Expect the unexpected
“The course of true love never did run smooth,” wrote Shakespeare. There is beauty in chaos and bravery in taking a path less travelled and that is exactly what the talented cast from Gateway College will be banking on as they take on ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream – The Musical’. Quite clearly a feat far from the typical Shakespearean rendition.
Aqilah
“It may be quite an ambitious notion to perform a musical but we believe that this young cast has got what it takes to pull it off,” says Aqilah Abdeen, 17, who plays Titania, Queen of the Fairies.She explains that performing a musical adds a refreshing zest to a much adored Shakespearean classic. “A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of those plays that the audience captured because it was funny and engrossing.” Adding that it serves to be the perfect platform for the drama crew at Gateway College to jump into the deep end and come out with a brilliant show.
Yasas
Directed by veteran Jerome L. De Silva, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream – The Musical’ aspires to bring forth comedy and emotion, fused with contemporary dialogues that make it easier for the audience to digest the play. The play follows the original script that involves Theseus, Duke of Athens, preparing for his marriage to Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, while Hermia, who is in love with Lysander, refuses to submit to her father Egeus’ demand that she wed Demetrius. Braving this tangle of romance, we encounter Oberon, King of the Fairies, Titania Queen of the Fairies and the mischievous jester, Puck. While the fairies and the band of rollickingly funny young thespians -The Mechanicals- weave a web of hilarity. But what the troupe has done to cast their imprint on the play is to bring the Bard himself to life. Yasas, 18, acts out Shakespeare who rises from the grave to prevent a group of actors ruining his beloved work.
Nicole
The notion is that the mischief set alight by Puck causes a comedy of errors and requires the involvement (or in this case resuscitation) of Shakespeare himself. “From that point on, he takes control of the play making additions and deletions,” says Yasas. “What it results in is laughs, of course. It’s tough to be the music director of such a play,” says Nicole Liyanage. “It’s not like training a simple four-part harmony, because here you have to get the actor to blend in his vocal as well as acting skills together.” For Nicole who is also the Choral Director at the college, his task was made easier that he knew the actors’ strengths and weaknesses. “We have the potential to take on the challenge of a musical,” he tells us. “What the audience can expect is the unexpected.”
‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream – The Musical’, will go on board at the Bishops College Auditorium on August 1, 2014 at 3.30 pm and 7.30 pm. Look out for a full interview with the cast and director in next week’s magazine.
Pix by Indika Handuwela