Comic mayhem gets audiences laughing
If you can imagine such a thing as a theatrical romp, this was it!
‘No Sex Please, We’re British’, a comedy written by Alistair Foot and Anthony Marriott was first staged in London’s West End in 1971 and played to a full house until 1987. In my opinion it was one of the best British farces ever written. It is certainly the longest running comedy in the history of world theatre and has been performed in 52 countries.
Catering to a Sri Lankan audience but very much wanting to ‘give English back to the English theatre here in Colombo’, Jith’s shrewdly balanced direction blended romantic satire with civic realism as the apartment of newly -wed Mr. and Mrs Hunter was radically transformed into a place of inescapable mayhem. Although it may have taken audiences at the Wendt a while to adjust to British comedy, in no time at all we were in stitches. The boisterous production succeeded in giving the British angle a new twist with lively performances all round from a young and energetic cast, led by the strait– laced bank manager, Peter Hunter ( Kanisha Herat), his new bride Frances.
(charmingly portrayed by Anabella Brochard, along with the hapless chief cashier, Brian Runnicles ( hilariously executed by Nadun Dissanayake). The two sexy Scandinavian escorts were convincingly played by Eraj Gunawardene and Trinushka Perera. Peter’s mother Eleanor was the flirtatiously wily Imani Perera and his boss Mr. Bromhead, a very debonair Abbasali Rozais. They were well supported by the insomniac Mr. Needham (Avishka de Alwis), the confused Police Superintendent with a penchant for porn (Anurudha Fernando) and the unsuspecting delivery man complete with Y’Indian accent (Asela Mendis).
Perhaps the one who elicited the most laughs was Mr. Runnicles. The role was first portrayed by the inimitable Michael Crawford with whom this writer confesses to having a bit of a love-hate relationship when he later used elements of the character in the hit British TV series ‘Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em”.
The carefully picked wardrobe and costumes set the tone for a well-bred ‘glamping’ that eventually brings about uncomfortable and messy transformations in a hilarious finale. Well directed with an emphasis on clever timing there was much to enjoy with plenty of emotional punch and laughs.
The chimes of the Big Ben and the up-tempo music had the audience tapping their feet and no doubt kept us in a happy after glow all weekend. A good farce is hard to find and Director Jith Peiris did well with this laugh-out-loud, titillating production.
-Dushy Parakrama