‘Look Back in Love’: an engaging monodrama
Seneka ABEYRATNE
Mark Amerasinghe is widely regarded as one of Sri Lanka’s finest
surgeons (now retired). It is the same Mark Amerasinghe who writes and
performs high-quality monodramas in English. I do not know of any other
Sri Lankan who does so. Indeed, I consider him the unsung hero of the
local English drama scene.
Most of the eleven monodramas he has written and performed to date
are adapted from well-known French literary works. The eleventh, Look
Back in Love, was recently staged at the Alliance Francaise de Kandy.
This engaging monodrama, performed by the author himself, is based on an
adaptation of his translation of Jean Cocteau’s original script of the
black and white French Film, Orphée (screened in 1960). The movie, set
in the 1950s, was inspired by the celebrated Greek legend, Orpheus, but
differed from it in many respects, including the ending. The legend has
a sad ending whereas the movie (a modernized version) concludes on a
happy note.
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Mark
Amerasinghe |
In Look Back in Love, the narrator is Jean Cocteau – played by the
creator of the monodrama. What a clever innovation this was! The
performance itself was something to behold. For about 75 minutes (on the
trot), the narrator held the audience spellbound with his fine acting
and adroit manipulation of space and time.
As soon as the play began, we entered the bewitching world of Greek
mythology and remained there till it ended. Mind you, the storyteller
had no script in his hands; it was all in his head - the plot, the
scenes, the prose, the dialogue - and how nonchalantly he drifted in and
out of the supernatural world!
The story was captivating and it was with great skill and imagination
that the author blended narrative and dialogue to create a cohesive and
absorbing piece of monodrama. The attention paid to the contextual
elements of Cocteau’s script is a noteworthy aspect of the play, which,
like the movie, is a delicious blend of myth and modernism. Creative
writing and acting involve two different sets of artistic skills, and
Mark Amerasinghe is blessed with both. I should add that he directed the
play as well. It was in every respect, a one-man show.
The narrator (who is in his mid-eighties) walked and spoke slowly on
the stage, which was divided by tassels into this world and the other
world; but his voice was steady and his projection, very good. We heard
every word and marveled at how he enriched his storytelling with the
judicious use of intonations, facial expressions, gestures, and body
language. Whenever he paused and looked at the audience with that
mischievous gleam in his eyes, we knew that something dramatic was about
to happen. We were never disappointed, for those calculated pauses were
invariably followed by an intriguing piece of action or turn of events.
We had to imagine everything, of course, for we were not watching the
movie; we were watching the narrator; and here he was, stepping into
Cocteau’s shoes and unfolding the plot scene by scene while
simultaneously playing multiple roles – Orpheus, Eurydice, the Princess,
Heurtebise, and Cegeste, to name a few. Amazing!
This is not to say the performance was flawless. There was the
occasional slip-up which did not go unnoticed. Never mind. Mark
Amerasinghe, master of the performed narrative, did his thing with such
flair and passion that we hung on every word. There was never a dull
moment, for so smooth and eloquent was the script as well as the acting.
All in all, a magical and unforgettable evening.
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