The quiet, genteel society of Wellawatte in 1804, is in for a rather loud shock upon the entry of Cleveland Rajaratnam’s brother-in-law, Duraiswamipillai.
The misunderstandings, contradictions, confusion which follow in E.F.C Lufowyk’s He Comes from Jaffna take the stage at the Lionel Wendt on from June 30 to July 3 at 7. 30 pm.
Looking back on the past 30 years in drama, director Jith Peiris sees many changes. “As much as our audience has matured,” he reflects, “a light comedy still works very well. As a country we have been through some tough times and with all the challenges people have to face, the audience does not always want drama which must be analyzed and interpreted; they look forward to a play which will help them relax and be entertained.
Well known jibes and race related humour aside, He Comes from Jaffna does exactly that. “It speaks of a time in which society was far more civilized,” explains Jith.
“It was possible for someone to good naturedly poke fun at another race without fear of retaliation or violence.
The brand of humour present in the play has been around for a long time but it never loses its appeal because while for one generation it is almost unknown, for another there is a great deal of sentimentality invested there.”
In the aftermath of the ethnic conflict and considering the attempts made to cement society back together once again, Jith is confident that his upcoming production will help point out that a return to such a society is possible, even if it is a long work in progress.
“After around 300 years of colonialism, followed by several upheavals, Sri Lanka is in yet another period of transition. Change cannot take place overnight, but we are heading in the right direction.
After all, we have always been resilient- we have been through hell and still come out strong.”
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