GreenLight Productions

BitterSweet - the story of love love and intrigue set in the 1860's is now coming to a community hall near you.

Join us on this tour around Durban and PMB.

Tues 16th Nov, Phoenix, Shastri Park Hall - 7pm

Thur 18th Nov, Mt. Edgecombe (SASA pvt event)

Fri 26th Nov, PMB, Truro Hall - 8pm

Sat 27th Nov, Chatsworth Centre Promotion

Sun 28th Nov, Wyebank, Sungham Hall - 2pm

Sat 4th Dec, Chatsworth, Rajput Hall - 8pm

Sun 5th Dec, Chatsworth, Rajput Hall - 5pm

Tickets available at Nagiah's and at the door.

Please call Farouk on 084 581 8186 for more info.

Hope to see you there.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2010

BITTERSWEET

Congratulations to inexperienced cast for doing good justice to well-written script. (Review by Caroline Smart)

Currently running at Howard College Theatre and forming part of this year’s 150th anniversary of the arrivals of Indians to the shores of South Africa, BitterSweet is a well-written play by Yusuf Haffejee that tackles the harsh realities of colonialism in the 1800’s.

The story deals with two brothers Murugas (Raj Naidoo) and Appia (Lovie Ramas Rai), “untouchables” in their homeland, who travel to South Africa from India as indentured recruits in search of a better life. Now slaves in an unfamiliar and inflexible regime, they find themselves working as cane cutters on the same plantation as the jovial Abdullah (Ruben Naidoo) and the upper caste young North Indian Ramesh (Ashim Saxena) under the supervision of the Sirdar (Denver Naidoo). The appearance of a young widow Parbathy (Shalini Singh) creates friction and jealousy among some of the men, adding to the dramatic content of the production. A further cane cutter character is played by Calvin Pillay.

Director Pranesh Maharaj has considerable stage, film, television and radio drama experience and he brings this to bear in pulling optimum performances from his actors. Radio drama is a medium which demands major focus on the spoken word and his extensive work in Lotusfm drama series has provided him with the capacity to pull from his cast meaningful dialogue that is full of moods and nuances. This he has done effectively, despite the fact that, apart from Lovie Ramas Rai, none of the cast members have any theatre experience.

Recently back from Cape Town after appearing in Ronnie Govender’s Lahnee’s Pleasure at Artscape, Lovie Ramas Rai carries most of the dramatic responsibility in terms of the volatile character of Appia. Shalini Singh – another radio drama stalwart – is charming and believable while showing that she’s capable of a fighting spirit. Former stand-up comedian Ruben Naidoo imbues Abdullah with a jovial energy which belies the painful memory that haunts the character. Denver Naidoo shows good promise as the brutal supervisor as does Indian National Ashim Saxena as the smitten Ramesh. With no information other than that he is an accountant by profession, Raj Naidoo considerably impressed me with his focus and quiet strength in presenting the visionary but ailing Murugas.

Resonating with a message of respecting and acknowledging the struggles of the past in providing a future of hope, unity and opportunity, Bittersweet is presented by Greenlight/Enact and the Ustad Ravi Foundation for Indian Music. The premiere opened with a performance led by Ustad Ravi to promote the launch ofRaag Rung, the foundation’s latest CD which will be on sale at all performances. The foundation is a real family affair with Ustad appearing with his two sons Shakeel (on violin) and Vivek (on tabla and nagara) and his granddaughter Sanam Isseri on vocals and tamboura.

Shakeel and Vivek are featured in every performance as they provide the live background score to the show. There are many short scenes which are linked by blackouts, a process I dislike, but these are eased by the music links which bridge the gaps very effectively.

While Howard College Theatre is a valued performance venue, its bare stage and lack of wing space is more effective for concert-style performances than for theatrical presentations. All credit to Pranesh Maharaj and his team for creating a simple but believable setting of sugar cane fields and basic huts which also allowed for entrances and exits.

