Macbeth
Incarnation of evil with oriental flavour:
Sachitra MAHENDRA & Ruwini JAYAWARDANA
Conscience stalks him like snipers in the shadows of darkness, and
when they attack, it is with violence that leaves him drained of defence.
He is a man who had been led astray by evil forces and had lost his
loyal and honest self to descend so low as to become a tool of murder
and betrayal.
Vaulting ambition can tarnish even the purest of souls. Such is the
portrait that Ravibandu Vidyapathy paints through his 'Macbeth' the
oriental ballet, staged recently at the Lionel Wendt Art Gallery.
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Lady Macbeth and Macbeth |
William Shakespeare's Macbeth, renowned for its wordplay, was
originally brought to stage in 1611 during the reign of King James I,
based on actual events in Scotland. Like many Shakespeare's works,
Macbeth had been translated into many languages and recreated on stage
and picture. Literally, it explores the themes of evil, ambition,
violence, guilt and disorder.
To the astonishment of many, Ravibandu Vidyapathy took up the
challenge of rejuvenating the celebrated tragedy in local ballet form.
Plainly speaking, Vidyapathy has achieved the goal, since the ballet is
an engrossing production performed smoothly, especially since it is a
difficult procedure to set a renowned creation involving wordplay into a
wordless medium expressing the tale through facial and bodily gestures.
Dancers of Ravibandu Samanthi Narthanayathanaya had involved an
exceptional cast to transmuting Shakespeare's timeless tale into a
lively ballet. Combining the Western theatrical settings with the local
traditional dance is almost impossible, but does not seem so for
Vidyapathy.
Macbeth's dance forms are remarkably choreographed to reflect the
hidden thought of greed and power. Samanthi's pivotal role of the
iron-willed Lady Macbeth finely displays the changing character traits
through her facial expressions and gestures. The arrival of the three
witches from the audience startles and grabs their attention.
Vidyapathy is largely influenced by the local culture and religion in
the making of the local ballet. Nature and the dead are used to torment
the villainous king. This is not the only element in the original text.
It is believed that the supernatural elements have no power over
virtuous beings, but since Macbeth possesses a guilt ridden conscience,
the spirits take over his mind, driving him into the depths of fear and
destruction.
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Three witches |
This links the Buddhist theme of how sin follows a man just like the
wheel of a cart follows the bull that tows it. This philosophical
argument replaces the role that Macduff was due to perform in the
original version of 'Macbeth'.
The finale marks a significant feature, as it portrays the capacity
of the nature to act harsh on the evil part of the man. Although the
original text has many characters, with Macduff primarily involved, to
conspire the downfall of Macbeth, Vidyapathy's ballet entertains no such
characters.
His brilliant imagination is noteworthy when he mingles the
camouflaging movement of Birnam woods to Dunsinane with his own theme of
nature punishing the villainous king. It gives insights to the audience
to reflect the way the Bard's imagery can be used in the local context.
Although Ravibandu virtually has every right to change the English
tragedy to suit the local gallery, he hardly changes the original theme;
Macduff's absence and other omitting of the original text are,
therefore, hardly felt.
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Macbeth |
Ravibandu's next hurdle was to bring one of Shakespeare's original
themes appearance and reality in portraying Macbeth's inner turmoil. His
movements and facial expressions cleverly blending with choreography
show his reluctance to engage in evil deeds in the early scenes and the
repentance that follows towards the end.
Perhaps the most outstanding point of the oriental ballet is
Ravibandu's manipulation of soliloquies where Lady Macbeth and Macbeth
engage in a painstaking venture with facial and body expressions.
The stage background adds interpretation to the original script with
three daggers, probably symbolising the three witches. Hence the evil
atmosphere which dominates the play is even brought to light through
stage decor.
Vidyapathy's creative effort comes to a climax accompanied by Pradeep
Ratnayaka's expert handling of lively and haunting music. Globally
renowned for his exceptional talent with the sitar, Ratnayaka had
presented an array of diverse forms of music, creating a haunting,
mystic and eerie atmosphere making the audience feel that 'something
wicked this way comes' even before the evil forces take over the stage.
The use of Sri Lankan drums with western tone motifs to compose
musical scores shows Ratnayake's versatility as a musician. The creation
would have been even better - perhaps a masterpiece - if Vidyapathy
concentrated a little more on the costume designs. The dress code of
Macbeth neither portrays a general nor a king.
It would have been appropriate if the costume of Macbeth had gone in
parallel with Banquo's, his companion and the other prominent General in
Duncan's army.
The crown and shawl, symbolising power and royalty would have
indicated the ascension of Macbeth from Thane to King of Scotland.
Samanthi's talents of facial expressions are praiseworthy, though it
would have been more appropriate if a less portly figure had represented
the female lead.
Vidyapathy's interpretation of the celebrated English tragedy,
although with a few not-much-trivial shortcomings, brings in fresh
breeze to the local audience. It provides a unique experience for
theatre goers.
Cast and credits
Macbeth Ravibandu Vidyapathy
Lady Macbeth Samanthi Vidyapathy
Bnaquo Ranjith Priyanga
Duncan Saranga Abhayasinghe
Witches Ruvini Liyanage, Vanamal Silva and Menaka Jayasuriya
Dagger Ajith Amarasiri
Mind Purnika Peiris
Men Isuru Weerasinghe, Sajith de Silva, Dayan Champika, Punyajith
Sirimanne, Nupathi Nilambara, Kolitha Thenuwara, Dilhana Ramyasiri,
Jeevana Chathuranga, Nadeeka Weligodapala, Dhanushka
Women Geethani Warnapura, Samanmali Jayathilaka, Kumari Vitharana,
Nishadi Thilakawardana, Dinusha Gamage, Madhushika Perera, Hiruni
Thenuwara
Choreography and direction Ravibandu Vidyapathy
Assisted Samanthi Vidyapathy
Music Pradeep Rathnayaka
D‚cor and Costume design Ravibandu Vidyapathy
Costumes Malathi Somabandu
Lighting Mahesh Umagiliya
Stage Management Krishantha Weerakoon |
