Magic and madness converge

It was a midsummer on one of those nights, when magic and madness are 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.

Taken off the story of Pyramus & Thisby, which is intertwined in the legendary Shakespearean magi-comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream, Jehan Aloysius who devised, choreographed and directed the 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.

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.

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 Phantom (with The Phantom's signature soundtrack), before the final transformation. A healthy donkey's tail, 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 formula that ultimately infected the entire audience.

Bravo to the entire cast of Pyramus & 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!