The Beautiful Violin

PESHKAR DOWN SOUTH
by Dominic Rai

Mention Oldham and everyone has a mental image of what it is like. We think of the BNP, disaffected Asian youth, riots and racial hatred. But Peshkar Theatre Company brings beautiful Asian work to the town working with young people from the various ethnic communities.

Peshkar came to Southampton's Nuffield Theatre on Friday February 1 with Bhelua Shundori - The Beautiful Violin - a tragic love story from the rivers and jungles of East Bengal.

It was a pleasure to see them in their first professional production and on their first trip to the south of England.

Playing to a mixed audience of about 50 in a large theatre is not easy but the racially mixed company of eight including two musicians sustained two hours of Jathra, a folk form from Bengal and Bangladesh using contemporary and folk music. Jathra has similarities with Japanese no and kabuki theatre.

They brought to life the story of Amir, the spoilt son of a merchant who finds himself lost in the swamps during a storm. He accidentally shoots the golden pigeon which belongs to Bhelua, the princess of the kingdom. Her seven brothers vow revenge but there is a twist in the tale leading to the tragic ending.

The story plays a role in Bengali culture similar to Romeo and Juliet in the west. The ensemble cast did really well with a moving script by Adam Strickson and direction by Iain Bloomfield, who seemed to identify strongly with this story. I enjoyed seeing Bengali, Hindi and English all used creatively in the production.

The whole company was brilliant but Ahad Ullah, who played Amir opposite Balvinder Sopal as Bhelua, was excellent and a great singer too. One of the touching things was the northern English accents of some of the actors including the baddies.

Speaking to company manager Sazzad Rahman, I heard about how the story was developed over two years. This included visits by Sazzad with Iain Strickson to Bangladesh and India.

The story has a theme of lost childhood, which reflects Sazzad's own experience. He remembers seeing Jathra performed in his village before he left Bangladesh at the age of 11. He returned 11 years later to rediscover the form.

Peskhar are admirable heirs to Tara Arts Group in their portrayal of a 'Theatre of Suggestion' using traditional Indian folk forms. They brought all the various colours of the Indian sub-continent to vivid life. I am greatly looking forward to their future work.