Meet the cast of ‘Run for your wife’! 

Daily Mirror Life sat down to have a chat with the bunch of talented individuals who will present Indu Dharmasena’s next production ‘Run for your wife’ by Ray Cooney. The cast comprise of Indu himself as John Smith, Sanwada Dharmasena as Mary Smith, Michelle Herft as Barbara Smith, Yasal Ruhunage as Bobby Franklin, Abbasali Rozais as Detective Sergeant Porterhouse, Anuk Dharmasena as Detective Sergeant Troughton and George Cooke as Stanley. 

Indu Dharmasena (left) and Sanwada Dharmasena (right) 

Give us a brief introduction about you. 

Michelle : I have been involved in plays ever since school and I have really enjoyed being a part of Indu’s plays. Not only stage plays but I have also been involved in a few films as well. I won the Best Actress award at the recently concluded Derana film awards. Currently I am the Head of the English Department at St. Thomas’ College. 

George : I have been involved in Indu’s plays for about fifteen years and I came down from Paris after one and a half years. I enjoy acting in his plays because they are mostly a stress-reliever for me. I am happy to be back again. 

Anuk : I am still schooling at St. Thomas’ College and I did my O/Ls last year. I have been involved in Shakespearean plays and it’s the first time that I am involved in a play of this scale. 

Abbasali Rozais 

The roles? 

Michelle : I play the role of Barbara Smith who is one of John’s wives. I’m quite different to Mary. I am very much concerned about him, I give him the fullest affection. I express a lot of feelings and always try to make him look good. 

Yasal : I play the role of Bobby Franklin. Quite a flamboyant character and I live with my partner Cyril. I occasionally go and ask for milk and become part of the chaos. 

Sanwada : I’m Mary Smith and it’s a role of a typical housewife. I get very frustrated and I’m more of a motherly person. I treat John like an ordinary man and I am sort of stuck in my little own world. 

Abbasali : I am Detective Sergeant Porterhouse working for Streatham CIA. I’m more of a mature police officer who is trying to sort out the problems. I arrive at John Smith’s flat and I try to patch things up. 

Anuk : I play the role of Detective Sergeant Troughton and most of the time I’m trying to figure things out. I’m more interested in what’s actually happening rather than trying to solve the problem. 

George : I play the role of Stanley who is the bright yet not-so-bright neighbour who is amazed at how John is managing two lives in two different places. I am the unemployed and lazy kind and not very industrious. I always try to make life easier for John. 

Anuk Dharmasena (left) and Yasal Ruhunage (right)

How easy or difficult was it to perform your roles? 

Michelle : It was quite enjoyable. Drama is a stress reliever for me and I need to get involved in it at some point. 

Yasal : Quite enjoyable. 

Sanwada : It was not too difficult. 

Abbasali : Well I had to be a bit careful about the timing and a little bit of energy was required. 

George : It’s all about having a good time and I think it is much easier to perform with someone you know. 

Anuk : Quite interesting and I enjoy it a lot. 

George Cooke (left) and Michelle Herft (right) 

Do you enjoy acting in plays? 

Michelle : Of course. It is a stress reliever for me and I always want to get involved in them at some point. 

George : Yes. It is like living in a make-believe world for a few minutes and it keeps you away from real life drama. 

What : Run for your wife
When : February 19-21
Where : Lionel Wendt
Time : 7.00pm onwards 

Box plan will be available at the Lionel Wendt from 9am-12pm and 2-7pm. 

By Kamanthi Wickramasinghe
Photographs by Kithsiri De Mel