Magic under the stars!
Pyramus and Thisby
by Centrestage Productions
Review: Savitri Rodrigo
DRAMA: It was midsummer and one of these nights, when magic
and madness is bound to converge!
The gardens at the British Council held a certain enchanting appeal,
with the stars twinkling above and the waft of a cool breeze! The
anticipation among the audience (which turned out to be a house full and
a little more) was almost palpable!
We had no idea what was in store for us as we joined the expectant
group seated rather informally in a semi circle in the garden and on the
verandah, although rave reviews post an earlier production at St.
Joseph's College quadrangle, promised us an evening of entertainment.
But truthfully, we did not expect what we got! Kudos to Centrestage
Productions. Your brand of magic vis a vis Pyramus and Thisby
transported each of us to 'theatre heaven'!
Magic of the story
Taken off the story of Pyramus and Thisby which is inter-twined in
the legendary Shakespearean magi-comedy, A Midsummer Night's Dream,
Jehan Aloysius who devised, choreographed and directed the
THEATRE HEAVEN: A scene from Pyramus and Thisby |
production (and also skillfully played a refreshing side to
Bottom), interestingly combined the magic of the story into a Sri Lankan
village context.
Full of laughs through comedy that bordered on bawdy but didn't quite
cross the threshold, the fairy tale scenes led by Glen Jalendran who
played Oberon and Tanya Senaratne who portrayed the fairy queen Titania,
had excellently choreographed fight scenes, which showcased immense
practice and flawless timing!
Sajad Shabdeen as Puck intoned just the right amount of pesky
irritation into his character while the fairies and ensemble comprising
Anabella Brochard, Arnold Pietersz, Shevanka Fernando, Hiruni Mendis and
Imanthi Perera all gave the production well rehearsed dance sequences,
coupled with some excellent complimentary acting for the additional
touch of magic.
Interestingly, Jehan brought in Sri Lankan drums, Gini Sisila and
Naga Raksha dancers into the play, which surprisingly complimented the
entire ethos of the play rather than, as one would expect, create a
mishmash of the story - what with its magical elements, home made Sri
Lankan 'pyrotechnics' and general mayhem caused by Bottom and his
maladroit team.
Dance sequences
What was also evident was that the entire cast enjoyed themselves -
whether it was in acting silly or in creating some whirlwind dance
sequences. Bottom, Flute (Heshan Perera), Snout (Nigel Pietersz) and
Snug (Arnold Pietersz) portrayed toddy drinking drunken villagers,
complete with tucked up sarongs, while Anuk De Silva set the stage for
the entire evening with his amusing effeminate portrayal of the long
suffering playwright Quince.
The mechanicals' bumbling parody was brilliantly kept up through the
entire 90 minute performance, with each of their appearances bringing on
more chuckles by the audience.
Transformation
An interactive time of searching for a character to play Pyramus from
the audience, (while Bottom prances with Titania in the woods), infused
more laughter from an already delighted, audience.
One other facet worthy of mention is Bottom's transformation from the
inebriated rather pompous villager to donkey and back again!
An excellently choreographed feature again, the morphing was effected
under the oversized wings of a bat, with Bottom emerging in various
masks including The Pantom (with The Phantom's signature soundtrack),
before the final transformation.
A healthy donkey's tall, floppy ears and the best feature of all,
large donkey teeth added to the coy stupidity that had Titania bowled
over!
With no set except a clump of trees, a cast who could act as well as
they could dance and drew from each other's talents to compliment one
another, an original music soundtrack composed by Jehan himself and
performed by Avanti Perera and Jehan (does this young man have no end to
his genius?), costumes conceptualized on Sri Lankan traditional dance
and the attention to the finest detail were the essential ingredients
that were added to the cauldron holding the magical formulate that
ultimately infected the entire audience.
Imaginative productions
Bravo to the entire cast of Pyramus and Thisby! We hope to see more
of your unique and imaginative productions, which has amply displayed
that originality can be successful, (albeit sadly with little support
from sponsors) and that Sri Lanka has the talent, skill and ability to
be 'original' in the true sense of the word! |