Arts
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| Pradeep
wows New York But Pradeep certainly does not require any practice-- or even directions-- to get to Carnegie Hall. “Judging by repeated curtain calls and standing ovations,” Liyanage said, "we expect Pradeep and his fellow musicians to return to New York next year for even greater successes.” During his two month-long tour of North America, which concluded last week, Pradeep was greeted with overwhelming enthusiasm both by Sri Lankan and North American audiences-- in New York, New Jersey, Montreal, Los Angeles and Washington DC. Pradeep, who was accompanied by Karunarathna Bandara, Wijayaratna Ranatunga, Alston Joachim and Lakshman Joseph de Saram, turned out his predictably superlative performances during the successful tour. The
venues for his 'Pradeepanjalee' included the Asia Society in New
York, the Kennedy Centre Millennium Stage in Washington DC, the
Birchwood Manor in New Jersey, Vanier College in Montreal, Universal
Studios in Hollywood and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) auditorium
in Washington DC. Through a clever arrangement for sitar, tabla and Sri Lankan percussions, the jazz lovers were enthralled by the renditions of "Summertime" and "Take Five," said Alles. "It was very appropriate for an autumn concert in Montreal." A different
buzz at Book Buzz The narratives were created by a stalwart of the “dark art of advertising” who prefers to remain anonymous due to his wish to keep his professional life separate from his life as a dramatist. Going simply as MASii, the man having studied at St. Thomas’s Prep School in Colombo and Loyola College in Chennai, draws his dramatic inspiration from as unlikely sources as Fashion TV and Orson Welles. The certificates on his office wall bear testimony to his having been nominated as the Rotarian of the Month, excelling in both bungee jumping and skydiving, and interestingly, failing all of his subjects in his fifth semester in College. The three pieces were created primarily for voice and are written in “street English”, therefore having a certain “Rap” quality to them. Through these narratives, MASii conveys the powerful effects of advertising and consumerism, which have subtly seeped into our lives through the media, to claim an integral part in society. “I do not stand in judgement to whether these effects are detrimental or not,” says the writer. “Looking Thru My Earfones: Errol’s Story” depicts the world as one where iPOD is the lingua franca and McDonalds is the chosen faith. It reveals how one can flit between countries around the world without being subjected to even a hint of “Culture Shock.” “In the days of yore, travelling abroad meant that you saw foreigners who wore funny clothes, ate funny food and lived in funny houses,” he said, adding that such a situation has ceased to exist, owing to the media and consumerism, which connect many different people from different cultures. The narrative itself is a paean to MASii’s dear friend Errol, who inspired him through his fascination with marketing brands. “He showed me how powerful and insidious is the advance of consumerism, bringing in its wake a new caste system based on brands,” MASii says, adding that such obsession as portrayed in “Errol’s Story” is present all over the world. According to MASii, Fashion TV is one of media’s slickest marketing forms. “The backdrop, the music and the models create an illusion of sophistication, which everyone inevitably wants and ends up buying into,” he said. His narrative, “Fashion TV” showcases MASii’s fascination with the medium, which he readily confesses to. “Fashion TV blurs the divide between Well Dressed Male and Dirty Old Man. It unites the Lounge Lizard with the Lecherous. More so, it does this without any admission of guilt on the part of the viewer. That to me is evil genius,” he said. “We live in a world where the media is powerful enough to render everything from your mobile phone to refrigerator a status symbol,” MASii says, adding that the Radio especially is one such potent channel of communication. Drawing his example from the “War of the Worlds” broadcast by Orson Welles and his Mercury Theatre in 1938, MASii explained how the radio is capable of confusing audiences en masse. The broadcast was about a Martian invasion of the earth, where under Welles’ direction the play was written and performed so it would sound like a news broadcast about an invasion from Mars, a technique that, presumably, was intended to heighten the dramatic effect. It resulted in nationwide hysteria among the citizens of United States, particularly pronounced in New Jersey and New York. “This incident serves as a testament to how insidious radio alone can be,” MASii adds. MASii’s final piece, “Man On The Run” refers to the powerful effects caused by the radio. “The radio makes the listener feel entertained and comfortable using vibrant DJs and latest music. The listener is comfortable with the songs and the witticisms made by DJs. Then, he is inevitably comfortable with the commercial that promotes the most expensive brand of shoes,” he said. The hero of Man On The Run, an underdog similar to the heroes in the other two pieces faces a distinctive dilemma, having succumbed to the pressures applied by the radio. Artistic Director of the Mind Adventures Theatre Company Tracy Holsinger is MASii’s good friend. “Tracy should be given honorable mention,” MASii said. “She has made the production into something much bigger and richer than what I had originally envisaged,” he added. The cast includes Sean Amarasekera, Ryan Holsinger, Piyumi Samaraweera and Ramanan Sundaralingam. The accepted format for British Council’s Book Buzz involves a writer reading out extracts from his creation, followed by open discussion. Stepping away from this format, MASii’s three narratives are set to educate and entertain. Deviant- inspired and deviant- driven, they promise the audience a night to remember. Have
a ball this season with Cinderfella The Queen of the land is having a ball for her daughter Princess Soraya so that she can choose a husband from among all the eligible suitors who are invited for the function. Princess Soraya’s husband would then become the new executive ruler of the land. Cinderfella’s one wish is to go for the ball at the Palace but his stepfather and two step-brothers leave him at home to do the housework. Then appears his fairy godfather who summons his good friend, Ethel and according to the book they take Cinderfella to the ball. For the first time at the ball, he is exposed to the hypocrisies of high society. Then the simple Cinderfella comes face to face with Princess Soraya who is bored listening to all her suitors. It’s love at first sight. She tells him to wait for her and goes away but unfiortunately Cinderfella has to leave the ball before midnight. The princess returns with the queen to find him missing but finds his shoe. Then begins the hunt for the man who’s foot will fit the shoe. Indu plays the simple Cinderfella while Sanwada Abeysirigunawardena plays the Princess Soraya. Angela Seneviratne plays the queen. The stepfather is played by Danu Innasithamby. The stepbrothers, Tom and Dick, are played by Ishkey Irshard and Gehan Cooray. The flirtatious Lady Glad-eye is played by Michelle Herft and the catty Lady Cat-no and the gluttonous Lady Eatwell are brought to life by Kaushalya and Purnima Fonseka. Sir Good-deed who is obsessed with the queen’s retirement is George Cooke. The queen’s trusted hairdresser, Lord Hair-rise, is Isuru Perera. The fairy godfather is Michael Holsinger and his friend, the Fairy god-aunt, Myrtie Ethel Happens-to-all, is none other than the versatile Krys Sosa. Cinderfella goes on the boards at the Lionel Wendt theatre on December 2, 3, and 4. |
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