Leo will be here!
It's official. After months of speculation
and ru mour, Leonardo DiCaprio has finally decided what his next film is
going to be. It's The Beach, adapted from Alex Garland's best seller, to
be directed by Danny Boyle, produced by Andrew MacDonald and written by
John Hodge, the acclaimed Trainspotting trio. Leo plays a rootless traveller
who is given a hand-drawn map to paradise that was scrawled by a madman.
Originally set to star the team's favoured actor Ewan McGregor, The Beach
will start filming in January on location in Sri Lanka. (Film Review)
Ready for murder
They thought that it was just another dress
rehearsal. But it ended in.... murder!
Theatre goers in Colombo are in for a treat as Indu Dharmasena, versatile
playwright and director, presents another innovative production from September
18-20 and 25- 27.
Drawing inspiration from none other than the Queen of Crime - Agatha
Christie - but creating her own ''criminal acts'' to suit a Sri Lankan
audience, Indu is ready to take the stage with a brand-new murder mystery,
''Dress Rehearsal.''
The story begins with an intrepid Mr.Surasena, Sri Lanka's eminent criminal
lawyer, being asked by a group of quarrelling, less-than-talented amateur
actors to view a rehearsal of their play.
Everybody's in for a rude shock when one of the players drops dead during
the rehearsal. No one suspects foul play due to his age and state of health
until a healthy and wealthy heiress dies under similar circumstances....!
Mr. Surasena sets out to unravel the mystery behind the deaths of two innocent
people.
The cast comprises a group of talented actors, namely Vinod Senadeera,
Krys Sosa, Marissa Jansz, Delon Weerasinghe, Shabry Fuard, Ruhani Perera,
Thulitha Piyasena, Anusha Fonseka and Jineshi Samaraweera with Indu Dharmasena
as the clever elderly lawyer.
The music matters
By Mary Anne David and Louis Roberts
Jerome L. De Silva's recent production of
Leonard Bernstein's musical West Side Story reflected the exuberance
and energy of its cast. Performances by Dinushi Perera, Krishan Jayaratnam
and Suren de S Wijeratne in song, dance and acting on Friday were remarkable.
Most impressive were the duet Tonight and the chorus Gee! Officer
Krupke.
The dramatic characterisations of Adam Adamally in the role of "Doc"
and the all-round talents of Samantha de S Wijeratne were outstanding and
brought cohesiveness and fluidity throughout. The sets and costumes were
first-class, the choreography imaginative and innovative. The Workshop
Players must be applauded for their dedication and commitment so evident
in previous productions as well.
With so much emphasis brought to the dramatic aspects of this production,
little attention was paid to the essence: the music, the critical element
which made this a "musical". Jerome de Silva's recognised strength
lies in direction and choreography. Shortly after commencement, it became
obvious the musical elements had been cursorily treated, even neglected.
In a musical, this is tantamount to a cardinal sin. Inspite of this, it
became clear that Sanjeev Jayaratnam's capabilities as a choral director
are undoubted and we commend his choral direction in this his debut production.
Perhaps, Sanjeev could have directed the Quintet Tonight as Bernstein
had originally composed it. By doubling and trebling Anita and Maria's
lines, he lost the harmonies and the effect of the quintet.
It was unfortunate that the genius of Leonard Bernstein was corrupted
by Dilup Gabadamudalige's feeble interpretation of the music. Either the
music score was not made available to him or he was overwhelmed by the
intricacies of Bernstein's lavish harmonies. The contrast between the excerpts
from the original soundtrack (the overture, Dance at the GYM, ballet sequence)
and tracks developed by Dilup was unmistakable and grating because of the
discordant chord structures.
One could not be surprised that the singers, who made valiant efforts
to stay in pitch, found this challenge sometimes beyond them. On occasion
when they succeeded, the voices invariably clashed with the discordant
chords. Further, the rhythms developed by Dilup, especially in the chorus
America, were simply incorrect. One questions why this popular chorus
was sung in unison and not in the harmonies originally written.
Jehan Aloysius, as Tony was disappointing. He appears to be typecast.
In this crucial singing role, he clearly lacked the upper register and
has developed a vibrato, which may be intentional or otherwise. If this
was meant to be fashionable, it failed. It only interfered with his breath
control and phrasing. It was also evident he had difficulty in maintaining
his line of music in the duet One Hand, One Heart.
The attention paid to dramatic detail was meticulous and contributed
to building an emotional climax. It was a pity the cast was encouraged,
in full view of the audience, to engage in raucous exchange of congratulations
right after the curtain call. This only sullied the production and stole
from the mood created by the emotional dramatisation of Tony's death.
