Reasons to Be Pretty; real conversations take centrestage
In a quaint studio on Fife Road, Colombo, hidden amongst tall buildings, four people are engaged in different conversations. Watching them, one wouldn’t think they were acting – these are direct, raw and open conversations in an enclosed space.
We are at a rehearsal for StageLight&Magic’s new play, Reasons to Be Pretty written by Neil LaBute and directed by Sashane Perera which goes on the boards at the Namel Malani Punchi Theatre from March 27-30. The play is produced by Dinesh Maheswaran and Denham Hakel.
At rehearsals: Isira as Kent and Kanishka as Greg. Pix by M.A. Pushpa Kumara
LaBute’s play set in America centres around four working class friends and lovers. The main protagonist Greg is played by Kanishka Herat, Steph his girlfriend is played by Dilini Fox, the character of Kent, Greg’s friend by Isira Edussuriya and Carly, Kent’s wife by Tracy Jayasinghe.
Addressing society’s obsessions with beauty, also issues of friendship, romance and betrayal, the play takes you through a series of conversations in 12 intense scenes. As director Sashane Perera puts it, “I think the beauty of the play is also the fact that it holds a mirror to the audience. So whilst we try to entertain people, we also want to ensure that the integrity of the content is there …. to keep this as real as possible. So (it’s like) you’re watching a real conversation versus people performing.”
It all starts with Greg who when talking to his friend Kent about a new female co-worker, makes an offhand remark about his girlfriend Steph’s face saying it is “just regular.” This remark is overheard by Carly, the security guard who then relays it to her friend Steph, who interprets it as Greg’s way of saying she isn’t pretty. Steph’s reaction to his comment sets in motion a train of events that sees the relationships between the two couples unravelling, as they confront many difficult questions.
Kanishka who plays Greg says that “It is a wake-up call, an uncomfortable realization also as to what we’ve probably been doing right throughout our lives.” He is talking about the lack of sensitivity in conversations “how we take certain things for granted in terms of what we say.”
“It is also how we behave with our friends, how we perceive things in terms of how a person looks, what a person eats, what a person is going through..”
Dilini Fox portrays Steph, who though insecure about her looks, is very self-assured in certain things – the two sides are seen throughout the play in her portrayal of the character. Carly on the hand, though content with how she looks has to deal with the burning issue of her husband’s infidelity for Kent is having an affair.
Says Isira who plays Kent, “My character is like a sleazy dude, he’s a bit of a dirt bag, to be honest, and you can sense his mind’s always like distracted by something or the other.”
He adds that he himself has had some of the conversations that Reasons to Be Pretty brings to light and is sure the audience would themselves reflect on instances they may have had them too.
Come watch the play, urges Sashane, as the themes are universal.
Reasons to Be Pretty runs from March 27 – 30 at the Namel Malani Punchi Theatre at 7.30 p.m.Tickets priced at Rs.6000, 5000 and 4000 are at www.boxoffice.lk
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