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Kala Korner - by Dee Cee

Meeting Wilson Gunaratne - what a treat!
For nearly four years Wilson Gunaratne has provided superlative entertainment through 'Charitha Hathak', the unique presentation of seven characters on stage. In fact, he is planning to celebrate the fourth anniversary of the show on July 3 at the Elphinstone.

Meeting him the other evening in a more relaxed mood, I had occasion to talk to him about how he conceived the idea of portraying characters on stage. "It took me quite a while to study various characters and train my voice to suit theirs. I also looked for interesting incidents and anecdotes, which would make people laugh. Of course, political satire is nothing new. We should be able to laugh at our politicians but it should be done with malice to none," he said.

Gunaratne has had 378 performances in less than four years. People still flock to see 'Charitha Hathak'. Some see it over and over again because it is so entertaining and one can really have a hearty laugh for two hours. How has he maintained the tempo? "I keep updating. I follow the happenings in the country, particularly in the political field and adjust my script. In fact, some parts of the earlier performances have been dropped and replaced by new ones. Not that they are not relevant or out of date but I don't want to unnecessarily stretch the show," he said.

Backstage
It's amazing how Gunaratne changes does his makeup and gets ready so quickly from one character to another. Several assistants help him so that time is not wasted. While one puts on the wig another would be doing the makeup. Once he puts on the shirt, another would button him up. He would then be ready to portray the next character. In fact, there have been instances when spectators have insisted on going backstage to see how he does it. "I was once embarrassed when I found three ladies peeping when I was changing. I asked them why. They said they had seen the afternoon show and bought tickets for the 6.30 show as well. When asked why they wouldn't wait in the hall, they told me they were keen to see how I change so fast. I insisted they should leave the place and thought they did. I soon forgot about them until at the end of the show I found them boasting that they saw what they wanted to see!"

Gunaratne has a crew of 23 to assist in the show. He gets his brother to do the scripts once he himself decides on what should be included or changed. Having been in the hotel and travel trade for 25 years, he always had a knack of imitating others.

"I met many people from different nationalities and I closely observed their accents and mannerisms. Those from Europe fascinated me. There were hilarious incidents of how hotel staff couldn't follow some of their instructions . I used to enjoy them. These have come in handy for the show," he said.

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