DRAMA:

A dose of vintage Ceylonism

Dilshan Boange reviews Indu Dharmasena's 'The Dowry Hunter' :

The first time I heard of 'The Dowry Hunter' was over ten years ago, when my maternal grandfather Edmund Eramudugolla got me acquainted with the genre of vintage classic comedies written for the stage during colonial times. The reason was the staging of Indu Dharmasena's 'Well Mudaliya How?' at the Wendt in late 2003, which my grandfather urged me to watch, certain I would enjoy the experience. Back then the price of a balcony ticket for the drama was Rs. 50.00. It is still to this day the best fifty rupees I have yet spent.

Fast forward to now. On June 12, occupying seat Q-7, I watched 'The Dowry Hunter' come alive on the boards of the Wendt, to the delight of the packed house. To begin with, the set design and costume department of the production must be congratulated for their efforts, as the visuals created by those aspects certainly added much to captivate the audience.

Comedy

A vintage comedy set in the Ceylon of the British colonial era, the play originally written by S.J.K. Crowther, was directed by Indu Dharmasena and was produced by the well known theatre practitioner Jith Pieris. The talents on stage comprised Indu who played the role of the opportunistic 'dowry hunter' Basnayake, Kanishka Herat, now an established talent of the new generation in the English theatre, played the protagonist Upali Katunayake, together with Avishka de Alwis, Sanwada Dharmasena, Ruvendi Wakwella, Yasal Ruhunage and Sharinda Wakwella.

There were some opening night jitters noticeable in some of the players. Avishka de Alwis had a few 'slips of the lips' with some of his lines but to his credit maintained composure and did not resort to any detectable 'recovery efforts' that would upset the fabric of performance. As Upali Katunayake's secretary, Stephen de Silva, de Alwis was well synced with the pace and rhythm of Herat.

Camaraderie

The actor duo had in that sense a good chemistry of camaraderie unfolding on stage. Herat, whose acting talents I have commented on in previous drama reviews and was predicted years ago as a future rising star in the English theatre circuit, displayed a fulsome freeness that made Upali Katunayake seem absolutely uncontrived.

There was a flow in his demeanour that made Katunayake appear like 'Kanishka' and not studiously characterised like the Bishop of Lax in 'Chaos at the Vicarage' or Peter Hunter in 'No Sex Please We Are British'. Perhaps the vintage and nationality of Upali Katunayake's character provided a much smoother casing for Herat to slip into and play the character.

'A rich man must marry a rich girl on principle,' says Basnayake with intent in his visage and ardour in his tone. In that line is one of the dicta that a dowry hunter lives by and seeks to perpetuate as integral to the social milieu.

Robust

Indu Dharmasena delivered a spectacular performance that evening, which was appreciated with robust laughter and applause that erupted from the audience. There was no denying how Dharmasena commendably accomplished the task of creating a reflection of the slithery, devious villainy within Basnayake through his exterior manner. As a performer Dharmasena outshone the others on stage.

The play is in some sense a throwback to that 'Ceylonese era' when the local gentry was finding their colonial veneer getting welded to suit the hybridised bourgeoisie status that became quite a cultural curiosity to the rural masses and to an extent the white masters themselves. The role of the professional matchmaker or 'Kapuwa', is well known in Sri Lankan society.

However, the function of the 'professional socialiser' Basnayake who seeks to make a handsome gain out of matchmaking that keeps wealth within the folds of the upper class is one that is intriguing. How great a reflection of that bygone era the play seeks to assert as a socio-cultural statement one cannot be certain. Yet, how the emerging concept of class as a result of colonialism and the pains, people who have made the best out of it, will go to, to remain deriving benefits of it, is depicted in a hilarious way.

In a broader sense. the story speaks of how human opportunism and the twists and turns of fate lead to rather quirky yet charming results. And there cannot be a guarantee of an 'All's well that ends well' in this story, since Basnayake's hunt leads him to no bounty.

'Every woman is a matchmaker, and like charity, matchmaking begins at home' says Stephen de Silva to his close friend and employer. Upali Katunayake, much to the amusement of the audience.

Hilarious

The truth of this statement and what is plotted to foil the designs of the unrelenting Mrs. Juanita Pieris, played winsomely by Sanwada Dharmasena, unfolds what becomes a hilarious scheme of deflective manoeuvres, retreating countermeasures, and disastrous advances, that lead to misleading concealments, spurious stories that finally require disclosure to set the record straight and redeem Upali Katunayake's credibility as a man who is an apt suitor for his cousin Hemara. A cousin whom he is besotted with at first sight!

Basnayake's role reminded me something of the character of Max Detweiler in 'The Sound of Music' who says "We must keep all that lovely money in the family" in his desire to see Captain Von Trapp wed Baroness Shrouder. Strictly speaking of course there is no likeness in the 'functions' of Detweiler and Basnayake in those two vastly different works. But those types show how there is always a category of beneficiaries whose friendship with the rich and maintaining the status quo becomes vital to their own sustenance. And thereby the creation of a social hierarchism on the basis of proximity to money is established and sought to be maintained by third parties with vested interests.

There is a saying that although you can't choose your relatives you can choose your friends, but when big money comes into the picture perhaps the luxury of always being able to choose your friends may not be as simple as it may sound! Upali Katunayake's predicament seems to suggest so.

The performance overall was a successful endeavour to delight theatregoers with a dose of much appreciable vintage 'Ceylonese comedy'. My applause and salutes go to Indu Dharmasena, Jith Pieris and their team for bringing to life a good quality performance of 'The Dowry Hunter' and keeping alive the classics of Sri Lanka's English theatre.