'Polly, why do you think a girl gets married?'

The Threepenny Opera | @ WCC

6.30 pm | Today

A Review

#theatre

Staging a Brechtian play is no easy joke!

It requires an enormous degree of ‘dialectical’ prowess from the director’s part, to realise on stage - the ‘epical’ in Brecht!

Hats off to the Director and the crew of Brecht’s The Threepenny Opera, who gave the audience a mind-boggling performance that lasted for almost two full hours at Women’s Christian College, Chennai, this evening.

WCC has always carved a niche for themselves in the realm of theatre. Added feather to their cap for their disciplined devotion to punctuality!

Although the intermittent rains were busy playing spoilsport right from afternoon till late into the night today, and the city roads were quite comfortably inundated ‘as usual’, all along, the theatre enthusiasts in the city turf were in full attendance sharp at 6.30 pm right in time for the Prologue!

And the play started sharp at 6.30 pm, as usual!

Like Brecht who always believed in having workers, amateur artists and students as his actors, for his proletariat theatre, today’s actors who formed part of the play, The Threepenny Opera, were also current students of WCC, who stole the show and our hearts as well, with their scintillating performance on stage.

Some of the characters like Mackie the Knife, or Matt (Neha Varghese?) or Polly (Gayathri Sai Krishnan?), were acted out with such an amazing ‘reality of representation’, and well, the craziest of claps from the audience were reserved for the character of Smith, who did his (her) performance in such hilarious ways.

The lighting, was much akin to a Brechtian theatrical!

To Brecht, the stage was to be flooded with harsh white light – light that was fully visible to the audience, just to remind the spectators that they are watching a play!

Added, much of the characteristics that form a part of epic acting, and epic designing, the Brechtian style, were also faithfully followed in the staging of the play.

And the dialogues were also ‘epical’ in their import!

Sample this –

Peachum: Polly, why do you think a girl gets married?

Polly: To have children?

Peachum: Nope! To get divorced! [emphasising on the rising divorces during her time]

Almost every character essayed their roles with such elegance and confidence; and although Mack, Polly, Lucy, Smith and a host of other major characters were the cynosure of all eyes, to me, the character who acted Jackie “Tiger” Brown, London’s chief of Police, will be my favourite!

And with a reason at that!

Well, you see, Brown’s characterisation demands a double bind in his (her) very demeanour!

He’s got to exemplify on himself a deep dilemma – since he is confused between the duties demanded of his position, and his loyalties to his close friend – something that the character essayed so remarkably well, in his acting!

The Director who spoke last, appreciated WCC for staging ‘almost’ its hundredth play.

Dr. Lillian Jasper, Principal, Women’s Christian College, then gave the formal vote of thanks.

PS: Exactly ten years ago, on this self-same month, in September 2013, we had the pleasure and the privilege of watching two plays at the same venue, directed by the legendary Dr. P. Rajani, Former Professor of English, MCC.

You may want to read a review of the plays on our past blog post HERE!