Not mere child’s play: Micheal Morpurgo’s Kensuke’s Kingdom
Following their triumphant debut with the public showing of ‘Alles in Wonderland’one would think the Ananda College drama circle would stick to comedy. The young (and old) thespians had a largely mature audience in stitches with their carefully phrased political comedy last month.
This time their upcoming first full length-production is a brave undertaking as well and not least for its content. The drama circle will take on Micheal Morpurgo’s Kensuke’s Kingdom (adapted by Stuart Paterson by arrangement with Nick Hern books) next week. The cast know they need to be mindful on an entirely new scale of sensitivities because at heart, Kensuke’s Kingdom is a children’s story.
Don’t be fooled into thinking its mere child’s play, say the directors. Past pupil Nishantha de Silva (who was also instrumental in setting up the school drama circle in 2006) and well versed director Thushara Hettihamu are the driving force behind the scenes. “This is something I’ve wanted to do for a while,” Nishantha says of the production, “yet we didn’t really have the confidence or the resources to go ahead with it.” Following a long-anticipated victory by Ananda College at the Interschool Drama Competition this year, they finally felt the time was ripe for this production.
The story is one of friendship, family and survival. James Farrow is a dreamer at heart, despite his family being entirely dependent on him and his income from a rather dull blue collar job. When he is unceremoniously fired from he throws caution-and the family savings-to the wind and buys a yacht. His wife Linda and son Michael have no choice but to go along with his improbable plans, and before they know it the trio (and family pet Stella) are sailing the oceans in search of adventure.
Unfortunately, adventure behests Michael before he knows it-steering the ship one windy night, he is thrown overboard and washes up in what he imagines to be a deserted island. Michael soon discovers that all is not as it appears to be; one solitary man has been living here for decades, caring for what he believes to be his only friends, the orang-utans. In Kensuke’s Kingdom there is no place for strangers. How will Michael fair and what of the elusive Kensuke himself? You’ll need to watch the play to find out.
“The themes are universal and run very strong throughout,” says Thushara. “The interpretation of it is our biggest challenge.” Perhaps that’s why they’re working with a more mature cast this time. Most of the main characters are played by past pupils of the school and the sole female role is played by 21 year old Sheshadri Kottearachchi.
It’s been an enlightening experience, being the only girl amongst a bunch of boys, she laughs. Sheshadri took on the role for its inherent flaws. “Linda is easily swayed. When James throws all the family savings into something so impractical, she just goes along with it. What kind of a woman does that?” The last is cause for an epic verbal battle between Sheshadri and Harshana Molligoda, who plays James on stage. Should James be vilified for his plan or Linda, for going along with it and subjecting her son to the uncertainty? The two actors are firmly on opposite ends of the spectrum.
Harshana knows that at the end of the day, James means well. “He’s a dreamer, you see. Though he loves his wife and son, he also has this great dream that he eventually finds a way of making a reality.” Harshana wouldn’t call James manipulative, that’s too ugly a word for someone so free spirited. Although don’t get him wrong-even he knows that James is as selfish as they come. “But I like him, strangely enough. He’s very decidedly out of the box.” Harshana has just graduated from university in the States and returned to the country, slipping seamlessly into rehearsals for the play. “It’s nice to see Ananda drama doing so well,” he smiles. “This has always been a very welcoming place for me.”
The older Farrows are happily arguing away when the younger speaks to us about his role. Chirantha Kolonne thinks that actually, this whole yachting idea was probably good for the family anyway. “Before, Michael rarely saw his dad,” he says. “Thanks to the yacht they’re spending a lot more time together.”
When he is washed overboard and ends up on Kensuke’s Kingdom, Michael learns that not everyone he meets is glad to have his company. Kensuke, played by Nandun Dissanayake is a Japanese ex-soldier who has chosen solitary confinement over the atrocities of man. He has dedicated his life to the island and its inhabitants, fiercely guarding their privacy. “He’s initially very hostile towards Michael,” Nandun explains. “But he begins to-unwillingly-enjoy Michael’s company.”
Kensuke’s companions are the lovable orangutans, very much convincingly played by a host of actors including Charith Dissanayake. Charith and his fellow orangutans spent quite some time at the zoo studying their characters, so he says they’d better be getting it right! They’re joined in these non-speaking roles by Eraj Gunawardene playing the Farrow family pet Stella. Eraj didn’t eschew on the background work either-he spent a fair amount of time with his pet dog and says that this helped immeasurably. “And do you know, this is probably the most challenging role I’ve taken on,” he says. “Acting without speaking is hard work.”
At the end of the day, Kensuke’s Kingdom is a play for anyone who loves a good yarn. On paper it’s a children’s story but the proof is in the pudding and the magic is in the interpretation of it, say the directors and cast.
The Ananda College Drama circle hopes that this previously unchartered territory for them will turn out to be smooth sailing when the play goes on board at the Punchi Theatre in Borella from August 1-3. The show starts at 7.30pm.
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