Drama
A mindful mind hard to find
by Nilma Dole
Feeling like an extra in ‘Lost’
after looking in vain near the Cathedral on Bullers Road for a Nuga
tree, I made it in time to see some Aunty strutting her weight about,
making supposed IDPs in a camp feel like imbeciles. The open-air theatre
was a great venue and thank goodness there were no mosquitoes.
The play directed by the famous Tracy Holsinger who also pitched in
as the narrator, was called `The Travelling Circus-A Mind Adventures
Production’ which was part of their 10th year anniversary celebrations.
There was a boy who spoke in numbers. He didn’t know any other language
but just numbers. This boy lives in the Village of Fat Hopes which is in
fact (sad to say) a different version of an IDP camp.
Suba Wijesiriwardena plays the role of Aunty of the Camp with a
convincing character which was good while Brandon Ingram plays not only
a shrieking crow but a tyrannical security guard ordering the villagers
to `Come-en Here, Stand-en in a Line-en, Wake-en Up!’ Though I do like
his screeching crow noises, wonder if he took any special crow-quaking
classes or just started singing metal songs? All the same, they both
complemented the drama quite well.
As for Ruvin de Silva, his performance as the number-talking `Boy’ is
quite a break from the norm and mystifies the audience who really can’t
fathom what he’s talking about. “I really wish there were subtitles, so
that I know what that was all about” said one theatre-goer whom I
happened to bump into at Bayleaf restaurant later.
Along the drama, the disjointed aspect makes it interesting but not
for a person who wants more than a clean and logical story-line. The
peaks in the play are beneficial because for those who made it late (as
a result of getting lost) didn’t miss anything.
Gihan de Chickera as a humble villager and Tehani Chitty as a cow
were equally good I couldn’t identify Prasad Pereira properly in his
bird mask but since he’s shaved his head, it was a bit difficult to
decipher his face. However, his television-announcing voice gave it
away. The sweet Nuzreth `Nuzzy’ Jalaldeen did her performance as a
subtle but squeaky girl image.
“He doesn’t talk but she can sing” were her words and she pointed to
Tracy Jayasinghe or the Demon (in the second act). “Where have all the
young men gone? Gone to the graveyard everyone, when will they ever
learn?” she sang beautifully. Mr.
Ho Ho was good with his Ho Ho character and Ho Ho fire-starting
mania. “I want to burn down the village because I want people to know
how it’s like when my house was burnt” he said on live television and he
didn’t even get arrested! It is rather traumatic, how the lives of the
IDPs are, and how people become consumed by hatred and jealousy taking
it on others. Or so, according to ad guru and script maestro MASii (Mike
Masilamani).
However, while not being allowed much space to write about the
Travelling Circus drama since I didn’t have the privilege of free
passes, I did get in free for the mere fact that I was lost finding the
place and nobody bothered to take the Rs. 500 that I had saved so much
to see the play.
I should state that it was a superb performance by the energetic cast
but a bit depressing that here we all are, taking the crap out of those
in the IDP camps and how they must feel like. Hopefully, the authorities
will look into their well-being because it’s definitely not cool to be
Camp! |
