art of Kalari- that all add up to lend power to the performance of Zenobia’s quest.
During the interval we were shooed off to drink some masala tea that Zenobia’d made for us.
When we got back there was a dark brooding sleep teacher from Goa (Jonathan Grieve who’s also the director of the play) waiting to start the ‘exorcism’ - or should I say therapy - that leads to the realisation that the dream of possession is an account of a rape.
Surreal and 'Rushie-esque'
The music in the second half was live (composer Ged Barry) and very well performed adding drama to the surreal events unfolding, as if something out of a Salman Rushdie novel.
Zenobia evokes the power of Kali (the Hindu goddess of wrath) and becomes Al’ Daakan, the female demon and wreaks revenge on the people who abused her.
The play reaches its crescendo with some excellent performances (and dancing) by Maravala and Zaveri.
In fact Zaveri’s comic talent is quite superlative and he bore a slight resemblance to Freddie Mercury (also from that part of the world).
The Tobacco Factory was a perfect setting for this kind of original theatre, and Al’ Daakan is highly recommended!
Al Daakan is in town for four performances from 12th - 15th June at the Tobacco Factory. | |
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