On an equal footing
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Robinson and Crusoe was a perfect blend of all the elements one looks for in good theatre
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VERITABLE TREAT The play is a re-interpretation of the story from an anti-imperialistic point of view
Those who did not make it to Robinson and Crusoe at the Rangashankara last week, definitely missed a great piece of theatre. Staged by the German theatre group Schnawwl, in collaboration with Max Mueller Bhavan, the play was a treat to both children and adults. Packed with fun and physical acrobatics, the play had plenty of food for thought as well. An improvisation inspired by R.L. Stevenson's well-known classic Robinson Crusoe, the play is a re-interpretation of the story from an anti-imperialistic point of view and an attack against the European tendency towards "othering", as director Andrea Gronemeyer puts it.
The insertion of the little conjunction in the title sums up the ideological difference between the two tales. The black man Robinson finds on the submerged roof is no naοve African who can be turned into a slave, but another human being like him, with exactly the same character traits and emotions as he has. The two are presented as almost mirror images of each other. The relationship that evolves between them is not one of master and slave or coloniser and colonized, but one of equality. If one of them is Robinson, the other is Crusoe.
The play begins with a white soldier, who has survived a plain-crash, landing on the roof of a house submerged in the ocean, in a leaky bath-tub. (The reason for the house being there is left to our imagination!) When he realises that he is not alone on the roof, his first impulse is to establish his mastery over the other and appropriate the entire space to himself. The other man turns out to be a coloured soldier (could be an Asian, an African or an Australian aborigine), who has landed there under very similar circumstances.
At first, the white man thinks of the other as a barbarian because he cannot conceive of a civilized being who does not understand any of the languages he knows. It takes him a while to realise that the language he speaks (English, in this case) might sound equally like gibberish to the other. His interaction with the other gradually shatters his preconceived notions about the "other" and the illusions about his own intellectual and cultural superiority as the white man. The barbarian of the European imagination is as reluctant (perhaps more so!) to kill a mouse as the white man is. In fact, it is he who comes up with more creative ideas.
The play is full of little incidents which show how fear and suspicion gradually give way to warmth and understanding. They learn to respect the differences and live in harmony with each other. They evolve a new system of communication which accommodates both their languages. They begin to work, play and even dream together. The two behave in exactly the same manner when they are homesick or when they are in an alcoholic frenzy.
But the play does not oversimplify the issues involved either. At the end, after building the boat together, the two men realise that they have to go their separate ways. Neither of them can give up his roots and accompany the other to his destination. Our own response to the two is also complicated by the fact that the white man speaks the language we understand while our instinctive identification is with the black man (who is actually played by Gracius Devaraj, a native of Bangalore).
Though clearly didactic in its motive, the production has so much more to offer that the message seems almost incidental. It is a perfect blend of all the elements one looks for in good theatre - a meaningful and highly entertaining script, a pleasing design, excellent sets, subtle lighting, appropriate music and tremendous histrionics. The set consists of two triangular terracotta roofs sloping in different directions, standing just a foot or so above water, with a television antenna standing tall in the centre. The rest of the stage is covered with sea-green material. The entire action of the play (there is plenty of it, including fight sequences in slow motion!) happens on this narrow sloping surface. The way the actors balance themselves does them credit.
A trapdoor on the roof provides more room for action and turns the submerged house into a veritable treasure house of props, the ingenious use of which adds to the humour of the play. The humour works at various levels - from sheer physical farce to layers of irony. There are some really hilarious moments caused through miscommunication. The constant sound of waves gently lashing against the walls of the house and the soft lights on the sea green floor effectively evoke the ambience of the sea. The salvaged radio becomes a good source of music. The two actors gel well as a team. Both are equally agile, expressive, energetic and have a great sense of timing. One could go on raving about the play. Robinson and Crusoe deserves all this and more.
LAXMI CHANDRASHEKAR
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Friday Review
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