Considering its valued subject matter, I believe BitterSweet is an important production and I urge people to see it. I also hope that it will have a chance to be developed further and be presented in a better-equipped theatrical venue.

BitterSweet runs in the Howard College Theatre at the University of KwaZulu-Natal until October 10. Tickets R80 and R60 available from Computicket. Organisations looking to make use of this show to raise funds should contact Farouk on 084 581 8186. – Caroline Smart

POSTED BY ARTSMART AT 1:31 AM

LABELS: DRAMA

BITTERSWEET

By Yusuf Haffejee

Bittersweet is set in the 1860’s and revolves around the lives of four indentured Indian labourers, a woman and the Sardar(Indian Supervisor).

The protagonists include Murugas and Appia; two brothers from South India, who are transplanted to Africa. The younger brother, Appia still keenly feels the injustices of life as an untouchable in India.

He is determined to fight against the injustices he experiences in South Africa as a result of this. This brings him into conflict with Ramesh, a North Indian upper caste man and the cruel and rapacious Sardar who is tasked by his White employer in exacting the maximum amount of work from the labourers.

Murugas is the sickly older brother who is more accepting of his fate and tries to placate the rebellious Appia. Matters are further complicated when a beautiful North Indian girl, Parbathie who is a widow escaping the cruelty of her in laws in India arrives on the plantation. Parbathy is seemingly naïve yet determined to make a new life for herself.

Abdulla is a wisecracking Muslim man living with his own tragedy and is the voice of reason in troubled avenues. The Sardar is murdered by an unknown assailant. Suspicion falls on Ramesh who suspects Appia but Murugas ultimately confesses only in an attempt to protect the people he loves; although the real killer is yet to emerge from Yusuf’s intriguing script. The end of the play is a new beginning to be scripted by future generations.

Director, Pranesh Maharaj, is excited to be working on this project and looks forward to opening night. “I am so glad that Farouk and Yusuf thought me to be the ideal candidate to direct a piece that is so relevant and interesting. I have complete faith in the cast and I know that audiences will be entertained and swept of their feet to the performance of Bittersweet.”

Bittersweet is a story of suffering and helplessness under the iniquitous indenture system but more importantly it is a story of sacrifice and hope under an African sky.

The play is produced by Hoosen Farouk Sayed with Greenlight productions as the executive producers and is set to open on 29 September and run until 10 October at the Music Theatre in Howard College.

Tickets will be available at computicket or by contacting Farouk Hoosen directly on 084 581 8186.

Director, Pranesh Maharaj, is excited to be working on this project and looks forward to opening night.

“I am so glad that Farouk and Yusuf thought me to be the ideal candidate to direct a piece that is so relevant and interesting. I have complete faith in the cast and I know that audiences will be entertained and swept of their feet to the performance of Bittersweet.”

Bittersweet is a story of suffering and helplessness under the iniquitous indenture system but more importantly it is a story of sacrifice and hope under an African sky.

The play is produced by Hoosen Farouk Sayed with Greenlight productions as the executive producers and is set to open on 29 September and run until 10 October at the Music Theatre in Howard College.

Tickets will be available at computicket or by contacting Farouk Hoosen directly on 084 581 8186.

Yusuf Haffejee

Scriptwriter BitterSweet

My writing background has been short stories and I have just finished a collection which I hope to have published this year.

When I joined Farouk Sayed who has worked solely in theatre (Stable Theatre and Enact) and formed Green Light Productions with him, it was a completely new genre of writing for me.

I had to forget the rules of writing a straight story and adapt myself to writing a play. It was a huge challenge to change my mindset of writing.

The idea of BitterSweet came to me whilst reading the excellent book “Inside Indenture” by Ashwin Desai and Goolam Vahed. On the cover of this book are photos of indentured workers and one in particular bore an uncanny resemblance to someone I had known well twenty years ago. Further research revealed that this person and the person in the photo shared the same surname. It got me thinking about what kind of lives did those indentured workers live.

