After a ten year lapse:

Thaaravo flies again

Ruwini Jayawardana

Everybody enjoys a good laugh but ultimately it is from incidents or misfortunes concerning other characters that we seek amusement. This humane nature was taken to account by Roman dramatist Plautus when he based humorous incidents on Greek society as the basis of his plays.

During a brief period when he served the Roman army Plautus gained exposure to the delights of Greek New Comedy and the stage plays of Menander, a leading figure of the era. As New Comedy gained popularity, Plautus began to write plays. Since he was familiar with the fact that Romans will not take kindly to a play which ridicules the Roman society itself, Plautus was able to weave his ideas and tales around the Greek backdrop yet construct the story in a manner so that it has a relevance to the audience of his country.

Thus the witty playwright succeeded not only to win the hearts and laughter of his audience which brought him to the height of fame but also send across a meaningful message to the viewers. Such was his genius that even globally renowned playwrights like William Shakespeare and Moliere were influenced by his plays in forming their own creations.

Plautus' Latin comedy was also a major source for Shakespeare's well known piece of work, 'The Comedy of Errors' which was subsequently adapted for the musical theatre by Rodgers and Hart in 'The Boys from Syracuse'.

A similar line of influence was Carlo Goldoni's 1747 play 'I due gemelli veneziani' ("The two Venetian twins") (also adapted as 'The Venetian Twins' in 1979). Shakespeare's 'Twelfth Night' also features mistaken twins, the sister dressed as a boy.

Lucien Bulathsinhala is no stranger to the Sri Lankan drama scene. The maker of well known stage plays like Rathu Hettakari had come up with the latest production of his highly acclaimed stage play Thaaravo Igilethi. The play which won hearts through its witty dialogs and hilarious two decades back will take over the stage once again as Serenity Entertainments brings the story filled with laughter and suspense to millions of audience who were pining to see the productions unfolding before their eyes.

The new production which includes Harsha Bulathsinhala, Sumith Ratnayake, Niroshan Wijesinhe, Rodney Warnakula, Indiaka Jayasinghe, Pumi Shanika Botheju and Randima Thilini Perera in lead roles will go on boards the Lionel Wendt on April 2 and 3 at 6.30 p.m. Thaaravo Igilethi will next make its rounds around the island: Negambo on April 25, the BMICH on April 30 and Galle in May 16. Gamini Samarakoon who had taken up the role of Jinna in the 1990s production will take on the role of the doctor in Bulathsinhala's new version of the play.

"Bandula Jayawardena introduced me to a copy of the Plautus' Menaechmi (Twin Brothers) which deals with a plot based on mistaken identity involving a set of twins, Menaechmus of Epidamnus and Menaechmus of Syracuse. The twin who goes in search of his brother ends up stepping into a land which is populated by thieves, thugs, frauds and courtesans.

The plot with its series of comic incidents intrigued me and I noted that it formed the basis for a quality production with relevance to the contemporary society. I followed Plautus' example and constructed the incidents in the backdrop of a foreign land: Singapore," Lucien recalled on how Thaaravo Igilethi took off on stage.

Why particularly Singapore? Well, that idea derived from 1977 when a set of politicians boasted about transforming Sri Lanka into a 'Singapore' in their political speeches, a project yet to be put into action. This sarcastic theme also underlined the plot along with the incidents which unfolded on stage, revealing the true state of a 'developed nation'.

The humour, the diverse characters and the timeless theme of the play accompanied with catchy tunes and vocals of the play proved that it was not only a success but topped the lists as one of the evergreen creations up to date.

After its debut performance Thaaravo Igilethi took continuous flight for 18 years until the director was faced with a tragic period of his life when he lost his career at SLBC. U. Ariyawimal's departure and the loss of musician Gunadasa Kapuge took their toll on the play and Thaaravo Igilethi's last performance was held in 1999. However artistes from the first production like Rodney Warnakula, Jackson Anthony and Mercy Edirisinghe kept the play alive among the audience as they performed the songs from the drama at various events.

"The audience has by no means forgotten the play and we felt that it was our duty to stage it to the present generation so that they too can enjoy the what their elders had witnessed 10 years back. My friend, journalist Anura Bandara Rajaguru introduced me to Bandula Ekanayake and Channa Fernando who in turn gathered the head of Events, Bandara Eheliyagoda and head of Sarasavi group, H.D. Premasiri. They pioneered the project in bringing this evergreen creation back onto the stage," Bulathsinhala noted.

Credits

Cast

Harsha Bulathsinhala
Sumith Ratnayake
Niroshan Wijesinghe
Rodney Warnakula
Indika Jayasinghe
Pumi Shanika Botheju
Randima Thilini Perera
Anura Bandara Rajaguru
Ferni Roshini
Mahesh Uyanwattha
Gamini Samarakoon
Ishara Pramuditha Wickramasinghe
Sujani Nisanka
Janaka Hemantha Kumara
Dhanushka Bandara
Thilini Prasadi

Director : Lucien Bulathsinhala
Stage Manager : Newton Gunasekara
Stage setting : Upali Herath
Costumes : Suvenitha Subasinghe
Choreography : Jerome de Silva
Make up : Nimal Rajapaksa
Setting and props : Susantha Nanayakkara,
Rohana Hewavitharana
Sound control : Akir Amir
Lighting : Wasantha Kumara
Music : Gunadasa Kapuge
New sound mixing : Harsha Bulathsinhala
Production : Bandula Ekanayake,
Channa Fernando,
H.D. Premasiri,
Bandara Ehaliyagoda