“What did you say-they found another one?
-I can’t hear you-
Another one floating in the river?”
The opening lines of the poem by Ariel Dorfman are gripping, like the rest of the poem on which the play “Widows” is based. It could happen in your country or in mine; any country in which there has been a war which eats up the lifeblood of the men.
“No one can identify him?
The police said not even his mother…”
“They’re all waiting together
Silent, in mourning,
On the riverbank…”
The play opens and closes with the picture of one old woman sitting on the river bank. Sofia Fuents is her name and her spirit is indomitable as she waits for her father, husband and sons all lost in the war.
The greatest agony is not knowing if your man is alive or dead. He has simply disappeared. A body floats down the river and
“He doesn’t belong to anybody…”
But brave Sofia is ready to claim the body as her own for
“Tell them not to worry;
I can bury my own dead…”
The battle is on between Sofia and the Captain who doesn’t want any ripples and who wants everyone to ‘move on’, growing crops and rebuilding the war-torn country.
The dialogue and torture scenes are not for the squeamish as the Captain ducks the old woman in the water tub to try and get her to stop the mourning women waiting patiently on the riverbank.
Swasha Malalasekera as the old woman Sofia was excellent and she did not overplay or underplay her role. The Captain was both weak and strong and Wasaam Ismail played along while Gehan Blok as the Lieutenant came across as the tough guy.
The play came alive as it showed the conflicts on both sides, the women as well as the Forces and the politics behind everything. The religious element is present in Father Gabriel who is forced to compromise even though he says “The dead will judge the dead.”
The strength is in the play though overall, the acting was uneven. “There are stories you need to tell.” says Fidelia, Sofia’s granddaughter as she rocks the baby.
The narrator in the shape of Dino Corea was also good as he says, “The journalist judges between good and evil and reports…”(Is that what I am doing?)
Play reviewed by Sirohmi Gunesekera
Pics by Indraratne Balasuriya
Audience Comments
Niri Malalasekera said, “The play was very good.It gave a lot of food for thought, especially what has happened in our own country with so many widows up in the North.”
Dr.Harsha de Silva observed, “The play was very serious and it was a little close to home. In Sri Lankan theatre, we don’t necessarily get to see such deep issues being dramatized.”
Jovanka Jayaweera said, “It was very good. I enjoyed it as we knew what to expect from the play as it was that kind of serious play.”
Her husband Shiyan Jayaweera commented, “Gehan Blok and Dino Corea were excellent. It was a very good play.”
Raifa Nagel said, “The play was very good and it was something different.”
Manik Rodrigo remarked, “The acting was superb and the characterization was good. The play was very moving.”
0 Comments
Indraratne Balasuriy says:
Nov 27, 2012 at 12:04 pmWho is the photographer...?
Gunapala says:
Nov 27, 2012 at 02:57 pmI am very pleased with the audience comments above. I saw a theater production of Dorfman's sorrowful play 'Widows' over 4 years ago in New York. It was heartbreaking & tragic, the play was a poignant reminder of the atrocities that are committed by governments which often go unnoticed in many parts the world. Dorfman's epic story never lets the audience care too deeply about any of the characters. Instead, they all come across as symbols of an oppressed society. I remember well the actor who pl
Gunapala says:
Nov 28, 2012 at 05:07 pmNiri Malalasekera said, “The play was very good.It gave a lot of food for thought, especially what has happened in our own country with so many widows up in the North.”
I tend to disagree with the above comment. The widows depicted in this play are the women whose husbands, brothers, fathers who disappeared due to oppression by their own government. They were not made widows by a separatist fighters movement as happened here in the North. There is a distinct difference between the tw
Bones says:
Nov 30, 2012 at 08:24 amWhat an awful review. It fails to deliver essential points of a 'review'! this is just a bunch of words scattered across a page with random pictures in the middle.