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| Sunday, 23 November 2003 |
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Return of the Godfather Ernest Macintyre' - "He still comes from Jaffna" and the "UN Inspector is Sri Lankan" will go on the boards at the Lionel Wendt from December 9 to 14. In her book, 'This Total Art', local actress Shelagh Anghie focuses on the practitioners of developing years of English Theatre in Sri Lanka. One such practitioner is Ernest Macintyre. His experimental and highly acclaimed work during the 60s and 70s has gained a place in theatre history in Sri Lanka. A knowledge of his works and productions are a part of the local A Level Drama Syllabus, and many can still recall the days when theatre productions featured the combined talents of Macintyre and the likes of Karan Breckenridge, Jayantha and Maureen Dhanapala, Shelagh Anghie, Philip Coorey, Haig Karunaratna and Chula Unamboowe together with the formidable Serasinghes, Winston and Irangani and Dhamma Jagoda and Henry Jayasena. Ernest migrated to Australia in 1973, where he continued to work and write for the theatre, and formed the Sydney Kolam Maduwa. Some of Ernest's plays are "Let's Give Them Curry", "Rasanayagam's Last Riot", "A Mad and Grotesque Comedy", "The Loneliness of the Short Distance Traveller", "The Education of Miss Asia". In July this year he was introduced to a band of Colombo's young English theatre people and invited them to assist him in staging his two latest plays: "The UN Inspector is a Sri Lankan" and "He Still Comes From Jaffna". The Australian cast will arrive in early December for the performances. The story Based in the mythical land of Bhoomisthan, "The UN Inspector is a Sri Lankan" is a comedy that revolves around a crooked Sri Lankan Civil Servant, Jeyakuma Gunapalan, who is unable to return to Sri Lanka for fear of being arrested. He is hold up in the Bhoomisthan Hilton with his bible reading assistant Mrs. Ossipina Fernando Two bumbling detectives, Moosala Dim and Dushala Dim are assigned to find the UN Inspector who is said to be visiting Bhoomisthan incognito. The President, Etulosba Noitpurroc who has ruled Bhoomisthan for over 30 years is worried that the UN Inspector may find out that all is not well in his country. His council of Ministers comes up with several ideas to rid the streets of vagrants and the hospitals of excess patients. The plot thickens as the ex-minister for National Security decides to organise an invasion of Bhoomisthan and become the President. The ex-minister recognizes the Inspector as being none other than the bribe taking Sri Lankan Civil Servant on a weapons purchase mission. The Sri Lankan Civil Servant and his assistant decide to do the bolt with the President's favourite housemaid Gunawathie. Their plans are stalled by the arrival of several visitors in quick succession .... From Jaffna "He Still Comes From Jaffna" centres on four characters - Chandran Rajasingham and his wife Saro, who are Colombo 7 Tamils, their adopted daughter Maya - an "intellectual" in her early twenties who dreams of becoming a novelist, and a powerful young businessman from Toronto, Pathmanathan (Paths), who has travelled from Toronto for a marriage to Maya, arranged by her parents, and the ceremony is to be the very next day. But the parents soon come to know that the man who has turned up is not Pathmanathan but a terrorist, who despite his arrival from Toronto "Still comes from Jaffna" in a different way. The parents have very good reasons, on advise from the CID, to pretend that this man is the real Pathmanathan, and so accommodate him in their home. The astute young Maya discovers his real identity as a terrorist, but indulges him so as to use him as raw material for a novel she is working on. The crazy complications of the plot are thus set in motion .... The players Here to celebrate 50 years of the Lionel Wendt Theatre, the Sydney Kolam Maduwa's production will also feature a cameo performance from the grand dame of local cinema and theatre - Mrs. Iranganie Serasinghe. Bringing a production down from abroad entails many logistics problems and Ernest has roped in support from a whole spectrum of local friends and co-ordination from currently active theatre groups and younger generation of performers in Sri Lanka with the support of 'Mind Adventures' and the 'Stages' Theatre Companies, these two shows will be one of the most highly anticipated entertainment events of December 2003. The shows are sponsored by Sri Lankan Airlines, MTV, Yes FM, The ANCL group and LT-Leisure Times. The performances will begin on December 9 with a special show for Lionel Wendt, and even feature special matinee shows, with student discounts. |
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