As the Christmas lights and stockings go up once again and the halls are decked with boughs of holly, the Thomians prepare to give Colombo their own brand of Christmas magic – Mistletoe Magic.
Described by its Director Vinod Senadheera as "a typical family Christmas experience," Mistletoe Magic takes the stage of Lionel Wendt on December 13 – 14 at 7.30 pm.
One of the biggest musicals undertaken by the Thomians so far, Mistletoe Magic has a wide repertoire of Christmas songs sung by the Canto Perpetua choir – 450 children from the ages of 5-18, and Nuovo Vita – the Old Thomians Choir.
Performing many traditional favourites, the choir will also sing lighter contemporary numbers such as 'Jingle Bell Rock', 'Sleigh Ride', 'Jolly Old St. Nicholas' and 'King of Love' by Roger Strader. "Some of these songs were at first relatively unknown, but the cast has really taken to the music well and some of the lesser known numbers have become their favourites," explains Vinod.
They will be accompanied by Shanon Jacob on the piano, Shehan Wanniachchi and Shehan Mendis on the trumpet, and Stephen Phillip on the bass. The sounds will be handled by Jerry Jayasinghe, and the production by Imran Packir Saibo. The costumes are by Shamila Fernando.
What started off as a simple tribute to the current warden Dr. David Ponniah soon became a large scale production which would allow as many talented performers as possible, to showcase their talent. This is not the only objective though.
"For me," comments Vinod, "the high part of the whole experience is seeing so many people happy in doing what they are doing".
The greatest magic for the whole cast however, is the typical "Christmas feel" of the production. From the fun times at practices, to the organisation and practical aspects of the show, the Thomians are dab hands at combining high spirited fun with hard work. Some of them admit to practicing their singing repeatedly even at home, giving their families an early taste of Christmas magic.
And that, they emphasise once again, is what the show is all about – Christmas magic and more Christmas magic to everyone they could possibly reach, down to the performers themselves, most of whom are from different religious faiths.
Seniors Shehan, Marlon, Suranthaka and Mevan agree that amidst coping with schoolwork, exams, sports, other extra-curricular activities and Vinod's "creative methods of discipline," the Mistletoe Magic experience has been one they would not trade. "At first the task ahead of us looked like it would be a challenge," recalls Shehan. "But once we got down to it, everything was far easier than we had expected because we already had some experience of large scale productions after we participated in 'The Music's Always There' in July." In fact it was the success of that performance that inspired the Thomians to stage Mistletoe Magic.
With the musical direction done by Vinod, and choreography by Yohan Benedict and Priya Halpe, the Thomians have learnt to put in more than a 100% on every performance and have had a great time doing so. "At first," laughs Vinod, "the choreography came as something of a challenge, but that is something I have noticed with most Thomians!" Adds Marlon, "we were made to practice certain routines repeatedly, until they met with Vinod's satisfaction, but it was more than worth it."
For the performers, their first taste of Christmas 2008 began two months ago, amidst busy schedules. "I feel that it is a good thing when a student dabbles in many different things," says Vinod. "It helps them become more mature and responsible, as well as more appreciative of the positive impact that these activities have on them."
One of the most daunting tasks though, for both cast and director, will be to pick up where they left off before a break of two weeks where practices could not be held due to exams. However, despite the imminent challenge, they are all confident that they will be able to give of their best.
Tickets for the show, priced at Rs.1000, 500 and 300, will be available at the college office.
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