Infamous, a charlatan or unduly blessed - call him what you will but surprisingly (or not) the Honorable Minister Pusswedilla has managed to snatch the hearts and votes of many Lankans.
So much so that he will be making a second appearance at the Wendt this June. In light of that, we spoke to the brains behind the flamboyant theatrical character to get a glimpse into how Pusswedilla gained his ardent following.
Pusswedilla was first introduced as a minor character in the Uh-Merrykar, a play by StageLight&Magic which was well received back in 2006. Feroze Kamardeen, the director, recalls “Once Uh-Merrykar was done and dusted, I got the idea of making a play exclusively on the character of Pusswedilla because the character was so funny. That’s when the concept of Pusswedilla came about, and then while building on his story we brought in his henchman and other roles.”
“Also, at the time we wanted to try something different. As a theatre group we have probably explored several different angles of theatre. We’ve done musicals, Shakespeare, dark plays, comedies, we have done quite a lot. We decided that next we should to do something different, maybe even slightly daring,” he adds.
Thank You for Voting was first staged in November of 2007, with several theater enthusiasts and political buffs returning the following evenings to watch Pusswedilla rise to power, over again. “Since part one of Thank You for Voting, we found that him as a character became very popular and obviously the play struck a chord in a lot of people. At the time doing a squeal didn’t seem remotely possible because we felt we had exhausted all most every angle as far as political satire went,” shares Feroze.
Thank You for Voting (part one) was bold and had a bit more relevance to the political proceedings in the country at the time. This time around however, StageLight&Magic Inc. has based the play on fictional happenings which has provided them with leeway in making the play more rip-roaring and clever in comparison to part one. Thank You for Voting (part two) will consequently appeal to a larger audience. “Unlike part one where you needed to be aware of the political climate to enjoy the play, this play is a lot more in terms of actual comedy. It’s more situational comedy, and Anuruddha Fernando who plays the role of Pusswedilla, is by nature a really funny guy. He gives the character a personality that can be appreciated even by those who aren’t politically inclined. So while the play is categorized as political satire, because it deals with politicians, it is more of a theatrical comedy. That being said, politics is something that touches our lives whether we like it or not.”
Inspired by the TV series 24, Feroze gives a bit of insight as to what to expect saying “This time I wanted to take on the angle of what it would be like to spend 24 hours in the most powerful office in the country and then what it would be like if the head of that office just happened to be Pusswedilla. Pusswedilla isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed and he doesn’t surround himself with the people who are any better. But he is very savvy. By luck or by design he manages to always stay on top.”
The play will be staged at the Lionel Wendt, from June 12—23 at 7.30pm. Tickets will be priced at Rs 400/- to Rs 1200/-, and can be booked on the Facebook event page or through the StageLight&Magic Inc website. The main sponsor for the performance will be Dialog, while the Co-sponsors will be South Asian Technologies, Colma, Sony, Hameedias, Speitra, Video Image and Leo Burnett. The electronic media sponsors are ETV and EFM, while the print media sponsors for the event are The Daily Mirror and The Sunday Times. |
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