On behalf of myself and all the like minded Goans especially the Tiatro lovers, I express my deep feeling of regret over the news of the sad demise of one of the pillars of yesteryear Tiatrists, the late Jose Lawrence Vaz popularly known as Master Vaz in the Tiatro world, on 12th of this month, he was in his nineties.
Master Vaz was the youngest Tiatrist during those days to participate in the Tiatros and precisely because of this he was named as MASTER Vaz, this name he finally will carry to his grave tomorrow. He was the most faithful lieutenant of the legendary Minguel Rod who stood by Rod even though Rod was wrong at times especially when Rod betrayed other two colleagues of his Trio, namely Kid Boxer & Young Menezes and formed a Quarter comprising the great Alexinho de Candolim – C. Alvares – Jacinto Vaz – Minguel Rod, only to see him returning back afterawhile to the original Trio known as Kid-Young Rod. Minguel Rod once told my father who was a close friend of Rod that “I will never find another jewel of a person in my life like my Kumpar” meaning Master Vaz, “who remained faithful to me thru thick and thin like Eva Braun remained faithful to Hitler”. Master Vaz to build his relationship with Minguel Rod on strong footing, made Rod his Kumpar by naming one of his siblings after him. Being his closest friend and colleague, Master was in his own handwriting scripted a few of Rod’s Tiatros of course dictated by Minguel Rod and being so he made by-heart many of Rod’s Tiatros. It so happened once while going to stage his Tiatro “Lembddo Santan” at P.T. Bhangwaddy, Bombay, Minguel Rod carrying the script of the Tiatro got drunk on the way and having lost his strength to walk any further, he slept there only on “Cross Maidan” at Dhobitalao while Master Vaz and other artistes were eagerly awaiting the script. Having no sign of the director who slept well there but awakened at dawn by some of the Tiatro goers who were returning home after watching the said Tiatro which was successfully staged under the direction of Master Vaz who knowing the whole script by-heart prompted it to each artiste successfully. Such was the genius of this great Tiatrist who is one of the last vestiges of the first batch of the Tiarists.
A few years back his Tiatrist son Marcus Vaz brought him to Kuwait to participate in his Tiatro staged in Kuwait and when he came to know that the visiting artistes from Goa were accommodated at my place in Kuwait city, he was overwhelmed and showered fabulous praises on me not only for this gesture but more than that in his own words “for helping and promoting our Tiatros in Kuwait” and concluding thus, “please consider this Tiatro as yours too”. We have felicitated him during the Tiatro in front of Hall packed audience who in unison gave him standing ovation.
Earlier, from mid sixties he was a strong member of Young Stars of Goa troupe where he was also playing the role of a female. I can still remember the short role he played then in Nelson Afonso’s highly political Tiatro “Nationalist”, of an innocent and ignorant person keeping the Bomb on the roadside on the command of Agente Monteiro where his trembling hands and terrorized eyes by the worst “Paklo” Agente Monteiro created fear into the minds and hearts of the audience.
While concluding, I pray to Heavenly Father to take care of the soul of our dear Master Vaz who served Konkani Stage for such a long period and offer my heartfelt condolences to all his family members.
May the soul of Master Vaz rest in peace.
A.Veronica Fernandes.