More than a cradle song
Pic courtesy ’The Lullaby’
The curtain opens on a gaggle of girls; they innocently present a sense of camaraderie amidst a setting of a sleepover. The table’s turn on the audience as they discover the girls are ladies of the night, getting ready for an evening out.
‘The Lullaby’, written and directed by Maleen Jayasuriya and Nash Naranpanawa is a play that tackles the issues of the legalisation of prostitution, the grey areas of abortion and the corruption of political power. On speaking with Maleen, we gather the purpose of the play is to “Shock the audience out of a sense of apathy towards issues common in society.” These issues are “conveniently swept under the carpet,” he says solemnly.
“I want people to walk out of the theatre thinking about it,” the radical director says. The play’s main antagonist is the fictional politician Roy Kumarasinghe, played by Maheeth Nimantha, who is portrayed as a man on a mission. The plot twists however when the seedy politician visits a brothel and chooses the protagonist Amaya for the night. The themes of drugs and consent also being highlighted here, the play’s characters, give life to portraying victims of society and judgment and leave the audience with a chill in their bones and mind unbolted.
Having studied in the Engineering faculty at the University of Peradeniya, Maleen recalls days at Wesley College and directing Shakes competitions at the ages of 19-20. Maleen continued to pursue his passion even into his university days.
The play also brings to light a transgender prostitute by the name of Trixie, played by Jeremy De Zilwa. The character is portrayed as one who has had a difficult road in their transformation. Possibly bullied in the past as a boy, Trixie has now started to feel more comfortable in her skin as a woman. “It’s good to step into someone else’s shoes,”says Jeremy and reveals that Trixie’s story line has a tragic element to it. Piumi Wijesundara who plays the lead Amaya describes her character as “a Doe-eyed Bambi with a naïve personality. She sees the other people in the brothel as her family.”
A student of the University of Colombo, Piumi is no stranger to the stage having worked closely with local dramatist Ruwanthie de Chickera, both behind the scenes and onstage.
She speaks passionately on the “facade of culture” shown prominently by the character Roy, and she says “You have to look into how these things came into being,” before you can judge the person or the profession. Piumi adds the fate of Amaya will keep the audience on the edge of their seats wondering “Can she make it in the world?”
Chalukya Weerakoon
While the production follows the twists of “the system”, Roy Kumarasinghe, wreaks havoc from the outside while the deviant Tasha, played by Chalukya Weerakoon poisons the environment from within.
Tasha’s insecurity grows when she sees the demand for the younger girls and the competitive element she has with Trixie makes her a force to be reckoned with.
Enter Themiya, Amaya’s love interest. Played by Tharaka Hettiarachchi, Themiya provides the light in a dark situation. Portrayed as the candid love interest and the typical “Nice guy” his naïve nature draws Amaya to him. With Themiya around he rekindles Amaya’s belief that innocence is still out there. Tharaka says that although he portrays Themiya as very “black and white” there is a sense of inner conflict within the character and he brings his own personal confusion into the plot. Finding solace in Amaya to satisfy his “emotional validity,” Tharaka states “he is not your stereotypical love interest.”
The evening will also include a guest performance by the Faculty of Arts, University of Peradeniya, who will be performing a short skit centered on similar themes and directed by Ruwanthi Edirisinghe.
Jeremy De Zilwa
Maleen Jayasuriya
Piumi Wijesundara
Tharaka Hettiarachchi
“The Lullaby” will premiere at the Namel Malini Punchi Theatre on February 17 at 7 pm. Tickets are priced at Rs. 750 and can be reserved online on their Facebook events page: The Lullaby or by contacting Ruwanthi: 077 267 3211.