“How many licks?” is the question which runs on the posters of Nickleby which causes passers by to stop and take another look.
The somewhat unusual, yet memorable visual of a rainbow coloured lollipop with a whip as a handle does indeed raise a few eyebrows, but effectively captures the essence of the upcoming performance of Nickleby by the Drama Society of S. Thomas’ College.
Not only is this musical adaptation of the famous novel typical of almost all Dickensian works of dark comedy; the Thomians have also added their own light hearted touch to it while conveying a far deeper message, that the age of the cane is at an end.
Says Vinodh Senadheera the producer and director of Nickleby, “although it is not possible to fully escape the sometimes dreary world of 19th century England, the play has its light hearted and fun moments which we feel make for what promises to be a thoroughly enjoyable show.”
It must also be said though, that entertainment is not the sole aim of the 60 member cast of Nickleby, whose ages range from 7 to 19 years. “The whole concept of the Nickleby story,” says Vinodh, “is very relevant to society today, and the idea of just one committed teacher being able to change the lives and perspectives of his students is extremely inspiring. And throughout the whole production we have given a lot of significance to the voice of the child.”
And despite all the grueling practices, the young cast has learnt a great deal while having lots of fun along the way. “It amazes me,” smiles Vinodh, “to see the amount of energy that some of our actors have even at the end of a tiring day- we have some of them who are all out to play around in the school grounds even late at night! And it is really great to see how much they enjoy the whole experience of a performance no matter how challenging it is.”
Of course, the Thomian thespians seem quite adept at working amidst challenges. “It’s all about commitment,” agree seniors Suranthaka Cabraal, Marlon Jesudason and Shehan Mendis who will be playing the roles of Nicholas Nickleby, Mr. Snawley and Wackford Squeers respectively. Being relatively new to the genre of a musical, having to deal with the pressures of exams and handling much of the production aspects of the performance have made their Nickleby experience all the more hectic and yet interesting as well. Recalls Marlon, “the first few days of rehearsals consisted only of workshops conducted by Vinodh, which gave us a lot of insight into the work of Charles Dickens and helped acquaint us better with the characters we had to play.”
For Suranthaka, the world of the musical is not unfamiliar. Having as a 10-year-old, acted as an orphan in the 2001 production of Oliver! He looks forward to his upcoming role as Nicholas Nickleby. “It was the experience of acting in Oliver! that spurred me on to act in this production,” he says. “When as a kid I saw the big guys playing their roles, I knew that I wanted to do the same thing one day.”
Fitting into the shoes of the diabolical Wackford Squeers has been an interesting experience for Shehan Mendis. “His character in Nickleby,” he explains, is slightly different to the character portrayed in the book. He is deceptive; although he terrorizes the children of his school, he is also intimidated by his wife; and all in all his is without doubt the most complex and interesting character I have had to play.”
In contrast to the previous Dickensian musical by the Thomians, Nickleby promises to be huge in terms of the musical score and the accompaniment. After some editing, the score consists of 17 songs which will be accompanied by a full band comprising of present and past Thomians. The music will be handled by Shannon Jacob and Jerry Jayasinghe; the choreography by Tarja De Silva and Bharatha De Silva; the effects by Imran Packir Saibo and the costumes by Shamila Silva.
The principal sponsors of the show are the S. Thomas’ class of ’92, with Art TV and EFM as electronic media sponsors and The Sunday Times and The Daily Mirror as print media sponsors.
Following the success of their musical adaptation of C.S Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in 2006, Nickleby will take the stage of the Lionel Wendt at 7 30 pm on July 17, 18 and 19. Tickets for the show priced at Rs. 1000/-, 750/-, 500/- and 400/- will be available at the College office, the Lionel Wendt, the Barefoot Gallery, and the lobby at Liberty Plaza. |
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