Kanthashilon stages Ibsen's The Master Builder as Karigor

A sequence from the play

A translation-adaptation of Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen's The Master Builder by Abdul Haque, the play shows the inner crisis and helplessness of a genius engineer--the 'Master Builder'.

Engineer Rajat has come to his present unparalleled position by oppressing and deceiving other professionals of his time. In this sinful enterprise, however, he cannot retain his supremacy entirely: he develops a tremendous fear of height as well as of the upcoming talents.

Rajat's conjugal life with a mentally depressed wife, Shanta, also detracts Rajat towards extra-marital affairs with his employee Kaya. This leads to further complications in the Rajat-Shanta relationships.

At such a moment of utter despair emerges Hilda with her romantic memory of a heroic Rajat. She claims that Rajat kissed and promised her a dream palace ten years ago.

Hilda's sudden appearance brings huge excitement in Rajat's life. Her continuos recollection of Rajat's old heroic image rejuvenates the romantic hero in him. He forgets his fear of height and dares to climb the scaffold up to the top of his new house to put a garland on its spire.

The romanticism of attaining such height, however, proves much beyond Rajat's ability. The illusion ultimately causes his tragedy as he falls from the scaffold and dies.

The strong-script of the play, however, went loose at the very outset due to poor acting of Hasibullah and Subidita Chanda in the roles of Robin and Kaya. Both the performers lacked the required stage-freeness and maturity.

The acting of David, played by Zahirul Haque Khan, was unmistakably influenced by the style of the director of the play Khaled Khan. Zahir's expressions, delivery of dialogue and gestures all reminded of the acting of the veteran actor of our theatre.

In the role of the 'Master Builder' Rajat, Golam Sarwar was good except that sometimes his whispering dialogues could not reach beyond the first few rows of the audience.

The most appreciable performance in the shows was that of Joyita Mohalannobish in the role of Hilda. Her lively and natural acting surely promises the young girl a bright future on stage.

Regarding editing Khaled Khan has proved his mastery by keeping all the six characters of the original play and cutting incidents yet retaining the pace of the play. Moreover, the closing scene was redesigned in the second show, which made it more effective. The scene depicts Rajat's final ascent to the top of his house. When he climbs up the scaffold, a symbolic representation of the scaffold on the stage gave more impetus to the tragic sense of Rajat's fall that causes his death. Especially, the total 'blackout' on the stage for a few seconds effectively corresponds to the screaming and wailing of Shanta, Hilda, the Doctor and Robin who were watching Rajat's ascent. Nasirul Haque Khokon's simple light design achieved brilliance by his using of cyclorama on the background to depict the spire of the house.

Enamul Karim Nirjhor has designed a simple set very effectively with wooden structures used in turn as sofa, secretariat table and even railings.