Satirical comedy ‘The Senator’ at the Lionel Wendt
Pic courtesy Amphitheatre
Drama enthusiast of satirical comedy will be in for some entertainment as “The Senator” is coming to the Lionel Wendt theatre this month. Under the guidance of director Jaliya Wijewardene beloved characters of H.C.N. de Lanerolle’s plays are being resurrected on March 18 and 19.
Establishing a genre on their own these productions appeal to any time period.
Amphitheatre, a rising local theatre company, founded by Jaliya Wijewardene and Yasal Ruhunage has organically grown in the community, now consisting of a small but determined group of 12 members. Their first production “Fifty – Fifty”, was staged in September 2016 and was Wijewardene’s directorial debut. Through the enthusiastic support of Professor Primal de Lanerolle and surrounding the good vibes received from fellow theatre goers following the success of “Fifty-Fifty”Amphitheatre brings to the stage “The Senator”.
Wijewardene a past pupil of Trinity College, recalls how he and fellow cast members Barana Waidyathilake first performed the script in school.
Jaliya who played Dionysius Sumanasekara even then was cast alongside Barana who played his wife at the time (Barana has received an ‘upgrade’ of now playing Dionysius’s son-in-law in the 2017’s re-enactment of the Senator). The two cast members chuckle at the slap-stick humour that surrounded the play as school boys however the upcoming take on the production Jaliya says will be “a revival in its purest sense.”
Although a sequel to “Fifty-Fifty,” the credibility of H.C.N de Lanerolle’s writing is his ability to make each and all his pieces stand-alone. His homegrown plays, written in English, still hold on to the truest sense of Sri Lankan theatre.
The play is set in a period where Ceylon is on the threshold of independence. H.C.N de Lanerolle has a knack of making culturally iconic characters gel into a juxtaposition of being a symbol of the complex political atmosphere whilst also being able to portray a witty, humorous enabler of the narrative.
With the rise of the leftists party and the back and forth between the conservative and liberal nature of the ensemble characters , this play will leave heads whipping from side to side, eyes glued to the production and lots of laughs.
Scenes from the play. Pix by M. A. Pushpa Kumara
“The Senator” sees the return of beloved characters of the series. With the affluent village gentleman and members of the State Council, Dionysius Sumanasekara, played by director Jaliya. Shenilka Perera takes on the role of Dionysius’s ambitious wife Charlotte, their new son-in-law Chelvam Devarajan enacted by Barana Waidyathilake and childhood friend of Dionysius Hadjiar Abdul Hameed played by SahanWijewardene.
Kavinda Gunasekara introduces us to William Babbington-Buckham (an English friend of the family who has a hankering for a Ceylonese palate), Kamala Weerawardene, a member of a newly formed women’s socio-political organizationis played by Leyanvi Mirando and Somapala Sumanasekera, played by Yasal Ruhunage,is Dionysius’ nephew and office bearer in a left-wing party, the play’s energizer and the rebel with a cause.
The skillfulness of the witty dialogue doesn’t deter the play from giving insight to the “real issues” and spans many recurrent themes such as corruption, politicisation of the public service to ethnic prejudice.
| Tickets priced at Rs. 2,000/-, Rs. 1,500/-, Rs. 1,000/- and Rs. 750/- (Balcony). Box plan and tickets will be available at the Lionel Wendt Theatre and online via lionelwendt.org. Further details could be obtained through the Amphitheatre Facebook event page. |