A 'desire' laudably translated

A review of the Sinhala play Ashave Veedi-Riya:

by Dilshan Boange

Works of US playwright Tennessee Williams, translated and adapted to suit the local flavour have found favourable reception among Sinhala theatregoers over the decades. Among these are The Glass Menagerie translated as Ahas Maliga (which translates to castles/palaces in the sky), by the late Henry Jayasena and 'Cat on the Hot Tin Roof' as Heley Negga Dong Putha by the late Sugathapala de Silva and a Sinhala adaptation of 'A Streetcar Named Desire' as Ves Muhunu (masks) by the late Dhamma Jagoda.

Last month, I saw the first ever production of a Sinhala translation of 'A Streetcar Named Desire' come to life in the auditorium of the British School in Colombo. Translated, directed, and produced by Champa Mahawedage, the drama was titled Ashave Veedi-Riya. Very much a verbatim translation of the English title one might think, although I would say a more precise verbatim translation would have made it Ashava Nemethi Veedi-Riya. However, for the purpose of 'dialectic functionality' within the play, I can quite well see why it was entitled as it was. If Chamila Peiris playing Blanche Dubois uttered Ashava nemethi veedi-riya it would have sounded quite literary and contrived as opposed to normal speech.

Sinhala is a very rich and colourful language and quite arguably outdoes English when it comes to 'layers' for variance between literary, erudite speech and colloquial dialogue. Ashave Veedi-Riya as a translation certainly had subtle layering to denote distance between the classes of different characters, like for example between Blanche Dubois and Stanley Kowalski. However, the mix of certain doses of Sinhala vocabulary of a more literariness with colloquialism as was seen at the opening dialogue between the two 'ghetto girls' where the word sarvangaya (whole body) was used instead of a more colloquial Sinhala word, seemed a bit odd to me.

Translation

On what Mahawedage offered as a Sinhala translation I would like to further comment that Williams' script features the word Polak (a distortion of the word Pole) used by Blanche to unflatteringly refer to her brother-in-law Stanley's Polish origins. Mahawedage's translation used the word Polantha jathikayek which means a Polish national or Pole and misses Blanche's intended slur with Polak. In my opinion a word like Polantha kaaraya or something even more innovatively twisted like 'Polanthakayaa' or Polanthayaa would have been more colloquially apt to contextualise and project the purpose and essence behind the term Polak.

The stage set and design were very well done. The lighting was commendably executed and deserves mention. The stagecraft was notably complemented by the handling of lighting to drive the narrative from a point of spatial dimension demarcation through light as apart from the spaces demarcated by the stage set. The audio aspect of the production, which gained much in the form of recorded jazz music and live piano music by Harsha Makalande, and sound effects played over the sound system that amplified the acts of domestic violence such as breaking plates and glasses, must be applauded as elements that heightened the 'theatre experience'.

Although I have no complaints regarding the theatre production there is however a matter for which the producer must be chastised with regard to a constant disturbance that was set in place during the show. The performance was made an opportunity for a photo shoot with no less than three designated photographers stationed in the audience. The constant camera clicking was audible and unforgivable and showed blatant disrespect on the part of the producer to 'discerning viewership'.

On the matter of acting, in general, 'symmetry of acting talent' was visible from the talent on stage. Janaka Kumbukage as Stanley deftly manoeuvred the outburst and growls and the overall menace of the character in a way that made his aggression's velocity well timed and skilfully fluctuated. His performance was dynamite. Chamila Peiris too must be commended for her performance, which was convincing from start to finish. And Gayani Hansika and Sumith Rathnayake who played Stella and Mitch respectively too deserve commendation along with the rest of the cast for a worthy performance.

Corrupt

The story is centralised on the pitiful plight of Blanche Dubois. The character and her story must be looked at with regard to how aspects of her past have led to her mental imbalance, which although concealed at first surfaces when events turn unsavoury. However, in Mahawedage's production Blanche's character was projected mostly as a perverted, morally corrupt sinner to the extent the expression of acting by both Chamila Peiris and her co-actors left her mental neurosis factor somewhat 'underdeveloped'. Did Blanche become psychotic because of her sexual misdemeanours or was it her psychologically underlying neurosis heightened by financial insecurity and that drove her to seek the protection of men and delude herself with constant escapism after losing her family wealth and privilege? This is perhaps a line of inquiry that needs to be better investigated with regard to how the character is projected through actors' expressions and overall interplay between characters.

What is the relevance of the title to the story? 'A Streetcar Named Desire' can very well be a metaphor for the central character - Blanche.

A streetcar/tram is a public transportation vehicle that all and sundry ride but no one hangs on to or owns personally. Blanche who is soaked with immense 'desire' unfulfilled is an embodiment of that title. In that sense the decision with regard to how the title was translated to Sinhala suits the overall purpose well.

A translation cannot change the cultural milieu shown by the original story and impose 'adapted elements' in order to make it feel more 'closer to home'. In this case as the translator Mahawedage has done justice to the original English script. Overall as a Sinhala translation and as a performance Ashave Veedi-Riya can be applauded as a triumph.