Jith’s back with a classic British comedy
Jith Peries, a legend in his own right, is back again doing what he does best- produce dramas.
A well known name in English theatre in Sri Lanka, Jith is the man behind such well known productions as ‘West Side Story’ ‘Annie get your gun’, the famous ‘Mudaliyar Quartet’ and recently ‘Chaos in the Vicarage’. His signature genre being British comedies and musicals, Jith is ready yet again to entertain audiences with another classic British comedy.
‘No Sex Please, We’re British’, first staged in 1971 was written by Alistair Foot and Anthony Marriott. The story set in England revolves around a newly married couple who come to live in a flat above the bank in which the man, Peter Hunter works as a branch manager. Frances, the young wife orders Scandinavian glassware and thanks to a mix-up in the mail address, a chain of pornography material arrives at the flat by post. From books to films and postcards, the story reaches a climax when the adult entertainment centre sends a girl over to the couple’s flat. The couple with their friend, the bank cashier Brian Runnicles try to keep the confusion a secret from Peter’s mother (who lives with them) and the Bank Manager resulting in further confusion and plenty of hilarious moments.
Jith watched the play in England in the 1980s and first staged it in Sri Lanka in the 1990s. “This story is a classic farce in which everything that could possibly go wrong does and it has a hilarious finale. It had London theatre-goers in stitches for 15 years and was well received in Australia and Canada,” he says. He believes that since there was a lapse of more than 20 years since the play’s last outing here and this is a timeless script he would like to gift it to the next generation who have not witnessed the play before.
“I produce only comedies and musicals for a reason. It relaxes people and helps them have a good laugh. I myself like serious drama. To me British comedy over the years has been ‘a comedy of manners’, even going back centuries to Shakespeare’s ‘Much Ado about Nothing’ and in later years Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’. But I never go in for slapstick humour. My dramas are all British comedies chosen to reflect their attitude to life, aloof nature and their manners.”
Jith adds that he wants to produce the script as it is and not adapt it as some are wont to do. He doesn’t believe in demanding a British accent from his actors because it’s hard to maintain throughout the play. “But all my cast have a good command of the language, of course,” he adds with a laugh.
Among the cast are Kanishka Herat, Trinushka Perera, Anabella Brochard, Asela Mendis, Anuradha Fernando, Nadun Dissanayake, Imani Perera, Abbasali Rozais and Avishaka de Alwis.
“This is a comedy which can be enjoyed by every age group. Although the title is rather suggestive, it isn’t at all inappropriate. I wouldn’t have been able to stage it if the Censor Board didn’t approve it anyway,” he says.
This is a fast moving comedy where there isn’t even time to breathe. “Timing, timing, timing in a farce is the most important thing. There is a lot of continuous action in this drama- it’s fast paced essential British humour,” promises the producer. All theatre lovers are welcomed to a great evening of timeless comedy.
| ‘No Sex Please, We’re British’ will be staged at the Lionel Wendt on February 28, March 1 and 2 at 7.30 p.m. Tickets priced at Rs. 2000, 1500, 1000, 800 and 500 will be available at the Lionel Wendt from tomorrow. |