If X is in the cupboard and Y is in the bedroom and B is coming up the garden path – what does X plus Y minus B make? The question- posed by Ray Cooney- refers to a “tangled situation which appealed to (his) rather Machiavellian mind.”
When Cooney said this of one of his more inspired plays- Two Into One, he spoke of the antics of some fairly recognizable members of the British Parliament during the Thatcher era.
The beauty of ‘Yes, Hon. Minister!’- the Silent Hands adaptation of Two Into One- is that some thirty years since the play was written, the situational comedy of the script fits into several different contexts, and not just as a political satire. “In fact, we decided to move away from the genre of the political satire as much as possible,” explains Jehan Bastians, speaking of the performance which will take place at the Lionel Wendt from February 24- 26.
Change in context notwithstanding, the numerous skeletons in closets- or rather the partners of clandestine affairs hiding in bathrooms- in danger of being discovered by crusty opposition leaders, remain in the play which is set in Colombo.
“The way we see it, this play does not have to be political in tone in order to be funny,” comments Neidra Williams. “Sticking to the original context would have resulted in taking away from some of the humour as it refers to the political set up of several years ago; some aspects of which the audience may not be entirely familiar with.”
Considering this directing duo’s repertoire within the genre of comedy, and being aptly named dab hands at the art of farce, this fact cannot be disputed.
The play, featuring a Richard Parakrama’s disastrous romantic liaison with the wife of the secretary to a Member of Parliament, seems to redefine chaos, with misunderstandings and quirky false identities being the order of the day. Will Pamela Parakrama get to seduce George Palliyaguru? Will Richard Parakrama’s rendezvous with Jennifer Almeida take place? And will the humourless manager of the hotel, along with the nosy member of the opposition, make some sense of it all? Watch ‘Yes, Hon. Minister!’ and find out.
The Sunday Times and Daily Mirror are the Print Media Sponsors. Tickets priced at Rs. 1500, 1000, 750 and 500 are available at the Lionel Wendt. |
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