Mirror Magazine

Mirror Magazine

Performing for the secular world
Mahangu Weerasinghe witnesses Murder In The Cathedral presented by the Brothers from the National Seminary, Ampitiya Who killed the Archbishop?
The profoundness of this question is not something which you, the casual reader can readily grasp. On the other hand, if you had the opportunity of seeing Murder in the Cathedral at the Lionel Wendt last week, there is a big chance that this problem would have irritated you throughout the rest of the night. It certainly did plague this writer, who on his bumpy bus ride home, couldn’t help but wonder who was responsible for the killing of Archbishop Beckett.

Was it King Henry II? Surely the knights were solely responsible? Or were they? What about Rome? What about the people?
Before I lose myself in ranting about the play however, I must note that the show opened with a choral segment ‘Dona Nobis Pacem (Give us Peace)’, directed by Fr. Claver Perera and produced by Jerome de Silva. The choir sang with immense gusto a vast repertoire of music which included “Kyrie Eleison”, “Dona Nobis Pacem” “Carnival of Venice”, “Let There Be Peace On Earth”, “Va Pensiero” and “The Glory Of Jerusalem”. I will, however, head back to the more familiar ground of theatre.

The play was not performed by professional players. The actors were future priests (bar one – it turns out that the Reverend Ranjith Terry Fernando is currently an ordained priest). Their destinies, after all, will be unravelled at the altar, and not on the stage.

When you look at it from this point of view, it’s amazing to see how just how well the Brothers from the National Seminary pulled it off. Forgive me if I’m being stereotypical, but when I imagine a seminary, I imagine something along the lines of unbroken tranquillity, shelf upon shelf of heavy theological books, and students lost in everything that is eternal. The actors that appeared on stage however shattered this typecast entirely.

But now onto more serious matters. When looking at the setting, it must be recorded that where was also a very distinct Greek feel to the play. The chorus, though consisting of ten members, chanted together in a way that this reviewer felt was Sophoclean in origin. The underlying battle between the laws of the world and law of God also seemed somehow vaguely connected with the Grecian theatre.

The director, Haig Karunaratne, must be applauded for an excellent use of stage, set and scenery. Scene changes between acts were few and far between, and as a result, the tempo carried on unbroken, taking plot and dialogue along effortlessly. This reviewer for one was delighted when he found that the director broke the invisible barrier, bringing his characters off stage and in to the audience. He made full use of a sparse set, and veiled it in a way that made you forget just how minimal the stage setting really was.

One of the biggest problems, however, was the ineffectiveness of dialogue. Although the players were fairly consistent in delivering their speech, there were times when, in the height of excitement or fear, a few lines were lost. This, although a seemingly minute problem, has more bearing when reflecting on Elliot’s extensive use of idioms and catch phrases. Sadly, some of the more subtle comic speech was lost in transition.

On a related note, this reviewer would like to please remind all theatre-goers that mobile phones should be switched off during a performance. The actors on stage have worked far too hard to have their lines obscured by a computerised melody of the ringing tones of the mobile phones.

Indeed, in the case of Murder in the Cathedral, it’s easy to see just how hard the Seminarians had worked towards the play. Every minor part was played with so much energy and liveliness that it’s not easy to highlight an actor that really stood out. Having said this however, this writer must record that the three priests (played by the Brothers Ranil Fernando, Prageeth Simeon and Anthony Luxman) were slightly more consistent than the rest in their performances. Though minor in terms of dialogue, they were on stage throughout a majority of the play, and carried their roles well, with confidence and clarity.

All in all, the Murder in the Cathedral was an excellent example of amateur theatre. In a world where religion is losing face as something boring, old fashioned and out of touch with reality, the Brothers from the National Seminary, Ampitiya, did well to remind the secular world that they do know a thing or too about enjoying themselves.

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