Defenseless Creature, an adaption of Russian writer Anton Chekov’s short story by playwright Neil Simon won the Draame-Bawaas play competition held to commemorate the birth centenary of thespian Adi Marzban. This was one of the five one-act plays performed at the Tata Theatre of the National Centre for the Performing Arts on January 13, 2016. Runner-up for the contest was Three Musketeers written by Prabodh Joshi. To qualify for the competition the script had to be an original, adapted or existing play. Umeed Kothavala was adjudged the best director; he and Farah Nesargi won the best actor (male and female) awards. The runner-up best male actor was Xerxes Bharda, the best female runner-up actor was Pasheen Kasad. Awards were also given for the best newcomers: the prize in the male category went to Meiron Damania and in the female category to Rashna Karai.
Termed "an attempt to recapture the Parsi stage magic we have so tragically lost,” the all India competition which saw 13 entries comprising 120 individuals in three categories — acting, directing and writing — was the brainchild of actor, director, producer Burjor Patel who, along with his wife Ruby, were synonymous with Marzban’s theater.
(Top): Scene from Don’t Worry, Be Happy;
(above): Nautanki Bawas team with their trophies
Director Feroz Khan, photographer and screenwriter Sooni Taraporevala and actor Sohrab Ardeshir were the three judges. Whilst they were confabulating, the audience was entertained by Kayo Billimoria performing his famed Elvis Presley numbers.
The dramatis personae of the five-member committee were thespian Patel; Sam Kerawalla whose guru was Marzban and who is termed "Parsi and English theatre’s technical big daddy” in the brochure; Shernaz Patel, daughter of Burjor and Ruby – an actor in theater and films and partner in Rage Productions; Jim Vimadalal who is founder of Backstage Theatre Productions and Meher Marfatia who compiled the history of Parsi theater in her book Laughter in the House: 20th Century Parsi Theatre. Work began six months before the opening night of this première performance. The project was christened ‘Draame-Bawaas’ by Sam Balsara and his team at Madison Advertising. Marzban, whose family owned Jam-e-Jamshed, was editor of the daily-turned-weekly which supported the evening.
Nautanki Bawas Production from Poona performed the first and last plays. Don’t Worry, Be Happy written and directed by Rustom Irani was about a potential suicide victim who is talked out of it by three good Samaritans using humor, evoking the complexities of life and commonality of problems. They make him realize the futility of ending his life and urge him to accomplish his intended mission. In Defenseless Creature, a facetious woman comes to a private banker to ask for compensation for her husband who has been laid off. She asks ad nauseum for 24 roubles claiming to be "defenseless” and "weak” while also threatening to kick up a ruckus so that the inmates of the building may hear her tantrums. She outlasts the arguments and explanations of three persons in the bank and visits and revisits the office despite the worn out banker paying her the money from his personal funds.
Big Bang Productions also presented two plays — Three Musketeers and Sorry Wrong Number (SWN). In the first play three of the characters are visually, hearing and speech impaired. Pooling pieces of information as per each one’s perceptions they are able to trace the murderer of the blind girl’s friend, a crime perpetrated in her presence. The speech impaired only hears and recalls dialog while the deaf guides them to action. This was adjudged the second best play of the evening. SWN, written by Lucille Fletcher has a complex plot which is narrated in flashbacks and has been Indianized. It is the story of bedridden Farahnaz who overhears the plotting of a murder at a time when she is unable to reach either family or domestic help. Worried that her nemesis is met in the lady from whom she had snatched away her husband, the ending is unclear. Damania played the role of the hired killer.
Chees — the Yell was written and directed by Vistasp Gotla who was also the lead actor. It was a replay of the grisly Nirbhaya rape case in Delhi with Karai playing the rape victim Karishma. Cutting too close to the bone, the audience response was raucous with loud comments and remarks. All children below age eight were asked to leave the auditorium, and several parents also made their way to the exit.