Today at 5:54 AM December 1982. Im almost 16 years old. My first performance in a tiatr is about to begin. It would also be my last performance in a tiatr, but my stage career is another topic for another day. I play the role of a bachelor with a fiance, (played by Myra - then a DeSa) who wants to ditch her for another richer girl (Janet - then a Lobo who later married my good friend Marico and remained a Lobo). Myras fathers role was played by my immediate neighbour and great actor (late) Tome Mendes. The role of my mother was played by Bella. The late Piedade Gomes (Pidu) from near the Goncoi chapel played the riole of a gardner. The play was written and directed by my other neighbour Antonio Francis Fernandes who also played the role of a Judge who later offers to marry Myra to undo the injustice she faced at my hands - in the play. Before you start smirking at the ridiculousness of the plays premise please keep in mind that this was a simple village play diring the Christmas entertainment programme on the stage near the St. Thomas Church. The aim was to impart moral values through entertainment. I see professional tiatrs today with more absurd stories. Anyway theres this public garden scene in the beginning of the play that involved me and my (stage) fiance Myra. I am breaking off with her and finding no convenient excuse I decide to accuse her of flirting with Piedade the gardener. My (stage) mother Bella intervenes but I do not heed her advice. The stage is set. Myra is waiting for me in the (stage) garden and talking to the (stage) gardener. The curtains open. I am now supposed to enter dramatically and say my dramatic lines. I come on stage dramatically, as rehearsed, and then I freeze. There are about 50,000 people in the audience. Ok, ok, I exagerrate. There were probably closer to 250 people in the audience but it seemed like a whole lot more to me. They were all staring at me and I was dumbstruck. The dramatic lines I had learnt by heart, and recited so nicely during rehearsals, were just not there. This was the worst sort of stage fright. I didnt stumble, my knees were not knocking, my heart was not pounding. Nothing of that sort. I was just frozen in time with a sea of more than 50,000 faces looking up at me - and I was scared sh*tless! It seemed like I was frozen for a couple of hours. Ok, ok, it probably was ten seconds but it was obvious something was wrong. Myra and Piedade carried on their mimed conversation to cover up for me but I was just frozen stiff with my mind a blank. Bella was waiting in the wings to make her entrance. After I made my dramatic statement and Myra started protesting Bella was supposed to enter and plead with me to change my mind. But I was stuck in no-motion. Not slow-motion. No motion. Bella, who was an experienced stage performer, somehow understood what had happened. She came forward on stage before her time. She just came across right to me and held my hand. Seemed like a perfectly correct thing for a mother to do. The audience did not realise that the script had changed. Bella just held my hand firmly and whispered Cecil! The ring!. That was enough. It was my kator re bhaji moment. Bellas quick thinking galvanised me into action. As rehearsed a dozen times before I removed the engagement ring from my finger, strode across the stage to Myra and shouted at her Ghe he tuji mudi ani di tea Piedade mallik! Taka... I know some folk are is going to say this anecdote was more about me than about Bella. But Bella was like that. For her it was always about others, never about herself. __._,_.___
Posted on: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 09:24:07 +0000