Loko Natyadal (Siddeswari) will stage its highly praiseworthy play ‘Konjush’--the most-staged play in the country, today at 7pm at the National Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA), Segun Bagicha in the capital. On the other hand, Theatre will bring their play ‘Mukti’--an adaptation of Lee Blessing’s original English play, which has been directed by Tropa Majumdar--on stage at the Experimental Theatre Hall, while ‘Prothom Partho’--a much-acclaimed theatre production of Abdullah-Al-Mamun Theatre School Praktoni--will be staged at the Studio Theatre Hall at 7pm simultaneously.

The plays will be brought to the stage as a part of the ongoing sixth edition of the ten-day theatre festival titled ‘Ganga-Jamuna Theatre and Cultural Festival’.

Based on playwright Molière’s world famous satirical comedy, ‘The Miser’, ‘Konjush’ has been adapted and dramatised by Tariq Anam Khan and directed by Liaquat Ali Lucky. Through situational satire, humour and crude slapstick, ‘Konjush’ weaves the story of two families living in Old Dhaka. The story of miser Haider Ali brings out some hidden negative tendencies of the elite people in a comic way. To make the play enjoyable, Tariq Anam used the typical Dhakaia dialect (a mixture of Bangla and Urdu).

The story of the play goes forward sketching a sixty-year-old, very miserly person, Haider Ali. He does not wish to spend even for his own son Kazim and daughter Laili. He has a big amount of money hidden in a pot in his garden. Kazim is in love with neighbour Marjina, while Laili has a relationship with Bodiuzzaman, son of Haider’s friend Aslam Beg. The plot of the play comes to a climax when Haider Ali himself plans to marry Marjina. Meanwhile, another dramatic situation creates when Haider Ali’s hidden money gets stolen and the blame is falsely put on Bodiuzzaman by Kala Mia, the cook and rickshaw-puller of Haider. In the course of events, Haider Ali yields to his children’s choice only when Aslam Beg agrees to pay all the expenditure of the marriages.

Besides staging the plays, street play by Moitree Theatre, recitation by the Swaroshruti, Bakshilpangan and Moitree Shishu Dal, Music rendition by Kranti and Khan Sangeet Academy, and dance performance by Nrityajon will be held at 4pm on the open yard of BSA. l

Photo l jaki zaman