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DRAMA:
 Dracula:
the masterfully reengineered comedy
"Damn, the orange," said Nadun Dissanayake eliciting laughter from
the audience, playing the role of the bloodthirsty Transylvanian Count,
as an orange fell off the plate offered to his guest Jonathan Harker.
Was that line part of the script or was it devised spontaneously to
complement what was more likely an inadvertent occurrence? Either way it
was carried beautifully, I thought watching what was without a doubt one
of the most spectacular Sri Lankan theatre productions I have yet
witnessed. 'Dracula' by Anandadrama was simply brilliant.
Hilarity abounded driving streams of roaring laughter to ring out
from the audience as the performance of superbly talented thespians
blended dynamically with creative mastery in stagecraft to create a
mosaic of motion that unfolded a theatrical narrative brimming with
innovativeness. The creative direction of this play where shadows cast
as silhouettes in the background and multifunctional stage sets were
devised to switch between scenes and settings played much with space,
sound, light, and props where 'narrative' was meant to be more than the
content of dialogue and lived up to being a play enriched with a vibrant
'performance text'. A notable instance of creative direction for
proscenium theatre using a nonverbal narrative element was using shadow
projections to show the passage of the sea voyage that delivers the
sense of a 'visual narrative' almost along the principles of cinema.
This is a production where the backstage crew deserves a resounding
round of applause as much as the onstage performers.
Thespian talent
An impressive aspect of the performance was how the tonnage of
thespian talent on the boards that evening masterfully manoeuvred their
roles and deftly switched between characters, which included switching
roles across genders too! In this regard, the dexterity of the players
on stage and the efficiency of costume designs for the purpose of a live
performance must be noted for the success of the stagecraft devised by
the directorial vision that came alive in colour, form and flesh.
How easily accessible is 'Dracula' as a theatrical narrative? I do
feel that perhaps the innovativeness of narrative methodology seen in
this play may make it not the easiest to follow and grasp for the viewer
who has not experienced theatre beyond the conventional realistic
proscenium theatre that takes the form of plays by playwright as Anton
Chekov or Tennessee Williams.
One of the significant facets of this work in relation to theatre
studies would be gauging the creative investment made in nonconventional
narrative methods to optimally achieve the art of quality entertainment.
Another would be how the directors envisioned 'breaking the fourth
wall'. This was done in a unique and humorous way befitting the mould of
comedy that was given this conventionally designated horror story.
 Admission
between players onstage that they are engaged in a performance and
denying the conceptual premise of a reality completely detached from the
viewers happened when Dinoo Wickramage and Charith Dissanayaka presented
a mix up of entry points and discreetly checked if they got their roles
right. Dracula too in one instance confuses his exit direction and then
rectifies apologetically. Dracula's outburst and objection to the end
for lack of sufficient onstage time to deliver more presence and
performance added much to break the illusion of a reality devoid of
connection to the viewers taking place on the boards.
Heightened hilarity
These twists added much to the comedic form very tastefully and
heightened hilarity. The exploration for 'where the laughs are at' and
how to 'spring them out' extra to the scope of the storyline, was
certainly a visible objective in this project. And it was successfully
executed. Even the curtain call was given a dose of dramatisation with a
disgruntled Dracula finally being ushered on stage and claiming his
moment of fanfare with theatrical gestures of an opera star basking in
adulation.
Having watched Nadun Dissanayake act in plays like 'Grease Yaka', and
'No Sex Please, We're British' it is now evident that through his
performance in 'Dracula' he shows a level of talent in a class by
itself.
With time, will this rising star, be the next Freddie Silva, or Eddie
Jayamana or Sri Lanka's Will Farrell, I wonder. Another actor who
deserves special mention is Eraj Gunawardena who played Jonathan Harker.
Gunawardena possesses rare grains of acting talent that are innate and
uncontrived. In him the sphere of theatre and even film, will surely
find an asset.
The cast, composed of Nadun Dissanayake, Eraj Gunewardena, Dinoo
Wickramage, Vishan Gunawardena, and Charith Dissanayaka deserve rousing
applause for their praiseworthy performance.
The scriptwriters Nishantha de Silva, Rajitha Hettiarachchi, and
Ishtartha Wellaboda, who also participated in the direction of the play
together with the director Thushara Hettihamu must be saluted for what
they accomplished through 'Dracula' a tale of terror remoulded as a side
splitting comedy.
With 'Dracula' Anandadrama marks what appears an avant-garde stride
in theatre technique, form and stagecraft that deserves being noted as
possibly the rising 'new wave' in Sri Lankan theatre, for the
mainstream.
Reviewed by Dilshan Boange
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