Hunuwataye Kathawa produced by the late Henry Jayasena completes 50 years of continuous performance on stage on March 8. A special event to mark this unique occasion will be held on the same day at the Maradana Tower Hall from 6.p.m. onwards. The main speaker on this day will be Dharmasiri Bandaranayake, the veteran theatre personality.
The original play by Bertolt Brecht, the German playwright and poet was translated by Henry Jayasena to suit the theatre audience of Sri Lanka.
He had been able to maintain Bertolt Brech’t poetic language, especially, in verse form.
What Brecht did was to bring theatre to the people. Henry Jayasena did the same by his clever translation and direction which enraptured the audience, both, young and old.
This play has been hailed by critics as an important landmark in the history of Sri Lankan theatre.
The story itself is familiar to the Sri Lankans who have heard it in sermons and religious discourses. It revolves around the motherly love and feelings towards a child abandoned in the palace court. Brecht borrowed this story from early Chinese literature.
In Ummagga Jathaka, Prince Mahaushada solves a similar question about the fate of a child. Henry Jayasena as Azdak and Manel Jayasena as Grusha played memorable roles with their rich acting. The musical score by maestro Shelton Premarathna added more spice to the play.
The original cast apart from Henry and Manel, comprised popular stage actors and actresses, such as, Wijerathna Warakagoda, Elson Divithuragama, Chandra Kaluarachchi, Douglas Ranasingha, Santin Gunawardena and Grace Tennakoon.
Only two actors from the original cast appear in the new production, who will be completing 50 years of acting in a single play. They are, Nimal Jayasinghe playing the role of the Narrator and Chula Kariyawasam playing the role of Shauwa, the adjutant, the same character he played 50 years ago.
The rest of the cast include, Nalin Pradeep Udawela (Azdak), Ruwini Manamperi (Grusha), Chamika Hathlahawatte (Simon Sashawa), Lalith Janakantha (Corporal) and Prasannajith Abeysuriya (Lavrenti).
A write up about Hunuwataye Kathawa by Eshan Sourjah published in the Times Annual of 1969 had this to say: “James V Hatch, the American theatre man who visited Ceylon during 1968 was struck by Jayasena’s performance.
When he returned to USA our visitor wrote an article in The Village Voice.It was an unsolicited tribute to an excellent production. It was also an admission that the Sinhala Theatre had produced something of international standard.
Ceylon need not ask for foreign experts to come and teach theatre.
But if Lincoln Center is going to insist on producing people’s theatre, let them send for Henry Jayasena.”