Asitha takes the lead in presenting an evening of Broadway classics
View(s):When tenor Asitha Tennekoon fills up the Russian Cultural Centre’s with his ‘Broadway Nights’ next weekend, he’ll be joined by Peshali Yapa, Melanie Bibile, Anagi Perera and budding young talent Laknath Seneviratne. Complementing them with superb music is pianist Eshantha Peiris.
Happy to be performing together: Asitha, Peshali, Melanie and Anagi. Pix by Athula Devapriya
Asitha at just 27 years of age, has been hailed as one of the country’s leading tenors. The show is his brainchild, born out of a desire to see perfection on stage. “In Sri Lanka you have a lot of music schools or choirs putting on productions, but very rarely do you find a small handful of professional singers on one stage,” he says. “Each of us is an experienced and qualified singer in our own right.”
Mezzo-soprano Peshali is a well known vocal instructor and conductor of Choro Cant Amici and The Piccolinis. Peshali is one of the few Sri Lankans to ever have been accepted into the prestigious Royal Conservatory in London where she earned a bachelor’s degree in performance and teaching. Asitha and Peshali have sung together about two years ago and are unequivocal in their memories-“It was a blast!”
Melanie Bibile most recently known for her performance as one of the four Evitas of The Workshop Players’ production last September has been trained by two of Sri Lanka’s foremost teachers, Christine Perera and Mary Anne David. Asitha points out that technically he has performed with Melanie as well considering they were both part of Christine’s choir but is laughingly corrected when she retorts with a “well yes, but you were a tiny tot at the time!” She didn’t have second thoughts about coming onboard this show, she adds. “As a singer, I’m honoured to be asked to perform at this show. It’s an opportunity for me to sing with these amazing performers so how could I turn it down?”
Soprano Anagi Perera will also join them along with Laknath Seneviratne. Anagi is a student of Lylie Godridge, Ruwanie Seimon and Meneka de Fonseka Sahabandu. Laknath is a lawyer and operatic singer who has also worked with Jehan Aloysius in his production Rag. They will both be accompanied by Eshantha Peiris on the piano.
Broadway is the order of the day, but they’re quick to point out that it’s not just your average medley of Broadway numbers. Expect classics of musical theatre from West Side Story and Les Miserables as well as music from an older era such as South Pacific. Songs from Broadway classics like The Last Five Years, Company and Saigon will be performed as well. Plenty of duets are lined up on stage, while Asitha will also perform solo.
For Asitha, the magic is in the combination of five seasoned performers with no vocal hang-ups. “They’re all people who do what they do the best,” he says. “As the organiser, I know I’m getting the best of what’s on offer.” Then why pick such a mainstream genre of music to perform? Well, we’re yet to meet anyone who doesn’t enjoy some good old Broadway and the ensemble is unequivocal in their agreement that this is music from a golden era.
An evening of classic and contemporary Broadway music presented by tenor Asitha Tennekoon together with Peshali Yapa, Melanie Bibile, Anagi Perera, Laknath Seneviratne and Eshantha Peiris will be on next weekend (June 29 and 30) at the Russian Cultural Centre at 7.30 p.m. Tickets are available at the Commons Cafe.
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