By Our Special Correspondent
SHILLONG, Oct 19: While music is widely celebrated, concerts are rare in Meghalaya. St. Edmund’s School has consistently put up performances that are delightful and become part of collective public memory. Last year St. Edmund’s School performed the musical from ‘Abba-Mamma Mia’ not only in the school hall but at the Shillong Literary Festival and outside Meghalaya as well. This year, the school came up with the popular musical titled ‘Evita’ based on the politics of Argentina with music by Andrew Llyod Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice.
The musical revolves around the life of the Argentine political leader Eva Peron, the second wife of Argentine president Juan Peron.
Evita is from a middle class family but her politics endears her to the people even while she is slighted by the elite society. But Evita is unconcerned. She sees politics as a way to serve society and rides to power on the strength of the people. How she subsequently meets with Juan Peron and helps him win the elections to become Argentina’s president is what the musical is all about. Sadly, Evita is wracked by cancer which results in her premature death.
Emlidor Shisha Nongbri, who plays the role of Eva Peron, looks like she is just cut out for the role. She executes it with elan.
Juan Peron, too, looked the character – a military officer to boot with his entourage of soldiers supervising the polling booth to ensure that every voter casts his/her vote for Peron.
While one ballot box is marked ‘Peron,’ the other one has ‘AAP’ written on it making the audience wonder of the Aam Aadmi Party also has its influence in Argentina. President Juan Peron’s role was perfectly executed by Mewanteidor Wankhar who seemed.
Sa-oo Emitre Lyngdoh donning the role of Che, the chief narrator of the play who sings his way effortlessly for over two hours deserves all the accolades. To recall the lyrics without any prompter is an amazing feat. Jacob Wahlang as Magaldi and Saphishisha Pala as the Mistress delivered their class act much to the delight of the audience.
The supporting structure for every musical is the band of musicians. They included e Zion the lead guitarist, Ezra – on the rhythm guitar, Vedwan on the flute, Emidaka on the violin, Ishua and Jason on the bass guitars, Ruel and Mehashuwa on the drums, Dajied, Jason and Gregory Syiem on the keyboards and Venantius on the classical guitar. That students and teachers could work together in a rare symphony is testimony to the kind of easy relationship they share.
The song Don’t Cry for me Argentina was so emotively rendered that many in the audience had moist eyes.
Introducing the show, Br Solomon Morris, Principal said, “We took about a month to put up the whole show. We owe a lot to the choreographers, Shanaya and Shirlene, the make-up artist Shamine and her team. There were about 70 members in each cast and we had two casts for the four shows we put up.”
The lead actors for the previous days’ show were: Denise Kharbuki as Eva Peron, Meshullam Jeziel Khonglam as Che, Rupert Lyngdoh as Magaldi and Lalamti Laloo as the mistress while Mebanker Wahlang played Juan Peron.
Br. Morris said the musicians had to listen to the tracks and pick up the chords and the intricate harmonies. The students had to memorise about 1200 lines, especially Che and Eva Peron. To say that the audience was impressed is an understatement. They were mesmerised and even as they left the hall they were already thinking about the next concert – until next year when another equally brilliant show is staged. It is evident that much hard work, sweat and tears have gone into the production of the Evita with teachers and students sacrificing their Puja holidays and every other holiday in between the four weeks of hard labour. But they all said, “It was worth it.”
