The worst of times could turn out to be the best of times for Calcutta theatre. As the shadow of totalitarian rule looms large over West Bengal, and artists — traditionally inclined towards the Left — find themselves at the receiving end of verbal diatribes, Suman Mukhopadhyay dons the director’s hat after seven years and resurrects Mephisto — for the third time in 19 years. This joint venture by Chetana, Mukhomukhi and Tritiyo Sutra was premiered at Rabindra Sadan on April 14, flamboyantly reinstating the political discernment that marks Calcutta theatre.
Based mostly on Klaus Mann’s 1936 novel and Ariane Mnouchkine’s 1980 stage adaptation, Mephisto explores how all the stakeholders of German theatre coped with the ‘resistible rise’ of the Third Reich. Keeping the focus firmly on provincial theatres like in Hamburg, it dissects the aspirations and pitfalls that centres like Berlin stand for and — most importantly — how a fascist State exploits artists to further its project.
Although set in Germany in the 1920s and 30s, the meticulously mounted 170-minute-long Mephisto holds a mirror up to contemporary West Bengal with thespians at the centre. Mukhopadhyay makes subtle departures from his earlier versions, for instance, asking Sudip Gupta to design muppets of Hitler and his cohorts, with the latter looking like the leading corporate bosses of contemporary India. Dinesh Poddar’s fascination for shadows and silhouettes makes room for some striking visuals while costumes by Dev and Nil are in sync with the white luminosity of Poddar’s design. The video projection on the subjugation of civil activists across the world over the last 100 years, aided by two “Bella ciao” versions, gives Mephisto an adrenaline rush towards the end.
In the central role, Anirban Bhattacharya’s ripeness as an actor shows as the play progresses, especially in the scenes with Sujan Mukhopadhyay, who plays the State representative. Riddhi Sen shines as a small-time actor whose Nazi dreams fall flat. Amid all this, Mephisto pays a glowing tribute to all forms of acting that Calcutta stage practises. In spite of varying degrees of competence, the ensemble cast — with so many avenues to channelize its strength — never looks out of wits and a momentous occasion is ensured.