Today's theatre audiences are intelligent and discerning more so when
it is a popular musical such as this. Despite the overall dramatic effect,
the lukewarm applause at the end of the performance was indicative that
the production fell far short of being a "musical" .
The end result failed to justify the colossal investment, particularly
financial, and live up to the expectations generated by the wide publicity.
In the final analysis, West Side Story differed little in quality from
recent school musicals.
A great literary figure
"A man of his era who realised the needs of the times and fulfilled
his obligations to the fullest." That is how the service of patriot,
journalist, novelist and freedom fighter Piyadasa Sirisena was summed up
by Dr. C. Ananda Grero delivering the memorial oration to mark his 132nd
birth anniversary recently.
"It was an era when the Sinhalese felt it a disgrace to call himself
a Sinhalese. There was no place in society for what was indigenous. Instead
everyone was aping the west. Western customs and traditions were followed
to the hilt, preference was for the western style of dress, foreign names
took the place of indigenous names. English was preferred to Sinhala which
was considered the language of the godayas or the rural folk," was
how Dr. Grero described the period that Piyadasa Sirisena lived.
Piyadasa Sirisena's was a varied contribution. Born on August 31, 1875
at Aturuwella near Induruwa down south, he moved to Colombo in 1895 and
began his career as a journalist. He was a sub-editor in the journal, Situmina,
started five years earlier by Irwin Gunawardena. Soon he shifted to Sarasavi
Sandaresa under Hemachandra Sepala Perera. The duties of a journalist
went far beyond what it is today. It was his responsibility to write articles,
get others to write, canvass readers, collect subscriptions and sell the
journal. This was exactly what Piyadasa Sirisena did, both at Sarasavi
Sandaresa and Sinhala Jatiya which he joined in 1909. In between
he had started a magazine on his own also called Sinhala Jatiya
with the objective of "eliminating divisions, building a love for
the nation, protecting customs and traditions and hitting at misconduct."
He was also the editor of "Sinhala Bauddhaya" started in 1906.
He concentrated on promoting national culture and heritage while presenting
contemporary news and views to the readers. Two more newspapers were started
by him- Hithavadi (1919) and Parakrama (1929).
Starting with Jayatissa Saha Rosalin (also called Vasanavatha
Vivahaya -Happy marriage) in 1904, he wrote a number of novels
"to lead the Sinhalese reader on the correct path." Me Taruniyakage
Premay (1910) was intended to promote the virtues of a female. In Vimalatissa
Hamuduruwange Mudal Pettiya.(1919) his strategy was to use the novel
as a medium to promote views on politics, economic development, good conduct,
and patriotism among the average reader.
Piyadasa Sirisena totally rejected the popular saying Sinhalaya Modaya,
Kevum Kanda Yodaya. Instead he gave hope to the nation by reminding
that the Sinhalese belonged to a proud nation which could boast of great
deeds like building ocean like tanks, constructing huge dagabas, carving
massive rock statues, painting Sigiriya frescoes and learning Buddhist
scriptures and many a form of art.
Dr. Grero in his address titled "The era of Piyadasa Sirisena &
his service to the nation" spelt out in detail the contribution he
made towards the struggle for freedom, the fruits of which he could not
enjoy since he passed away on May 22 1946.
Enthusiastic response
The Piyadasa Sirisena Commemoration Soci ety was more than happy at
the turnout at the memorial oration by Dr. Grero, retired judge of the
Court of Appeal. These included leading figures in the academic and professional
fields and senior public officials. The meeting was presided over by Sam
Wijesinha, former Secretary-General of Parliament.
"Not many come to listen to these orations. But the fact that 52
years after his death, so many were keen to hear about him was an indication
that his services are still being appreciated," The Society's secretary
Jagath Savanadasa, a grandson of Piyadasa Sirisena said.
Drama review
Odd, odder and oddest
By Sujit Sivasundaram
"More Oddities" by Absurd Inc- One for the Road
by Harold Pinter and Mother Figure by Alan Ayckbourne were staged
at the The British Council recently
There could have been no more suitable title
for this offering at the British Council Theatre than "More Oddities."
From the very outset there was nothing certain or explained in either the
Pinter script or the Ayckbourne, only questions and more questions piled
in a chaotic heap.
