‘Trojan Kanthawo’ celebrates 15th Anniversary
View(s):Running for one and a half decades, versatile dramatist Dharmasiri Bandaranayake’s “Trojan Kanthawo” (Trojan Women), a translation of Euripides’s anti-war tragedies will celebrate its 15th anniversary with its latest show on November 2 at 3 pm and 7.30 pm at the Lionel Wendt theatre, Colombo.
The play is set in the background of the fall of Troy, with all it’s attendant suffering of the families of the city’s defeated leaders, in particular the old Trojan Queen Hecuba and the other royal women. Women were the most affected having to undergo untold hardships. Andromache’s son Astyanax is taken from her and hurled to his death from the walls of Troy. Finally as Troy goes up in flames, Hecuba and the other Trojan women are carried off to the ships to face slavery in Greece.
The cast of over 40 characters brings a combination from both English and Sinhala theatre. Talented Neil Alles’ role as ‘Poseidon’ is also outstanding and Hecuba’s daughter played by Meena Kumari. Anoja Weerasinghe and Yashoda Wimaladharma play two other leading roles in the play.
The director brings English theatre personality Jehan Aloysius to do the role of Menelaus and Juanita Beiling plays ‘Helen’. The translation of the classic has been done by Ariya Ranaweera, and is script by Ananda Wakkumbura and Dharmasiri Bandaranayake. Talented music director Rukantha Gunathilake gives colour to the play. Bringing well known names in the English drama Bandaranayake joins Jerome de Silva for the choreography in ‘Trojan Kanthawo’.
