By Subraj Singh

Naya Zamana is 21-years-old and it is not hard to understand why it continues to endure and retains its hold on the place of prominence it has in local theatre.One of the reasons for this has to do with the dearth of theatrical performances that focus on East Indian culture and the fact that there are not many dramatic plays that choose to make the Indo-Guyanese populace their target audience.

Naya Zamana is one of a very few select shows that attempts to portray and reflect Indian culture and, therefore, it should not come as a surprise that it is readily lapped up by audiences when it is presented each year.

This year’s production was subtitled “Lost in Time” and was written, directed and choreographed by Dr. Vindhya Persaud.

The main concept involved two young men who travel through time (via a time machine that they have created) where they have several meet-cutes with beautiful women from all eras and are constantly pursued by villains from all eras – all the while singing and dancing and miraculously being able to find exquisite, matching costumes even as they struggle to get back home.

The concept and script were both severely under-developed, being poorly written and made even worse by the fact that none of the actors were speaking their lines live but were, instead, attempting to lip-synch over pre-recorded lines. It did not go well.

As a piece of drama, a piece of theatre, as a play “Lost in Time” was not working. It is clear that scriptwriting is not the forte of the Naya Zamana team. No resolutions are offered, no characters are developed and, in fact, the script – the art of that great thing to emerge from playwriting – is reduced to a mere prop to enable the transitions between the dance numbers, which is really what Naya Zamana is all about.

The dances were truly spectacular. In fact, there is not a single dance that was poorly choreographed or performed. They all were truly impeccably done. The different styles of dance were very much appreciated, as each dance was able to convey the different time periods of Bollywood cinema – as each era possessed their own styles of dance, as evidenced when we contrast two dance items from the night of the performance: that of the demons, which comes from classical Bollywood, and the modern and popular club-number of “Let’s Nacho”, which was released this year.

The classical dance piece, the second item in the show, is one that stood out because of its particular grace and elegance, and Nirmala Persaud, dancing as Durga, really embodied her character and managed to express the goddess using only movements and expression – as any good dancer should be able to.
Dr. Indhira Harry and Farzaana Khan are very capable dancers and one goes away in complete awe at their ability to dance through so many varied numbers without tiring.

One does wonder at the choice of the organizers of Naya Zamana to employ foreign actors to play some of the lead roles and the question of the necessity of this does need to be asked. Are there not any suitable Guyanese actors, and perhaps actors within the local Naya Zamana fraternity itself, who can play these roles?

Lastly, Trishala Persaud, who designed the costumes and set for the production must be commended for creating what were truly spectacular pieces of costume and set pieces that can only be found on the National Cultural Centre stage when Naya Zamana is done every year.

Costumes and set were integral to the grandiosity and the success of the production and for this, the designer must be congratulated.

One does wish that the approach Naya Zamana takes would not continue to be one that is entirely centered on aping Bollywood and that, perhaps, grassroots Indian culture could come to the forefront also.

What of maticore conducted by rice farmers and cane-cutters and of Holi in Guyanese villages or the streets of Georgetown? Do such scenes not lend themselves to the skills being showcased by the Naya Zamana team?

Can a focus that is, at least partially, built on local Indian influences not be an important move in the performing arts not only to Indo-Guyanese people, but to the country as a whole? It is certainly something worth considering.