A look at the play “Karim Logi” directed by Reza Bahrami / Tombstone

Theater News Base: The play “Karimology” written by “Mehran Ranjbar”, directed by “Reza Bahrami” and played by “Majid Rahmati” has been staged at the “Shahrzad” theater campus, which looks at traditional Iranian plays. The director and actor of this play appear in high quality; But the author wrote something that is not theatrical at all. The text of “criminology” is generally devoid of central theme, drama, problem-solving, and present-day history.

Ghost in search of the grave
The play “Crimology” has become something like “grave painting”; Because it has a very simple and one-line story about the unknown location of the grave of “Karim Shirah” (one of the bitter ones of Naser al-Din Shah’s court). Karim (Majid Rahmati) appears in front of the audience like a wandering ghost and tells about his life from his childhood to his presence in the court of Naser al-Din Shah. His main task is to find the exact location of his grave; But it is not clear what is the purpose of this search? The structure of the play is based on a monologue, in which the author has tried to narrate parts of the life of one of the famous figures of the Nasserite period, using the elements of Iranian plays and the style of portrait documentary theater.

An epidemic of irrational monologues
A monologue is a solo speech on stage and usually proceeds without a dramatic dialogue, which makes its performance extremely difficult and exhausting. “On the Dangers of Tobacco” by Anton Chekhov is one of the best monologues in the history of theater, in which a man named “Ivan Nyokhin” tries to talk about the dangers of smoking; But he is constantly sidelined and eventually talks about his differences with others. The dramatic logic of this monologue is well formed; Because the actor speaks to the audience as an audience that is supposed to sit at the foot of his scientific lecture. The play “Criminology” has no special dramatic logic; Because the reason for the ghost of “Karim Shiraei” talking to the spectators is not clear. The question is, who do the spectators of this theater represent in the world of theater? The dramatic error seen in this text has been repeated in most of the monologues of the last few years, which can now be said to have become a dangerous epidemic. Portrait documentary theater is dedicated to producing works about the real life of celebrities or special people. The most important point in this form of narrative is the point of view of the central subject, not the point of view of the author. Historical portraits are based on long-term research in which the author tries to approach the real life of his main subject based on documents. In my opinion, the play “Creamology” is based on non-professional research that does not express anything special from the point of view of “Cream Juice” as its central subject; It is even empty from the author’s point of view. Another problem is that it is not historical at all and a lot of unrealistic information is given to the audience. The question is, what is the central theme or main concept of the play? The author of “Criminology” in my opinion had no specific purpose other than to define parts of Karim’s life on stage in a completely non-dramatic way. Note that this play has become a narrative work; Because the life story of “Karim Shiraei” is told to the audience by “Majid Rahmati”, which is similar to the techniques of “narration” and “screen reading”. Someone like “Bahram Beizai” in the play “Maple, or the Day Passes” dramatizes when he wants to use the methods of Iranian plays in modern theater.
Which national art?

There have been many challenges to topics such as “Islamic philosophy” and “national theater” in recent years. Some have asked if theater, which is Greek art, could be nationalized. Some have responded that the works of William Shakespeare are English to all people of the world; Because art has no borders to become national or non-national now. Some argue that philosophy is based on skepticism and has Greek roots that cannot be reconciled with religion, which is based on faith. The play “Karimology” also claims to be Iranian; But in the same first step; That is, in choosing its title, it has become non-Iranian. The title consists of two parts: “Cream” and “Logic”. Loggia is an English suffix of Greek origin. The word “sociology”, for example, means “sociology”; Therefore, “criminology” (which is wrong in Persian) means “criminology”. By choosing this title, the author has tried to show his work similar to scientific research; But the most important principle of the science of drama; That is, it has not observed the production of conflict and dramatic action. “Drama is a hard-working character who tries to get there despite all the obstacles,” said Drew Yano, a screenwriting teacher. Karim has no desire other than to find the exact location of his grave; Therefore, no special conflict is formed and no opponent appears in front of him to create an obstacle for him. The ghost of Karim, who has now appeared on the scene, does not take any special action to find his grave; It is enough to express his memories. “The whole drama is a struggle,” wrote Syd Field (screenwriting teacher). Without conflict, you have no personality; “Without a character, there is no adventure, and without a story, you have no story.” The play “Crimology” is non-dramatic and actionless, performed in a narrative manner. “Reza Bahrami” has succeeded in showing himself by attracting such a text; Because it was able to keep the audience awake and deliver a coherent work with the right rhythm.

Formalism is against thought
Formalist theaters are usually devoid of critical concepts. The author of “Criminology” has not been able to develop a proper critical idea. He does not distinguish between “subject” and “central concept”, which is one of the basic principles of writing a dramatic text. The play “Doll House” by Henrik Ibsen is a good example; Because the author has dealt with women’s lives and has been able to depict the metamorphosis of the conflicting values ​​and characteristics of modernity. Nora (an allegory of modern women) no longer wants to live under male domination and see herself as a victim of patriarchal societies. After a dispute with her husband, she decides to leave her home. “Nora” can only live in her husband’s house as a beautiful doll and a simple-hearted woman, not a wise woman who has the power to choose and decide. The subject of the play is the critical life of a woman named “Nora” next to a man named “Torvald Helmer”; Thus, a clear line is drawn between the dramatic theme and the subject. The author has chosen a reckless woman in order to show his critical concepts. The play “Crimology” has no specific meaning and is written in a very conservative manner; Because the author has nothing to do with “present history” and “state of time” and travels to the past history. He just wants to paint a grave as if the whole “Crimean” identity is summed up in his grave. The dramatic text should have something to say about the daily life of the people, which is usually done by playwrights. If the director wants to perform Tennessee Williams’ play “Glass Zoo” today, he needs to adapt the text to the lifestyle of today’s people.

Ashi with a wajib of oil
The play “Crimology” does not have a coherent form at all, and everything is contrasted to make it look like a theatrical text. The stew is cooked in a pan with a drop of oil on it. This is where we find out how hard the director and actor of this show have worked to bring an attractive performance to the stage. “Reza Bahrami” was able to direct the only actor of the play well, and “Majid Rahmati” was able to easily punch the stage by changing various tones and mastering the typography. Author, a delicious cooked food that has no salt or pepper; Therefore, the entire burden of the performance falls on the director and the actor, who have done well. “Majid Rahmati” game has a high quality; Because alone it can attract more viewers. His concentration, body and expression are so ready that it shows the power of his acting. “Reza Bahrami” as a director has been able to create attractive gestures, forms and actions on stage that make most viewers not tired and can stay awake until the end of this meaningless story. Unfortunately, in recent years we have come across a large number of meaningless texts that are neither artistic nor commercial; Because most writers want to produce both a “popular” work and an “elite” work. Such an action would be very difficult if done; But it is necessary for the writer to either have an artistic instinct or sufficient knowledge. Most Iranian theaters in recent years have been filled with Western plays, the main reason being the widespread censorship of Iranian thought-based works. Many pseudo-artists have grown up in this space and have gained a reputation. The performance of “Reza Bahrami” stands out among such works and is generally accepted. A director who is interested in Iranian texts is respected; Because it can cause the growth of Iranian playwriting.