The world is a carpet of numerous sounds. To activate our muscles to move, sometimes it is enough to add rhythmic accent to the sound, to hesitate its quietness. This is a beginning. Beginning of play, beginning of transformation.
“Krash – Bum – Tararam” – Rhythm helps us!” – this bouncy tone was taken by the play of the Youth Theatre of Uzbekistan, which premiere was held on July 28, 2002. Impulse to motion given in the title of this play is a noise (k-r-a-sh), sound (b-u-m) and rhythm (ta-ra-ram). By substance this is a musical and this is a genre, which, in its different forms, has been chosen by the theatre of Nabi Aburakhmanov. In this case, music plus clownery, eccentricity and circus became a form and a mean for emotions’ transition. The play bases on inspiration; its breath is strongly helding attention of spectators.
So was on the day of premiere “Krash – Bum – Tararam” – Rhythm helps us!” In this bright musical play RHYTHM forms a chain of interconnections: accent, impulse, motion, breath, improvisation, colour, character and life. Here are no words, they’ve lost necessity to be said but here is a rhythm – gesture, rhythm – mood, rhythm – character, rhythm – personage and rhythm – music.
Rhythm – impulse in the play causes a sense, which is growing into the need to realize RHYTHM – CONTENT. One rhythm – line causes the second, third. Synthesizing in polyrhythm, motions are getting relaxed; inspiration makes to feel a strong wish to hear music. Music for actors is the highest sense of everything being – to hear its rhythm means to live.
On the stage, rather trivial situation like in a circus performance is running. A group of so – called builders and a group of musicians have basically opposite tasks: to execute (builders) and to create (musicians). Faceless builders wearing grey standard clothes resigned to their Fate, according to which a basic source of musicians’ inspiration in a form of symbolic “pipe” must be shut off. The struggle of stupid, emotionally destructive rhythm and the rhythm creating the life by means of music is starting. Clownery, dance and circus became the means to present fighting forces. Rhythm in all its forms, time, dynamic and colourful, occupies all space in this amusing performance – competition.
Here, the pipe presents construction elements, using which the builders are installing senseless structure and at the same time it symbolizes a source of inspiration as a sparkle of sounds creating. “Simple subjects” surround us and often we can not even guess their magic nature. But if to move them from their place, to give them movement and to make sounding, suddenly they can obtain another sense. So, on the stage ordinary plastic construction pipes of different length, diameter and form are really singing in the hands of the musicians in their inspiration.
While builders are installing something of the pipes, the musicians are making attempts “to give them a rhythm” and through it – enjoyment of life. Sounds occur spontaneously magnetizing by their vibration in waves of pure substance. They are greatly numerous and various: magically mysterious, twinkling, meditating, frightening and gentle, sharp, cold and soft – always different, and so attractive. Pipes are becoming a source of natural sounds and noise. When plastic pipes filled up with break – stone and sand and having spirally located nails and bottle covers in the their walls are being turned over, they are making hissing sounds reminding a sound of waves or wind, and trivial plastic flexible hose is generating wonderful sounds.
A blow burns up a sound like fire sparkle, each other blow burns up another sound, and if to do it as a game as if passing rhythmic impulses from one player to another, rhythmical energy of the dance must occur. In this way, on the stage occur African and Uzbek rhythm – paints, which integrate musicians and builders becoming able to see and finally to hear sound and to feel a rhythm.
But not everything comes directly… Under the subject of the play, at first is awaking up one builder who has lost his quietness because of sounds and strange noises of “speaking” pipes. The pipe is inviting for dialogue demanding the builder’s reply, sound or rhythm, awakening his emotional energy and motions. In spite of leisure is still strong, a sparkle of inspiration has already burnt up. Through the dream and night mist that symbolizes emotional frustrations and leisure, the sound, energy of movement and spirit of inspiration in growing.
Gradually the magic of sounds and rhythms attract the other builders. The magic of life and love is filling up each personage. Rich sharp rhythmic accents and graphically – noise effects promote the birth of creative forces. For example, they draw silhouettes of dancing people having various faces and skin colours, involving them in the space of rhythm. They mark graphics of the wave of fantastic bike with gradual pushing and further relaxing of its dynamic.
Suddenly the word founds its lost sense, and a person is getting to feel a love for it. “Apple”… and fruits, beautiful and desirable, are dropping down, “Nuts”… and we hear a noise of falling nuts, and “the pipe” is strengthening this sense. It’s become clear that noise, sound and rhythm can be taken from everything, just should be wish and inspiration, and then are forming silhouettes of themes of Mozart, Beethoven and Strauss as the highest incarnation of creativity.
The Youth Theatre in its play “Krash – Bum – Tararam” – Rhythm helps us!” proposed exclusive “recipe” of creative source: musical instruments (xylophone, karnai, doira, nagora) or simple construction pipes, hoses, break – stone, sand, nails, metallic covers, glasses with water, perfect play – actors and sensitive spectators, some imagination plus a little inspiration and… strong wish to do all this – creating the holiday.
The holiday actually had got home. The musical play influenced on spectators thanks to original stage direction of Bernd Sikora and Albert Khalmurzaev, decorations of Oibek Kayumov, Eduard Astafiev and Victoria Ghiniatulina as well as to original choreography of Anna Trenina. This is a result of the work of perfect actors equally good in playing, dancing and playing traditional musical and improvised instruments. Apropos, ad lib instruments (pipes) were chosen thoroughly, and then were perfectly polished and adjusted, what determined properties of sounding. In this way the sounds, timbres and simple “noises” occurred, being accumulating and waiting for their high point.
As we know, a musical instrument is alive, and not everybody can open secret of its character and harmony. One should feel a love to create wonder and the instrument may sound. We’ve been able to do! Pipes have been singing, drums have been ringing, and break – stone has been gritting creating polyphony of sounds and “rhythm of life”.
“Krash – Bum – Tararam” – Rhythm helps us!” is a fruit of strong friendship and result of joint International Project of the Youth Theatre of Uzbekistan and Dresden Theater Junge Generation (Germany) by the agency of the Goethe’s Institute in Tashkent, Central Asian Agency of Conrad Adenauer Foundation, The German Economy Club and JV “HOBAS TAPO” as well as thanks to the agency of the Ministry for Culture Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the State Conservatory of Uzbekistan.
It became another successful experience in joint creative work. Tashkent playgoers remember the plays “Small River Horses” and “Obedi-hunter” given by the Dresden theatre as well as master-classes of Kristil Hoffmann from Berlin presenting at the second International Festival of youth theatres “Humo” in 2000. These events had formed the basis for further creative cooperation between “International Association of Theatres for Children and Youth” in a name of Vice – President of World ASSITEJ and President of German ASSITEJ, Mr. Wolfgang Schneider and the Youth Theatre of Uzbekistan.
Premiere staging was done by the young musician and producer Beridom Sikora (Germany). “Krash – Bum – Tararam” – Rhythm helps us!” performed by Tashkent and Dresden actors will be one of three plays, which soon the Youth Theatre is presenting in Germany. All successes and inspiration for new premieres, and let rhythm to help you!
Author: Elvira Yafasova