COLD Theatre 7 has fun with Cooney

Maheshi Godakumbura Premasinghe reviews COLD Theatre 7’s latest

Production at the Lionel Wendt

Run For Your Wife: by Ray Cooney

Directed by:  Kevin Cruze

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife”

• Jane Austen, Pride & Prejudice

This famous Jane Austen quote is a satirical statement about how society perceived an average man. But nothing about John Smith can be called average! No. He designs his life with meticulous precision, packing not 1 but 2 wives living within 4 and a half minutes from each other!

One fine day it all unravels splendidly in a spectacular comedy of errors in front of a delighted audience! “How so? “You may ask. The answer is, “It depends on WHO is asking the question!”

COLD Theatre 7’s production of Ray Cooney’s play that went on the boards at the Lionel Wendt Theatre last weekend was an evening of hilarity all through.

Tharusha Kumarasinghe’s facial expressions as our now famous John Smith, reminded us of another talent, Mr. Bean. Meanwhile, Wasaam Ismail’s entertainingly fluid and energetic body language as Stanley Gardener was a perfect contrast to the deer in the headlights moments of John Smith. Compliments to the Director Kevin Cruze for creating this artful contrast between the two characters!

As Wife No 1., Mary Smith -Amarsha Tissera was able to change gear from confusion to concern to panic to manic, like a virtuoso, still managing to look lovely through it all. As Wife No.2., Barbara Smith, Rachel Hamer graced the stage with aplomb, delivering her funny lines with an artful, high pitched punch!

Rehan Amaratunga as Sergeant Throughton from Wembley had a commanding stage presence and a rich voice to match! Someone in the audience pointed out to me that he was the actor who portrayed  Richard  de Zoysa in the movie “Rani”. Meanwhile, Madura Wijeratne as Sergeant Porterhouse from Stratham was a softer portrayal, a contrast between the two sergeants! Nandun Dissanayake looked pretty in pink, with a flawlessly convincing performance as Bobby Franklin.

At the first show of Run for your Wife last Thursday,  Ramzi Rahman, of Salon Ramzi fame had a broad smile on his face when I spotted him during the interval. “Hilarious!” he exclaimed. “Super fun! Admirable how the actors were playing different characters in different locations on the same stage!” He added with a chuckle,“ I would have got confused if I had to do that. Extraordinarily talented actors! It was spot on!”

Mind you, this was at half time.

Other members of the audience were clearly enjoying the laughs. Sonaya Bogoda said, “It is a good experience. I really like the show. It is great!”

Thishan Wijesinghe said, “So far it is awesome! Acting was super good. The production is great! It’s super funny! Very entertaining!”

Radhika Ranaveera said, “It was amazing! The acting is great, the lines are great, the set is amazing, I love how the cast can improvise. Very, very good!”

I didn’t need to interview my daughter. She was hollering with laughter throughout the show, earning a few nudges from me! The question was, would she be able to get up early the next morning for the first day of the new academic year? She was up at 5 a.m. without any trouble. All that laughter and stress relief may just have been a catalyst to a good night’s rest…

Nothing about the show was average. Not John Smith, not the cast, and certainly not the Director, Kevin Cruze. To think that I had been working with Kevin in the L&D department of HSBC for years without knowing Kevin had a double life! No, not in the way of John Smith! Kevin now works at IIT by day, and directs extraordinary plays by night!

After the interval, we were taken several octaves higher when the conflict and the comedy peaked and the audience exploded!

At the end of the show, Prarthana Kodithuwakku said, “We had a great laugh! We didn’t stop!”

Ramzi Rahman sought me out after the show to say, “I don’t mind watching the show again!”

Need I say more?