Mirror Magazine

Mirror Magazine

Thomians having a ball
Hailing from a rich heritage of over 131 years, the Thespians of S. Thomas’ College come forward once again with ‘Playing Doctor’ a hilarious drama of medical mayhem.

Being the only school to have won the coveted Shakespeare Drama Competition for over 15 years, S. Thomas’ has long dominated the theatre scene in Sri Lanka. From the chapel steps of the College to the Lionel Wendt to dinner theatre at the Taj, the Thomian dramatists have performed at many varied locations.

Their extensive repertoire has extended from Greek tragedy such as Oedipus Rex to musicals such as Oliver and controversial plays such as Nothing Really Matters.

Over the years, the Thomian Drama Society has produced many eminent actors and playwrights who have taken the Sri Lankan theatre scene by storm. The late Richard De Zoysa, Jith Peris and Christopher Ponniah are some of the veteran Thespians that the College has produced. In recent years, we have seen an influx of talent emerging from within the school, such as Dillon Perera and the award-winning playwright Delon Weerasinghe.

As far as rehearsals go, late nights, verbal hysteria, physical, mental and emotional strain have been on the cards. Cheap food, lost sleep and strained relationships have plagued the cast for the past two months. These sentences, no matter how graphic only serve to describe a fraction of what the cast has gone through to bring you ‘Playing Doctor’.

The cast, is as usual, a varied lot. Asitha Tennekoon (Rob Brewster) and Neraj Saluwadana (Jimmy Charmichael) try to hold everyone together with constant threats of expulsion. Along with director Vinodh Senadheera, they embark on a futile attempt to add a touch of sanity to an otherwise overly hysterical production.

Kris Balthazaar (Maureen) and Navin Perera (Chuck Murdock) only serve to reverse this effect with their antics. Mevan Bandara (Janet Brewster), Andi Schubert (Rober Brewster III) and Mahangu Weerasinghe (Robert Brewster III) also help to heighten the sense of delirium while all the time dodging debris that seemingly originates from the director’s chair.

To this medley of mayhem add the juvenile delinquency of Milindra Kulugamana (Max Blake), who only serve to drive the director to new heights of vocal dexterity. “We’re hiding the bodies, painting the sets and eating more grease than is good for us,” say the young cast. Meanwhile, the director is frustrated, the president of the Drama Society is in a state of panic and time is running out.

They’ve got a month to pull their socks up, but rest assured they will. Just be sure to pull yours up as well, because come August 2 and 3, the Lionel Wendt will never be the same again.

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