The Pinter saw the cruel persecution of a three member family in what
was described as a "god-fearing" country; whilst the Ayckbourne
witnessed the discovery of a child-complex in two grown adults at the hands
of the mothering instincts of their neighbour. Now brace yourself for the
barrage of questions that bombarded me as I walked out of the British Council
Theatre: Who was the family in the Pinter and what was the agenda of their
persecutors? Were the latter religious fanatics or political dictators
or something in between? Similarly, who was insane in the Ayckbourne? Was
Lucy (the mother) a "nutter" as her neighbour described her?
Or were her neighbours regressive adults? Why, or why did nothing make
sense?
If the characters were odd, this was a production that seemed to fit
in oddly with Sri Lankan culture. As an attentive ear to the very audible
audience whispers during the Pinter informed me, "This is not as funny
as the one last year, no?"
That said, there were many interesting parallels and my guess is that
Sri Lankan political history would have emerged at least briefly in the
thoughts of most viewers. There was less "oddness" in the assimilation
of the Ayckbourne and this was evident in the relieved laughter that greeted
this performance. This was despite the fact that the Pinter was the stronger
of the two. Sanjeev Samarasekera was convincing in his role as the interrogator
Nicholas. "The voice of god speaks through me," he said; and
this did seem to be the case as he exploded into aggression with the aid
of a well used rod. Here was sadism built on an evil laugh moderated by
a coolly manipulative air. Samarasinghe was enjoying himself. As far as
interaction with other players went, the best cohesion was with Gila played
by Shevanthie de Alwis.
In all then, this was a performance that left the desired "odd"
after taste. Just about as "odd" as you would expect given the
scripts, the audience background and the title. However, the most incomprehensible
aspect of the evening was the whispered running commentary of the spectators
in the row in front of me. "Odd, odder and oddest" is all I can
say.
Bookshelf
Good mix from Vishva Lekha
It's heartening to see such a vast array
of books appearing at regular intervals for the reading pleasure of the
Sinhala reading public. Almost all publishers put out new books regularly.
The recent release of eight books by Sarvodaya Vishva Lekha Publishers
was a good mix of subjects.
Bauddha Prajatantravadaya, the Sinhala version of Professor Nandasena
Ratnapala's Buddhist Democratic Theory & Practice (written by
the author himself) is among the new publications. He says it's not a translation
of the English work but prefers to call it an attempt to present the same
facts in Sinhala having formed his thoughts in Sinhala.
The book discusses the theory and practice of politics based on the
teachings of the Buddha. The author hopes that the book will help in formulating
a democracy that will identify human qualities based on Buddhist thought.
Eminent ballet producer Premakumara Epitawela (best remembered for Thitta
Batha & Selalihini Sandesaya) discusses the history and legend
of the Yakkha tribe in Kohomba Kamkariyen Helivana Sangavunu Karunu.
The author describes the Kohomba Kankariya as a ritual which moulded
the history of the entire Sinhala nation rather than a mere ceremonial
dance ritual for King Panduvas Dev, as is commonly believed.
Amaradasa Gunawardena's translations of Ryunosuke Akutagava's short
stories - Japan Keti Katha - appear after a lapse of over three
decades. The collection includes Rashoman, which was turned into
a classic by the great Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurasawa. The book includes
a note on contemporary Japanese literature by Professor Sarachchandra and
the illustrations are by Mahagama Sekera done when the book came out as
a Saman publication in 1962. Guvanviduliya, Rupavahiniya, Janathava
is the title of a collection of articles written by by media man Chandrasoma
Vithanage (presently Deputy Director-General, Productions at SLRC) on the
effects of the printed media, radio and television on the masses.
Twenty biographical sketches written by another media man Tilakaratne
Kuruwita Bandara (editor, Sarasaviya) are presented in Sirith Maldama.
These include the biographies of eminent statesmen, philosophers, composers
& singers, sportsmen, scientists and writers. It's a useful book for
easy reference for those interested in famous personalities.
Another journalist and professional photographer Wimalasiri Jayalath's
second short story collection comes out under the title Pipunu Atteriya
Mal Suvandak (Fragrance of blooming flowers). The stories are based
on child characters or child experiences. However, the author believes
they will appeal to all readers.
Vishva Lekha introduces a new writer, Lekha Lekamge who presents her
maiden collection of creative writings for young ones in Hada Athi Rekha.
Young love, forms the theme of most of her stories, which are written in
a simple readable style. Yamuna Malini Perera who has made a name for herself
as a lyric writer for new wave singers and an award winning poetess has
written her maiden novel for young adults titled Sihinayata Samudi.
It is the story of an adopted child whose life changes after a child is
born to the foster mother.
|
