On the 25th of September theatregoers had the chance to witness a much loved classic of Sinhala theatre come alive on the boards at the Wendt as the late Dayananda Gunawardena’s Bak Maha Akunu gained colour, form, sound and motion. Seated under the gentle darkness your truly was the observant occupier of seat Q-7 who witnessed a remarkably delightful work of theatre that is hereby saluted and applauded.
One of the noteworthy features of this play by the late maestro of Sinhala theatre who created much loved stage plays such as ‘NariBena’, ‘Jasaya saha Lenchina’, ‘Madura Javanika’, and ‘Gajaman Puwatha’, is that Bak Maha Akunu features a revolving stage that switches the scene of action between two different parts of the aristocratic household in which the story unfolds.
This feature had apparently been a first in Sri Lanka when Gunawardena first staged this play in April 1963. The revolving stage is most certainly an element that adds an attractive narrative which shows how space can shift within the confines of the proscenium, and audiences back in 1963 would have surely been thrilled with this approach to theatre craft.
Adaptation
Bak Maha Akunu is an adaptation of the French comedy play – La Folle Journée, ou Le Mariage de Figaro which translates to English as “The Mad Day, or The Marriage of Figaro” which is more commonly known as The Marriage of Figaro. Its creator Pierre Beaumarchais had been a multifaceted Frenchman whose talents had marked achievements in the arts as well as affairs of State in the court of King Louise XV. What can be appreciated of Gunawardena’s Sinhala adaptation is that is has been beautifully ensconced in the milieu of colonial Ceylon where the rising ‘Mudaliyar’ class with the patronage of the western colonial masters became a ‘neo aristocracy’ as officers who performed various functions of local administration.
Tussles
The play shows the tussles between the powerful and the powerless and how cunning, guile and wit as the tools of the oppressed can out manoeuvre the masters of authority. It is also a story about love and the lengths that people will go to profess claim or reclaim the love they believe is rightfully theirs.
The action shifts between different parts of the household and the sprawling garden of the manor which under the starlit sky creates the setting for the comedic climax where a romantic rendezvous is engineered to create an ‘unmasking’ of facades that paves the way for an endearing resolution, that leaves none unhappy.
The mishaps and mix-ups bring a dose of comedy of good taste, as opposed to smutty vulgarity, given the fact that this is a story with a plot driven by a powerful man’s quest to commit adultery with a servant maid working in his household!
The role of the Mudaliyar or ‘Mudalithuma’ as he is deferentially addressed by all, was played compellingly by Jayanath Bandara with a good blend of pomp and arrogance with lovelorn anguish that portrayed an antagonist who is not completely villainous and can be sympathised with at times.
To the credit of the ensemble that mounted the boards that evening at the Wendt it must be noted that the whole cast did a splendid job to deliver an overall good performance. The live orchestra added an appreciable element that lives up to the mode of ‘classic theatre’.
Appeal
The costumes and makeup proved to be aspects worth applauding. The visual appeal that greets the eye leaves a favourable impression. The vintage of the story is thus delivered tastefully which stands as a strength of the play when coupled with the acting talents on stage.
The performance of Bak Maha Akunu on the 25th consisted of the following cast – Jayanath Bandara, Rathnasheela Perera, Sunil Tillekeratne, Janaka Ranasinghe, IndikaJayasinghe, Kelum Gamlath, Tharanga Kumari, Yohan Ranasinghe, Mahesh Amarakoon and Sanjeevani Wijekoon. The orchestra was led by Pubudu Walpita that played the original music composed by the late Somadasa Elvitigala. And credits for costumes are due to Irangani and Abhimangala Gunawardena, while stage management was by Asoka Jayasinghe. Makeup was done by Chandrasiri Rajapaksha, choreography by Prasannajith Abeysuriya, lighting by Gamini Wanniarachchi, and stage props by Ranjith Premathilaka and Indika Ramanayaka.
The revolving stage was handled by Kelum Jayasinghe while technical advice for the production was by W. A. Shantha Kumara and Kirthi Gunawardena.
Woven with song and music Bak Maha Akunu will surely endear itself to anyone who enjoys theatre of the classic comedy category.
I dearly hope that stage plays of this calibre will gain popularity with present theatregoers and be appreciated widely. It is fortunate for Sri Lanka that the family of the late Dayananda Gunawardena is committed to keeping his legacy alive.
His son Wasantha and the family together with their drama troupe must be saluted for the efforts they take to bring delightful Sinhala stage plays as Bak Maha Akunu to play on as theatre that unfolds to speak to the pulse of a live audience.
