Reviewed by James Karas
Some years ago, The Shaw Festival launched a laudable tradition of staging a one-act play at lunchtime. The plays chosen over the years range from the less known to the unknown one-acters and the chances of seeing them performed were small to none. They can be done in about an hour and you can still have lunch and see a matinee at 2:00 p.m. This year’s choice is Chitra, a play by Rabindranath Tagore, the prolific and famous Nobel Prize laureate.
In the programme, the Shaw Festival provides some helpful information about the play. Tagore wrote it in 1892 and translated it into English in 1913. The play originates from Mahabharata, the Sanskrit epic poem but there is no information about any productions in Canada and I could not find any mention of it in England. In fact, the only play that I could find produced in England in the last 41 years by Tagore is Red Oleander. According to the single review reprinted in Theatre Record, this 1926 play premiered in England in 2006 and is one of Tagore’s 50 plays.
Chitra is a myth about a woman born to a king who wanted a son. He decided to raise his daughter as a man and she became a famous warrior. Something was missing from her life until she met Arjuna (Andrew Lawrie), a warrior prince. She falls in love with him but he has taken a vow of celibacy and is not fit for marriage.
Chitra consults Madana (Sanjay Talwar), the god of love and asks him to make her beautiful and teach her how to be a woman. She also consults Vasanta (Taurian Teelucksingh) the god of Eternal Youth and asks him to make her beautiful for a day to enjoy and get Arjuna’s attention. At its simplest, Chitra dramatizes the powerful awakening of love and sexual desire in both Chitra and Arjuna but it is done on a poetic and heroic level.
In addition to the four speaking parts, the play has four almost silent characters on stage who react to the dialogue and have some dance movements.
The set by Designer Anahita Dehbonehie consists of half a dozen steps rising to a pedestal for the gods. The background consists of an orb of light and some concentric circles suggesting the sky or another world. The effective lighting is designed by Chris Malkowski.
Chitra speaks to the gods and Arjuna with passion, doubt and fear. But her love and passion for Arjuna overcome her hesitation. Arjuna is equally attracted to her and his passion overcomes his vow of celibacy,
The gods are above the mortals but they are
imperious without being overweening.
There are some beautiful lyrical passages describing attraction, desire and passion all of which are finally fulfilled. But all is done on an elevated or heroic level which is somewhat static. The acting reflects that and Director and Choreographer Kimberley Rampersad maintain the style of the mythical world of gods and heroic lovers.
We are happy for the offering of an unexpected delight. Maybe it will encourage someone else to produce another one of Tagore’s fifty plays.
P.S. The 2023 list
of productions BY THE Shaw Festival has just been announced. Next year’s
lunch-time play will be Shaw’s Village Wooing. It was produced at
the Shaw Festival in 1964, 1979, 1992 and 1999. So much for my statement that
the chances of seeing the lunch time offerings are small to none!
_______________________
Chitra by Rabindranath Tagore continues on selected
dates until October 8, 2022, at the Royal George Theatre, Niagara-on-the-Lake,
Ontario. www.shawfest.ca
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