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January 2005 Enactment A story based on the life of Adi Da Samraj, the head of a religious group with theological and philosophical centers in Northern California, Hawaii and the Fiji islands where he resides, The Mummery Book is a kind of nucleus of religious thought for Adi Da's followers. It is like the bible for the Christians, or the Bhagavad Gita for the Hindus. In a certain way it is very connected with different philosophical cultures of both Orient and Occident. In the Bhagavad Gita there is a line that determines very clearly the Hindu philosophy and it says: "You dream that you make decisions, you dream that when this happens the action takes place, and that the dream bears its fruits. This is your ignorance. It is the world of illusions that gives you this dream." The representation of Adi Da Samraj's life on stage is very impressive, it is tremendous; the performance of the actors, dancers, singers, directors, technical personnel: in other words, of all the volunteers involved with this work, is very praiseworthy. It seems impossible that it was done in such an impeccable manner. This theatrical representation is in reality six or seven plays brought together in one. It took about 11 hours of acting, a brilliant work. According to the Artistic Director, Sue Porter: "A play of two hours' duration takes about one month of rehearsal. But we were able to realize this performance, that in reality lasts over five times as long, with only a month of practice." This performance took a full weekend and it is presented only once a year during the month of January, on a sacred date for the followers of Master Adi Da Samraj. The performances are open to the public and the devotees of this exemplary gentleman. The first presentation of this year took place between Saturday and Sunday, the 15th and 16th of January. The second one occurred on the 22nd and the 23rd of January, but it was directed mostly toward the devotees of Adi Da Samraj. This theatrical group of The Mummery Book is planning to perform more condensed plays for the general public and bring them to the Bay Area. It would be very interesting to see this titanic presentation in a shorter version. Raymond Darling is the hero of this production. Raymond was a very special child, according to the story, since at a very early age he was aware to have been born enlightened in a divine way. Raymond Darling is brilliantly performed by the extraordinary, the magnificent, the man that makes a difference because of his great capacity as a speaker and an actor, Mr. Steve Brown; who is present from the first scene and does not miss a single instant of the action. He accompanies us through the 11 hours that lasts the presentation. Steve plays the Narrator of the story, or Adi Da Samraj, and during the narration we see other Raymonds of every age. It is worthwhile to note that Adi Da Samraj lives presently in Fiji, and he is not only the author but has helped guide its theatrical representation. He is now 65 years old. This epic play consists of four intelligently divided parts; it also has various directors in charge of conducting each section in an efficient presentation. 1 - The First Room The First Room "The First Room" tells the story of Raymond when he is very little and decides to join the worlds of illusions to see what it was all about. He hurts himself on purpose to be able to, in a certain way, be asleep in the world and understand as an observer the illusions that humans go through during their lives. It is the initial stage of life, where dad and mom indoctrinate us in a very efficient way on what the world expect us to be. The whole production was presented with five gigantic screens with great multimedia special effects: sound, video, audio, lights. In other words, the information was overwhelming, almost impossible to digest in one day, but very impressive. Quandra Loka "Quandra Loka" is where Raymond falls madly in love with a girl, who symbolizes the pain one feels for the lost love. The images, the symbols, the metaphors that are built into this stage are very emotional, they make you think. Alexandre Merineau (who plays the character "Meridian Smith") is an actor from Montreal who also had a laudable interpretation of the master, Raymond's guide. The suffering and the disillusion made Raymond enquire of the world of illusions, to ask himself if there was another way to live. The Mummery At his return from the woods of sadness and suffering, Raymond, puzzled, goes back to "Dreamer's Circle" where he faces "Evelyn Disk" (played by Mel McMurrin), who tries to convince him to join a false religious sect and take advantage of the followers of a false religion. Mel is fantastic in his demonic role, his custom is spectacular, his voice impressive and in spite of his height and weight, very gracious in his movements. Evelyn Disk has a group of followers; the most loyal of which are the old ones "Pascoe Moon" (Damon Schoeffler) and "Moode Thom" (Carl De Vere) who were extraordinary in their performance and use of masks. The Mummery Book enactment also uses a series of puppets excellently designed, masks and customs that help in clarifying very complex ideas that are difficult to understand. There are lots of songs and choreography that incite one to dance. Epilogue After such a long trip through the world of dreams, Raymond is taken out of service by the wicked Evelyn, since he did not want Raymond to help any person to think for himself, and wanted to let the world continue in its lethargic and mechanical life. But a moment comes when he dies and is born as a different man simply to help those who wanted to follow his instructions to escape death. This play is not apt for minors due to its erotic and emotional content. We must remember that this is a religious dramatization and therefore the public should maintain an open mind to different theological ideas. —MARIO A. ECHEVARRÍA |
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