CLASSIC GERMAN THEATRE rocked to the beat of Bob Marley last weekend.
Students of the theatre arts programme at the Barbados Community College staged an adaptation of Bertolt Brecht’s Caucasian Chalk Circle last weekend at the auditorium as part of their final examination.
The story revolved around a peasant girl, Grusha (played by Amina Best), who rescued the son of a wealthy family and cared for the child as her own. Best was by far the most convincing actor on the night, and her efforts should be rewarded, or graded as such.
With little set changes and the use of one actor for multiple roles, the play was quite minimalistic, which allowed for the scenes to run smoothly into each other. However, it also made it hard to follow who was whom, and when. Perhaps the charm in Best’s portrayal was that she was allowed to shine in the single role.
Additionally, some actors employed a localized dialect when others did not. While this may have been done to show differentiation in social classes, it was not a consistent effort – even within the multiple roles.
The sporadic use of Marley’s well-known classics added a Caribbean vibe to the mid-20th century play. If there was one complaint about the incorporation of the reggae music it was that there should have been a little more.
All in all, it was a good effort by the students, and tutor Yvonne Weekes, who adapted the piece. (LW)
