The case of the cat burglar
‘Comedy is challenging’: Mayaan Haputantri and Anjuli Mahinkanda. Pic by Nilan Maligaspe
When a man is charged with kidnapping half a dozen kittens, it appears to be an open and shut case, even for a jury made up of oddballs like a dimwitted PR guy, a quarrelling couple, and a man who is fixated on french fries. Even in the face of mounting evidence, Juror No. 8, a would-be attorney, nevertheless thinks the “Cat Burglar” is innocent. Might he be successful in persuading the other jurors in thinking so too or will Juror No. 3, the only ‘sane’ man in the room, sway them?
Clutch Plays Theatre presents ‘12 Incompetent Jurors’, a parody of the courtroom drama ‘12 Angry Men’, written by Ian McWethy. Directed by Mayaan Haputantri and Anjuli Mahinkanda, the comedy is the company’s third production.
The cast is comprised of Saranie Wijesinghe, Tahsha de Silva, Kanishka Herat, Zuleika Buhar, Visura Silva, Melmari Cruse, Nethra Peiris, Sulakshana Dias Amaratunga, Tharusha Kumarasinghe, Radhika Ranaweera, Dulya de Silva and Januki Jayakody. “It’s a really nice mix of big names and a lot of young talent that have just come out of school,” Anjuli says.
Clutch Plays Theatre’s President and Artistic Director, Mayaan explains that he began his own theatre company in August 2020, after a challenging period in his life. He missed being involved in theatre owing to the nationwide lockdown and started the company, “with the hopes of making a positive impact on people who are also going through hard times”.
Their initial two productions, ‘Boys’ Play’ and ‘Tiny Beautiful Things’ dealt with mature themes and weighty subject matter. Mayaan shares that they had initially made plans to settle on another thought provoking play but decided to pursue a comedy instead. Anjuli says, “I found that comedy is a lot more challenging than acting for a serious play because comedy hits people in a different way than a tragedy would. Even from a directing sense, I thought a comedy would be a better experience and more challenging.”
Mayaan adds that when he first began to direct for plays in competitions the mentality was, ‘we have to win at all costs,’ but after COVID hit, he became very focused on the impact that the show would have on the audience and wanting them to walk out in a better place than where they were in when they came in. “With this play I just want it to be the funniest and most lighthearted 90 minutes that the audience can experience and leave in a much happier mood.”
12 Incompetent Jurors will be staged at the Lionel Wendt from February 24th to the 26th at 7 p.m.
Tickets are available at the Lionel Wendt and are priced at Rs. 3500, Rs. 3000, Rs. 2500, Rs. 2000 and Rs. 1000.
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