Mirror Magazine

Mirror Magazine

Rockafella, the new cinderella
By Ruwanthi Herat Gunaratne
At school and at the disco, Angela (a modern day Cinderella) desperately wants to be accepted as part of 'the gang'. Following her Godfather's advice, she turns up at the disco on a Friday night and bowls the crowd over. The DJ Tazz, a popular Romeo falls for her and sweeps her off her feet much to the consternation of his girlfriend Bev. Annoyed at the way things are moving, Bev in turn courts the nerdy Burker.

Though a modernised version of Cinderella, Rockafella has all the elements that made the fairy tale such a hit. A fairy godmother in the place of a godfather, his two hilarious sidekicks and Angela's loving yet protective parents all add humour to the play.

"In today's world of discos and TV, the Cinderella story seems a bit old hat," smiles director Clare de Silva, "but given not the traditional fairy godmother but a fairy godfather - things start to sparkle."

An adaptation of the musical Rockafella and Speaking and Moving with the Juniors by the students of Claire de Silva will go on the boards at the Bishops College auditorium on August 2 and 3 at 7.00 p.m.

Asked why she chose this particular piece, Mrs. de Silva says, "It's a fun play and perfectly suited the students, as it is a high school drama. The seventies style clothing and the disco atmosphere is sure to appeal to any audience. The music handled by Mrs. Beatrice Devasagayam adds much to the play."

The role of Angela is played by Niveen Rajabdeen whilst Tazz is played by Dulika Jayamaha. Others in the cast include Aravinda Page (Burker), Anjuli Page (Bev) and Naresh de Silva in the role of a wonderfully different Godfather, true to form in a trench coat and dark glasses!

These young thespians have had the time of their life in preparing for the play for which the foundation was laid in January this year. "The roles are great," they chorus enthusiastically, "It's easy to identify with the characters!"

"We've swapped our true personalities," laughs Bev, "I'm nothing like what I portray! We've stepped into each others shoes just for this!"

Choreography will be handled by Minuka de Silva while the costumes are by Jo Jo de Silva. Rockafella will provide only half of the evening's entertainment which will also include "Singing and Moving with the Juniors". Students of Mrs. de Silva aged five to 12 will present a few items of choral speech, which will include old favourites such as "The Owl and Pussycat".

The proceeds of the play which is sponsored by Sun FM and Dynavision are for the Orthodontic Clinic and Dental Lab of the Lady Ridgeway Hospital. "The play is a celebration of these students' inborn ability in speech. It seemed ideal for the proceeds to go to the betterment of people for whom speech disabilities hamper progress," Ms. de Silva explains.

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