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| Sunday, 3 October 2004 |
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'Turtles will never fly' Telling the truth - differently by Arun Dias Bandaranaike. Piyaambaa No-yathi Ibboh may be translated as 'Turtles will never fly'; and the phrase could well register as a hyperbolic figure of speech but, in the context of the performance by The Butterflies Theatre Company-Second Wing, this was possibly an interpretation and demonstration of the tyranny of empire being replaced by the illegitimacy of parliamentary democracy ! Under the aegis of the Sunera Foundation, the opening night of their current stage-production was on September 17 at the Bishops' College Auditorium in Colombo. Its previous presentations (e.g. 'Butterflies will always fly') from 2000 onward were blatantly anti-war in sentiment. however, this present was an attempt in taking a more inward perspective from a social point of view, which curiously reminded me of the title of one of composer Thelonious Monk's works from the late 1940s, 'Ugly Beauty' which was written during the 'Reckoning period' following the conflagration of World War II. 'Turtles' was broad in scope and generous in depth (occasionally laboured in depiction), with the use of vibrant mime and urgent changes in wardrobe, employing stark choreography as creative responses ranged through pathos and comic juxtapose with sound effects, corny Tin Pan Alley tunes and serious musical fragments, this evocative satire lampooned the overarching paradoxes, the rampant commercialism of our times, pathetic trends, overweening media and the stunning failure of leadership. The evening was episodic in its presentation; yet one could detect an intensive thread that linked much of the action, until in the final stages of the production, when with a frank, brutal and carnal gesture lay 'exposed' the sad and naked deception which is this much vaunted, gilded human ideal of democracy. The broken promises and the edging out from pledges, the hideous imagery and choreography of crossings over the floor and hooliganism among elected representatives', societal fragmentation, bogus flirtations, suppressive tactics, commercial sponsorships and its weak sop of crass entertainment, endless parades of bloated personalities, wanton militarism and the tendency toward violence and even media-overload were scorned and caricatured with abandon. All this and yet some in variously colourful and melancholic, fractured and whole, fluid and erratic and even ecstatic portrayal by young people courageous enough to overcome their limitation in size, shape, articulation, mental acumen, or vision. It was they who wished that the 'truth be told' - not by the officers and choreographers or mentors working with Sunera ! Thankfully no cloying sentimentality or irksome gimmickry was pressed on the audience to generate sympathy, but there were times when hardly a dry eye might have prevailed when all was done (and little actually said). In determining whether this is therapeutic for the participants, one comes closer to the point that it must well serve as therapy for us. One young hapless wheel-chaired performer spoke his eager mind afterward and said: "Uncle ! we are on the outside of your world, we are hoping to have been able to communicate a small message. This message may have been heard by the few; but that is sufficient for us, for we are counted as outside the fringe. This evening, we have seen so many of the diplomatic and overseas community present. But, where are Our Leaders ?" Indeed - Where ? Much of what is commented on above could account for mere rhetoric, except were one to know (appreciate) the background of the players, for that would constitute the potent reality of the drama. That these young minds and hearts are among the least fortunate in what could well be marginalised communities. Theirs is a permanent encounter with disappointment and despair. Happily, they also possess an indomitableness that must be recognised ! The other fact too, that they would scarcely ever have chance to express themselves in any context save for this venture to bring them together and intermingle and learn inter-dependence. It is therein and with this success that their aesthetic challenge offers its greatest meaning, and exhibits a most persuasive triumph. |
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