Nawkar Shoytaan Malik Hoyraan

About the Play

Commedia dell’arte – Comedy of art – Comedy of the profession, means unwritten or improvised drama, and implies rather to the manner of performance than to the subject matter of the play. Like the court comedies of Ariosto and Machiavelli, the Commedia dell’arte was concerned mostly with disgraceful love intrigues, clever tricks to get money or outwit some simpleton. In spite of its outwardly anarchic spirit, the Commedia dell’arte was a highly disciplined art requiring both virtuosity and a strong sense of ensemble playing.

The play begins in the Venetian house of Pantalone, celebrating the ring ceremony of Clarice, the daughter of Pantalone and Silvio, the son of Doctor Lombardi. When the party is underway Truffaldino, a hilarious and confused servant enters to announce the arrival of his master, Fadrigo Rasponi of Turin who is actually Beatrice, a woman disguised as her dead brother in search of the man Florindo, who killed him and also her lover. Brighella, the innkeeper, recognizes Beatrice, despite her disguise but promises to keep her identity a secret. There Truffaldino meets the housemaid Smeraldina, and falls in love with her. The quirky and comical Truffaldino, the central character of the play, who is always hungry, tries to satisfy his hunger by eating anything in sight, is approached by Florindo on the street, who is seeking a servant too,  Truffaldino accepts Florindo’s offer with an aim to double his income.  To further complicate matters, Beatrice and Florindo are staying in same hotel and are searching for each other.  Through a series of comic mishaps and mix-ups in the end fate brings the suicidal Beatrice and Florindo together . Pantalone tells Lombardi that the marriage between Silvio and Clerice is still possible since Fedrigo is actually a woman. Finally, Truffaldino is forgiven and all the couples are set to be happily married.

 

About the Playwright

Carlo Goldoni, a prolific writer, is best known for his comic play The Servant of Two Masters (written in 1743 revised it in 1753), which has been translated and adapted internationally numerous times. Goldoni originally wrote the play at the request of actor Antonio Sacco, one of the great Truffaldinos in history.

Director’s Note

This is an attempt to prepare and acquaint my performers with a popular form of World Theater. This is absolutely new for them. And to inure the profound acting techniques of Commedia dell-arte’, the Commedia (Actors) have engaged themselves deeply with the process of making.

As Carlo Goldoni says about the writing of the play ‘providing entertainment for a popular audience by reworking the conventions of a long familiar form Commedia dell-Arte’, like the playwright this is our motto too, to entertain our audiences. Bring them into an extramundane arena, completely out of an arid and strained daily life.

 

Cast

Jishu Das                                 as         Pantalone dei Bisognosi, a Venetian merchant

Kamal Barua                           as         Doctor Lombardi

Nishigandha Das Gupta          as         Clarice, his daughter

Sanowar Sumon                      as         Silvio, his son

Shahidul Alam Sabit                as         Brighella, an Innkeeper

Khadijatul Kubra Rishika         as         Smeraldina, maidservant to Clarice

Mubidur Rahman Sujat           as         Truffaldino, servant first to Beatrice, and afterwards to Florindo

Poly Chowdhury Boby             as         Beatrice Rasponi, a lady of Turin, disguised as her brother Federigo Rasponi

Rumal Barua                           as         Florindo Aretusi, of Turin, lover of Beatrice

Prem Pathak                           as         First Porter

Jahedul Hasan/ Prem Pathak  as         Third Waiter / Second Porter

Bappy Shikder                         as         First Waiter

Sazzad Hossain Tushar/

Aabir Mandal                          as         Second Porter/ Second Waiter

Receptionist                            as         Md. Rokon Uddin/ Anwesha Das

 

Credit

Playwright –  Carlo Goldoni

Adaptation, Set, Light, Costume & Music Design –  Ashim Das

Choreography –  Tilottoma Sengupta

Painting –  Subrata Das

Make- Up –  Tapas Chakraborty

Music Control –  Amllan Barua

Props & Set Making –  Amllan , Rumal, Abir & Fameans

Props & Costume Maintenance –  Nishi, Sumon

Carpenter –  Md. Malek

FOH –  Famean

Production Coordinator –  Showmen Rudra