Theatre: Looking for lost memoirs

Napa to showcase adaptation of Neil Simon’s Brighton Beach Memoirs from January 15

KARACHI:

The National Academy of Performing Arts (Napa) is set to stage an adaptation of Neil Simon’s play Brighton Beach Memoirs. The play, which has been directed by Rahat Kazmi, the head of Napa’s Theatre department, is titled Aik Diary Jo Kho Gayee. Sameena Nazir has adapted the play, scheduled to be performed from January 15 to February 1.

Unlike Brighton Beach Memoirs, which is set in a neighbourhood of Brooklyn in 1937, Aik Diary Jo Kho Gayee depicts the city of Karachi against the backdrop of the 1971 separation of East Pakistan. “Aik Diary Jo Kho Gayee is about a Bihari family that has migrated from East Pakistan to West Pakistan after the debacle of 1971,” Kazmi told The Express Tribune.



The original play addressed themes ranging from sibling relationships to coming-of-age topics, such as sexual awakening, the search for identity and puberty. On the question of whether Napa’s rendition would also centralise such issues, Kazmi said, “Not only has Sameena stayed true to the essence of the original play but has also tackled themes and problems that are prevalent in our society to this day.”

He added, “More than anything, the play is about growing up in turbulent times and centralises issues of adjustment, migration and the quest of finding roots in an alien environment.” The events of the play are viewed through the lens of a teenage boy Kaleem, growing up in a middle class family as he pens down his thoughts and experiences in his personal diary.

The play showcases Kaleem is coming-of-age while discovering the complexities of life as a young adult after his recently-widowed maternal aunt and her two daughters come to stay with his family after the formation of Bangladesh. As the play progresses, he develops a new awareness of the world while narrating how his father struggles to provide for a now extended family. He also describes how his elder brother faces the challenge of deciding between his principles and job and that his cousin stays resolute in her hope of becoming an actor in the face of a disapproving mother.



Kazmi stated that, similar to other people, he enjoys “good comedy” and has had the pleasure of performing in comedy plays on both television and in theatre. Brighton Beach Memoirs, which was praised by critics for juxtaposing comedy and drama, is regarded as one of Simon’s best works. Kazmi shared that Aik Diary Jo Kho Gayee would sustain the elements of humour but will ensure that they “come across subtly rather than crudely.”



“Our adaptation has humour but it is not tongue-in-cheek humour. It is more of an after-taste, which complements the story of the play brilliantly,” commented Kazmi. The cast of the play includes Akbar Islam, who will play the role of the patriarch Moinuddin, Ahmer Naqvi as Kaleemuddin, and Bakhtawar Mazhar as Shakeela Begum. Zarqa Naz, Jia Khan and Yasmeen Kalam essay the roles of Rabia, Amina and Yasmeen Kalam respectively.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 10^th,  2015.

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