Experience the magic of music and enjoy a meal

by Aditha Dissanayake

Though he is Christo to his family, Chris to Malini Weeramuni and Vivienne Boralessa, he remains Mr. Christopher Paul to me, during my brief acquaintance with him on Wednesday. "You must come and speak with me at the end of the show, and tell me what you think of my songs" commands Mr. Paul at the end of the interview. I promise to do just that, and more. I promise to have dinner with him after the show - a kotthu perhaps, seated on a 'padura' at the Punchi Theater.

Introducing the concept of dinner theater to Sri Lanka, but making it authentically Sri Lankan by calling it a Paduru Party, Namel Malini Punchi Theater will be staging their second show at the Punchi Theater auditorium on May 27, 2007 at 6.45 p.m. The artistes featured this month are Christopher Paul, Vivienne De Silva Boralessa and Narada Dissasekara.

Looking forward to the event, Christopher says this will be a new experience for him because usually at a musical show a singer never gets to meet his audience. "I have been singing for over fifty years now and it is rarely that someone from the audience comes up to us at the end of a show to say if he or she liked the songs or not.

I am grateful to the Punchi Theater for letting us have the opportunity to meet our listeners". He plans to begin the evening singing Pem loke pura, followed by Rosa malak dutuwama and Manika, Manika. After the interval he would be singing Ela dola ganga, and Ruwan tharuwa, concluding with the all time favourite Haa mal pipenne.

Having recently concluded a tour to Canada arranged by Anesly Malewana and performed in Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary - towns in which probably no other Sri Lankan singer has held concerts, he is proud that his songs, first sung in the 1950s are still popular.

Talking about today's singers, Christopher says "they appear and disappear like mushrooms". This was not so in the past where artistes had to pass an exam conducted by the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation to qualify to sing for the radio. "I passed this exam and became a Grade A singer at the Commercial Service" says Christopher.

Unlike today where the singer appears on TV, and the viewer sees him, in the past the listeners had to create a picture of the singer in their minds from the song and the voice they heard over the radio. "Everything depended on our voices. The listeners would have imagined us as dark, fair, short, tall or handsome from the songs we sang. It's a pity that they get to see us only now, when we are not so good-looking as we were fifty years ago". This last is surely not true. For, age enhances beauty.

Evidence? Vivienne De Silva Boralessa. Dressed immaculately in an osariya, with her hair neatly tied in a knot, with a gentle smile radiating love and kindness on her face, when Malini Weeramuni talks to me about her, calling her "this girl Vivienne", no one would argue she had used the most appropriate description to describe this songstress who became a singing sensation at the age of fifteen and has remained popular ever since.

The only child of D.L Sahabandu and dramatist G.F de Silva, who wrote and directed the plays; 'Election Echo', 'Capitalism in Ceylon', and the 'Dreadful State of Lanka', she had first sung duets at Radio Ceylon with her Uncle G.R Edward. One of her earliest memories as a performer is giving voice to the role of Krishnajina for a H.M.V record when she was not even tall enough to reach the microphone. Jaliya was Dharmadasa Walpola. "Two grown-ups had to carry us in their arms so that we could reach the microphone".

She recalls and continuing to dwell on the past says "At a time when there were no records we had to sing live on the radio. Often there was only one mike for all of us - the musicians, and the singers. Because we had to sing live, there was no way of covering up a mistake.

This made us be very careful with our singing." She too is looking forward to performing at the Punchi Theater on the 27th when she would sing some of her all time favorites like Dura pena thanithala, Navathinna Tissa and Nangi Nangi Rupika.

"My fans telephone or write to me saying they would like to see me. Now they can, at the Punchi Theater." She says appreciating the efforts of the Punchi Theater in trying to bridge the gap between the audience and the performers by introducing the concept of dinner theater to our country.

An all round cricketer, as well as a musician, Narada Dissasekara, begins the interview paying me one of the nicest compliments a writer likes to hear - "I read your articles".

He is glad that he would get to know his fans through this event and feels getting to know their views with regard to his songs would be of immense value when it comes to future performances. The first playback singer to have won an award at the first ever Sarasaviya awards, he says he will be singing some of his hits like Pipi pipee, Mulu Hadin ma ayata pem kara, and Me kanda thama tharunai.

Talking about the program conducted by the Namel Malini Punchi Theatre Arts Circle Malini Weeramuni says "Punchi Theatre takes the view that artistes of the 50s and 60s are unfortunately seen by modern society as people of the past and considering this as a sad drift and believing the new generations have to know our past, our culture and history for us to survive as a civilized world the Punchi Theatre Arts Circle has taken the initiative to launch this program and thereby create an atmosphere to promote the audiences for classical and semi classical music."

The distinguishing feature of the monthly program is the novelty of giving the audience another "musical session" of a 'Padura' (dinner) in the company of the Legendary Artistes at the Reception Hall after the main event is over, at the auditorium.

"By this process, Punchi Theatre Arts Circle's intention is to pave the way for the audience to come in close contact with the Artistes through heart-to-heart chats."

Be there this Sunday to enjoy a meal and to journey back into the past when old memories will be rekindled through song and music.

(Tickets available at the Punchi Theater. Tel:011-2672121)

[email protected]