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| Sunday, 9 May 2004 |
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The value of humility and the importance of respect, the dangers of avarice, arrogance and deceit. This is what is depicted in the "Guttila Kavya" one of the 547 Jathaka Stories which are about the previous births of Gautama the Buddha. Uddaka Tennekoon has taken the "Guttila Kavya" and revitalised it into an all new unique English Musical "Guttila" for which Diliup Gabadamudalige is doing its music and directing. With a 31 member cast of all ages (the youngest being 8 and the eldest being 59) singing 31 original English songs, "Guttila" will take the stage of the Bishop's College Auditorium from the 15th-19th and 21st-23rd May 2004.
Some traders travel from Benares to Udeni where they encounter the local musician Musila. Although Musila prides himself on his skill, the traders are amused for in comparison to Guttila his playing is ordinary.
Having undertaken to teach him Guttila ensures that Musila is taught all the skills. In time, Musila becomes as good as Guttila. At this point Guttila encourages Musila to return to Udeni as he has learnt his art well. Musila however who wants to usurp Guttila and become the favoured musician in Benares tells Guttila that it is better that he remains in Benares so that they can play together. He offers to play as Guttila's assistant for half his wage.
The English musical production of Guttila has two objectives. The first is to present in English a masterpiece of Sinhala literature in a way it can be understood and appreciated by the English speaking audience. The second objective is to prove that a professional English theatrical production of quality can be put together in Sri Lanka by Sri Lankans. In order to achieve these goals a few "liberties" have been taken in an attempt to make the story more understandable and appealing to the target audience. These changes are solely a method of enhancement and it is felt they will not take away the "Spirit" of the story. The morals learnt still remain, such as the value of respect, the wealth of dedication and the perils of greed.
Another enhancement to the story is the introduction of two major characters; Panditha-a nobleman of King Brahmadatta's court who acts as a confidant to Guttila, and Anoopama, a female student of Guttila's who is secretly in love with him. Lastly, in the original story Guttila's parents are blind. The fact that they are not blind in this musical is another deviation from the Jathaka story. The cast of the play was not chosen on the basis of past laurels. In order to promote fresh new talent open auditions were conducted in August 2003. The lead roles will be played by Dushyanth Weeraman as Guttila and Christopher Stephen as Musila. Imani Perera will play the role of Anoopama and John Wijesinghe that of Panditha. Ravindra Perera will play the role of Sakka and Jerome Fernando will play King Brahmadatta. Guttila's father and mother will be portrayed by R. Jayraj and Lilanthi Jayaratne. Nanda Abeysekera, Eranga Mendis and Shehan Somaratne will play the Three Traders. The back-up music was recorded at Diliup's studio with Kalani Perera playing Guttila's violin part and Dinesh Subasinghe playing Musila's. Channa Wijewardena is doing the choreography and Lou Ching Wong will be turning out the costumes. The Set is being handled by Heenetigala Premadasa and Ashok Ratnaraja and his team will be doing the make-up and hair. Imran Pakeer Saibo will be responsible for Stage Management and Lighting, while Ossie Nugara will engineer the Sound. Siedles will provide the sound system. (FMM) |
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The story which goes on the lines of the original Sinhala "Guttila
Kavya" is as follows. Guttila is a musician who plays a seven
stringed Veena. He is also a teacher of the instrument. He is a much
respected citizen in Benares and is a patron of King Brahmadatta, its
ruler.
Musila angered by the traders' reactions, questions them on the reason
for their amusement. The traders then tell him that there is a far
superior musician in Benares called Guttila from whom a mere novice like
Musila can learn many things. When he hears that Guttila's patron is the
King, Musila persuades the traders to take him to Benares. Guttila, when
he meets Musila, is suspicious about his true motives.
He is not convinced that mastering the Veena is Musila's only goal. He
therefore refuses to teach him. Musila however encounters Guttila's blind
parents in his absence and convinces them that he has come a long way to
learn from the master. The parents ask Guttila to reconsider his decision
and teach Musila. Not wanting to disappoint his parents, Guttila agrees.
However when the two meet King Brahmadatta, Musila convinces the King
that there should be a competition to judge who is better. The King has no
option but to declare that there will be a competition in 7 days.
The first deviation from the original story is that Guttila and Musila
will play the Violin, not the Veena, as the sound of the Violin blends
into the "Fusion" music composed for the play. The second is
that Guttila is a young vibrant character rather than the older mature one
depicted in the Jathaka Katha in an attempt to relate the character to the
present younger generation.
