All set to give what audiences love; a good comedy
View(s):- The cast of ‘Caught in the Net’ — the sequel to Cooney’s ‘Run for your Wife’
talks to Sajani Ratnayake about the upcoming play
‘Caught in the Net’ is the sequel to Cooney’s brilliant ‘Run for your Wife’. Presented by the Old Boys Union of St. Peter’s College, the play goes on the boards at the Lionel Wendt on August 30, 31 and September 1. Renowned producer Jerome L. de Silva and director Surein Wijeyeratne are at the helm, guiding the cast.
Shiyan Jayaweera plays the central role – the character of John Smith desperately trying to keep his two wives apart. Even though familiar with comedy, it is the first time Jayaweera has been the focal point of the play, with all the events unfolding revolving around him. No stranger to the stage, having appeared in productions such as ‘Puswedilla’, ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ and also playing a comis role in ‘Phantom of the Opera’, it is his first time though in a British comedy, a different genre.
“Doing something as Old Boys gives us something in common and age does not matter,” says Jayaweera, as he shares his enthusiasm to be working with the St. Peter’s College alumni, and how they are all connected through shared stories of their school life. The small group of actors have bonded well over this experience, he finds.
Sri Lankan audiences love comedies and “love to have a good time,” Jayaweera notes. He is confident that this play will deliver for even after over two months of rehearsals, they still find moments to laugh about in the play.
Wasaam Ismail is also no stranger to a comedy role, though his recent appearance was playing Philip Lombard in Agatha Christie’s ‘And Then There Were None’. He has also played Shylock in ‘The Merchant of Venice’ and Christopher in ‘The Mousetrap’. In this production, he plays the role of Stanley Gardener, the lodger in John’s house in Liverpool, who reluctantly gets drawn into John’s ‘devious plots’, even though he has a nervous composition and finds it difficult to cope with such things.
Ismail brings out how a comedy role is all about the pace and timing of lines, for there are a “few things that can make or break the performance.” Expression is also a key factor for even small changes can make the audience laugh. Though he was not looking to do a show for a while, “it did not feel right to not be a part of a college production,” he says, adding that it has been great to work with actors of different generations. The younger actors are also working alongside actors they have looked up to, and there is an incredible energy generated, he feels.
Jovanka Jayaweera and Piorina Fernando will be taking on the completely contrasting characters of John Smith’s two wives Barbara Smith and Mary Smith, who have been blissfully unaware of each other for many years. Barbara is a more relaxed character, while Mary is more restrained by nature.
After a five-year absence from the stage with the pandemic, Piorina “jumped at the opportunity” of being in this production, though it means it’s more “nerve-wracking.” She has been in comedy roles in the past and can keep a straight face, she laughs, looking forward to being up on stage again.
Having never been in a comedy before, this experience is “interesting,” says Jovanka. It has been many years since she has played a lead role in a production. Both Jovanka and Piorina find theatre very relaxing, an outlet from juggling the rest of life.
Along with Keith Wijesuriya as Mr. Gardener, Sheshan Dias as Gavin Smith and Janice De Costa as Vicky Smith, the versatile actors are excited for the audience to see the plot twist.
Though staged in Sri Lanka over a decade ago, it is a play most audiences have not seen before or cannot remember and its unique, box-set comedy style will be refreshing to the audience too, the cast feel.
Tickets for ‘Caught in the Net’ ranging from Rs. 1500 (Balcony) to Rs. 5000 are available at the Lionel Wendt box office. The play begins at 7 p.m.
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