A good laugh under the stars

‘For Ranjith Madapatha, … with the help of his wife and positive astrological predictions….………….the sky is the limit’. From the pen of prolific playwright Indu Dharmasena, comes another comedy that is bound to strike a chord with Colombo audiences. ‘The Sky is the Limit’ is a subtly humorous account of the role of astrology, marriage and society and revolves around one woman’s undying efforts to ensure that the predictions made for her husband come true.

Presented by the Past Pupils’ Association of Holy Family Convent, the play is in aid of on-going development projects of the school including the upgrading of the Science laboratories, the primary school library and other PPA projects.

The plot is simple yet effective: An astrologer predicts that Ranjith Madapatha will get a promotion before the end of the month, soon after which he will be made the head of the company he works for. So Jeeva Madapatha, Ranjith’s headstrong and vivacious wife is ecstatic when Ranjith is made a Director. Later, when they receive the news that the Managing Director of the company has died of a heart attack, Jeeva is convinced that the rest of the prediction will come true. Ranjith believes otherwise, and feels that the Chairman of the company, Raj Silva would appoint a senior Director, Sunil Wijesena, as the new Managing Director.

However, Jeeva, (played by Sanwada Abeysirigunawardena) is willing to go to any lengths to ensure that the astrologer’s predictions come true. Her attempts include blackmailing the Chairman of the company, well portrayed by Jehan Bastians, who is described as “a wealthy kukula who spends all his time and money trying to make the women happy”.

“In many ways she (Jeeva) reminds me of a modern day Lady Macbeth. She is the typical executive’s wife, ambitious for her husband who has no strength to stand up to her,” says Indu Dharmasena who plays the role of the docile husband Ranjith Madapatha.

Other characters include Jeeva’s mother Soma (Michelle Herft), who claims she is only hard of hearing in one ear, Ranjith’s friend and confidant Mohan (Charith de Silva), Tracy Wijesena (Sanjana Selvarajah), a catty and sophisticated society woman and a young and bubbly teenager Anusha Bopegarada (Sulochana Perera). Each character highlights the difference of opinions and attitudes towards various issues and adds colour and variety to the play.

The role of astrology and horoscopes in our lives is an important aspect of the play. “People at times tend to live their life according to horoscopes,” says Indu. In fact ‘The Sky is the Limit’, written in the early 1990s was inspired by a friend who was interested in astrology and could make predictions, he went on to explain.

Written and directed by Indu, ‘The Sky is the Limit’ will be staged on Saturday October 6, at the newly refurbished and air-conditioned HFC Auditorium, Bambalapitiya.

The Past Pupils’ Association of Holy Family Convent takes pride in helping the school throughout the year. Tickets are available at Holy Family Convent, Bambalapitiya and at No. 38 Sea Avenue, Colombo 03 (by Pan Asia Bank), Tel – 0777-352953.