The collaboration between Nazat Sundarban Natya Utsab Committee and the actor-director, Raju Bera, is turning out to be satisfyingly fruitful. This was proven by the distinct mark of quality borne by the two recent productions, Spartacus and Tamasapuri, both born out of the union. It is evident that a talented bunch of actors, hailing from the interior regions of rural Sundarbans, is being painstakingly groomed for a high degree of acting proficiency under the tutelage of Bera.
In directing Tamasapuri, (Gautam Bhattacharya’s translation of The Flies by Jean-Paul Sartre), Bera has stuck to his core strengths — his ability to propel the narrative through choreographed compositions and his ability to design scenes interestingly to create the maximum visual impact. Be it is his compositions or his scene designs, Bera has been magnificently supported by Soumen Chakraborty’s light design. Chakraborty has designed the lights for Tamasapuri keeping in mind the haunting darkness that resides at the heart of the plot and his projection achieves a nuanced blending of hues best suited to underline the themes of oppressive guilt, decay and sin.
As suggested earlier, the large cast comprising almost entirely of rather young and relatively inexperienced actors comes up with an inspired performance. Compositions packed with a crowd of actors are pulled off with practised ease, bearing testimony to arduous hours spent in training and rehearsing. The actors playing Orestes, Electra and Clytemnestra are fluent in their stylised dialogue deliveries and are able to portray their characters with conviction. What is also very impressive is the fact that those playing minor characters perform their roles quite efficiently, unlike what one frequently experiences in theatre. The supremely talented Mary Acharya excels in her role, her operatic vocalisations achieving moments of theatrical highs.
The only issue with Tamasapuri is that in spite of the ample opportunities that the text provides, the director has not attempted to link the thematic content of the play to contemporary concerns, leaving the task entirely upon the discretion of the audience.