They fought, laughed and loved. They cried, struggled and died. All in those cane fields.

BitterSweet is a story of people, ordinary people who I have tried to bring to life in a dramatic way.

It is a story of love and intrigue but most important it is a story of hope.

We are counting on the support of the public.

VIVIAN MOODLEY IS MERCILESS

Theatre and TV stalwart and comedian Vivian Moodley is looking back as

he takes a nostalgic trip down memory lane in his new show

'Merciless'. Presented at the Supernova Theatre, Nu Metro Cine Centre

at Suncoast Casino, the show comprises the funniest stand up comedy

routines that have been performed by Moodley since the 1970s.

Having recently turned sixty, Moodley feels it is time to remind his

many fans of exactly how it used to be. “I always get asked when are

you going to make us laugh again and these sentiments are expressed by

people I meet daily” says Moodley when asked why he is doing the

“nostalgic trip”.

When asked why is the show called 'Merciless', Moodley replies that no

one and nothing is sacred when it comes to stand up comedy and

everyone will get it in the neck and not always lovingly. "I feel that

having been married several times, I am highly qualified to speak on

issues such as marital non-bliss, headaches and the like! I will be

performing a lot of new material as well, especially given that we

have just found Jackie Selebi guilty as hell."

The show will also feature Pranesh Maharaj, as the 'Jack in the Box' MC.

Merciless will be running on the 27th and 28th August 2010 at the

Supernova Theatre, Suncoast. The show starts at 8pm. Tickets are R100.

Enquiries 084 760 1096.

Dear All

Hope you enjoyed the World Cup and had a marvelous time.

The past month has seen all else take a backseat to the most spectacular event we've seen in SA.

Regrettably, we at GreenLight have had to postpone the premier run of Bittersweet to the end of September.

The revised date for the premiere night is 29th September. The first run has also been extended by two days and will end on the 10th of October.

Rehearsals are well under way. The posters are ready and the programme is being prepared.

Look forward to seeing you there.

Ciao

This play is set in the 1860’s and revolves around the lives of four indentured Indian labourers, an indentured woman and their harsh Sardar(Indian Supervisor).

The play seeks to bring the indentured to life in a dramatic form and to show them as real people from India transplanted to Africa. Two brothers from South India are the protagonists, Murugas and Appia. The younger brother, Appia still keenly feels the injustices of life as an untouchable in India. He is determined to fight against real or perceived injustices in South Africa. This brings him into conflict with Ramesh, a North Indian upper caste man. Appia also challenges the cruel and rapacious Sardar who is tasked by his White employer in exacting the maximum amount of work from the labourers. Murugas the sickly older brother is more accepting of his fate and tries to placate his rebellious brother. When a beautiful North Indian girl, Parbathie who is a widow escaping the cruelty of her in laws in India arrives on the plantation, Appia and Ramesh vie for her affections.

She is a seemingly naïve and sweet young woman who successfully conceals her shrewdness and determination from the other characters. Abdulla, a wisecracking Muslim living with his own tragedy is a friend to everybody. After the Sardar announces his intention to woo Parbathie, he is murdered by an unknown assailant. Who killed the Sardar? Suspicion falls on Ramesh who suspects Appia

but Murugas ultimately hangs for the murder. Despite his lowly untouchable status Murugas is a man of noble character. 

The story allows every character to face their demons and after the Sardar’s murder to come to terms with themselves. It is a story of suffering and helplessness under the iniquitous indenture system but more importantly it is a story of hope. Hope for themselves and for their children and grandchildren

to flourish under an African sky.

YUSUF HAFFEJEE

GreenLight have confirmed a venue for the premier run of Bittersweet.

The premiere night will be 30th July at the Howard College Theatre, UKZN, Durban.

Our script is complete and we are now engaged in casting.

We do have an opening for two male parts.

In the interest of authenticity, the actors should be of slender built and between the ages of 25 and 40 years old.