EVEN though the story of Makantali has been told and featured in shows several times over the years, veteran actor/director/producer Godfrey Naughton is doing it again – this time, with a little more ‘colour’ to capture the attention of the younger folks.

Naughton, who started acting from his childhood days, about six decades ago, believes that “patience is the key to learning anything” and he’s big on doing all he can to pass on his knowledge and skills to young and upcoming artistes.

“In Makantali… this was a play on old people done before, but I worked out how to get it a little more colourful….our younger generation has a shorter attention span,” he told Buzz in an interview this week as he and his team gear up to put on the show on May 28 at the National Cultural Centre.

It’s actually a treat for the country’s independence celebrations, and Naughton said it will be something that those attending would never have experienced before.

“They can expect something they’ve never seen before; reality like they’ve never seen before. It’s an experience that you can take everywhere with you. This version is very deep and insightful. You would understand things about your country that you never knew existed”, Naughton, who is the director and production designer, expressed.
With a cast and crew of about 40 persons, he shared that the make-up and costuming will be extraordinary. Because “it’s a very deep, exotic, spiritual, symbolic, colourful representation of the story,” Naughton said a number of different talents are needed for the show.
Apart from the designs and costumes, though, Naughton said the story aims to send a powerful message to all those who see the show.

“Makantali is one of the stories taken from Guyanese folklore. Makantali was the guy who found enormous gold; he had a knack for finding gold. When a poor person is given riches, they tend to live like how they think rich people live.
“He went out and found gold and started throwing the money around like confetti and, very soon, he was poor. He went to hide in Leonora, and found his way back into the interior. It’s a lesson in false self-worth,” he shared.

The temporary affluence that Makantali developed, and the way in which he and others were affected by his behaviour, will serve as an object lesson for anyone who wants to get wealthy; who throws away their wealth and becomes somebody else after they get rich.

The show, which will be for about two and a half hours long, starts at 18:00 hours. With rehearsals coming along good so far, Naughton said the show will feature many moving parts.

“We are giving Independence the kind of recognition it deserves, because if we didn’t have Independence, we could not have been a Republic. Independence is a very important thing for me. The Ministry decided to do so much for Independence, so I decided we are going to give them something they haven’t seen for like 30 years. Come early. This is the occasion to dress up, elegantly casual,” Naughton urged.