Dramatic Flaw

George Bernard Shaw’s fin-de-siecle play is a wit-filled satire on war and heroism,and as is much of Shavian theatre,a comment on social hierarchies. This pitch-perfect rendition is relevant even today what with our obsession with our household staff and,unfunnily,when a Bollywood actor has been accused to getting too close to his maid. But I’ve scarcely watched a good Indian play,even with a big-ticket sponsor,that pays much attention to the costume department. Sure,each character is dressed for the part but there’s always something unaesthetic about the shape or the fit or even the fabric itself.

Which brings me to note that it should absolutely not be so. Good fabric in India does not cost an arm and a leg,and there are many more stylists and costume designers in the movies than films being made. Why then is this department of theatre production so often ignored or underplayed?

I guess it comes from our own lack of a good aesthetic. Design in a theatre production often means the sets,props or mise en scene. Costumes need to be slightly better than what Maganlal Dresswala can provide. Besides,theatre producers — the good ones — are often broke and cut their costs here. Sadly,even the ones that make commercial theatre give in to the romantic notion of theatre being purely artistic and fall short here. Motley’s Arms and the Man,with costumes by Marvin D’souza and Niyoti Upadhyay,was not so. Raina’s satin nightgown made me want one too,her bed was glitteringly perfect much in tone of what a Bulgarian spoilt young lady’s should be like. Pathak Shah’s dress was as vivid and vivacious as her character; the men’s uniforms were accurate in detail and structure. And yes,it all came together when a piece of naughty evidence was discovered in Major Petkoff’s (played by Naseer) rich velvet housecoat.

Shavian theatre,like Shakespearean,has been rather eloquent is its dress code: more to identify social classes than anything else. Interestingly,not much of modern writing pays attention to attire either. I can’t remember any book by recent authors where the raiments have been described memorably. While it may have been de rigeur with the Victorians and masculine with Dickens,these days describing clothing is only to attract chick-lit readers.

But to think: if costume stylists lent some of their time to theatre instead of movies and advertising (where they are still paid pennies),Motley’s Arms and the Man would not be an exception. namratanow@gmail.com