Sep 29 2014.
views 7026The Workshop Players will bring ‘Phantom of the Opera’, one of the best loved musicals of all time, to Colombo starting from the 1st of October all the way to the 12th, performing 16 shows in total. Directed by Jerome L. De Silva, with Musical Direction by Surein de S. Wijeyeratne and Shanuki de Alwis as the Director Choreography, the cast is made up of various talented actors who will play a range of roles on the different nights.
“We have a large cast because we choose to have multiple people in certain roles because at the end of the day it’s only very few people who will ever get to be in a production like this and it’s not just one person in Sri Lanka who is capable of playing these roles. We’ve considered ourselves a drama school because we like to give everybody the opportunity.” Surein said.
Shanuki added that “The cast on Broadway is about 30 and we have about 50. So yeah, I think for us the task has been much bigger in that we are not working with professional actors, so to start from scratch and bring it up to something on Broadway has been difficult.” Unlike the Broadway actors, everyone involved is an amateur but Shanuki says that this is an advantage as “everybody pitches in and helps out at every level of cast and crew and that’s nice it’s like a family working together.”
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Technically, the play has been lots of hard work. “This is the most challenging production we’ve done.” Sugee, who’s in charge of backstage, said. “We’ll need more than 30 people working backstage and we’re going to try new techniques to increase the efficiency of the backstage.” he continued.
Comments from the cast
Stephan Anoj (Raoul)
It’s tough to play, given the lines. Our movements are restricted to his upper class status. We have to play Raoul in a way that the audience likes him. I love ‘Notes’, it’s so fun. The Labyrinth scene is the only bit where Raoul gets to be emotional so I really enjoy that.
Dushyanth Weeraman (Raoul)
The love between Christine and Raoul is more pure and sincere, it stems from their childhood. The Phantom is using Christine for his music, for his work. In the midst of that he even says that he loves her but only when he’s helpless, until then he was trying to keep her by force.
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Gyles Dharmaratne (Raoul)
He’s not as extravagant as the Phantom, but when I was reading up on the character I understood a few things such as the fact that it wasn’t right for a person of his status to be with a girl who’s actually just a dancer. So even though he doesn’t show it, he has all these other things to fight against which are important.
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Kumudini (Carlotta)
I actually think she’s quite justified in showing a hissy fit. There she sees how this young girl is a victim, as all of them are, of the Phantom who is himself a victim of society. Carlotta is not inept, it’s just she’s traditional and Phantom wants change. I have a lot of respect for her, she has to have been formidable to have held on for five years.
Dinushka (Carlotta)
She’s been the prima donna for all these years, it’s difficult, she would have crawled her way to the top and suddenly this nonentity comes and threatens her place. And then as the play goes along, she kind of realises that Christine is also a victim, she doesn’t like to accept the fact but (during Notes 2) within the song you see the transition. And in a male society, 19th century France right, so yes lots of respect for her.
Tickets are on sale exclusively at the Lionel Wendt and are priced at Rs. 3000, 2500, 1500, 600 (Balcony). Matinee shows will be held on the 4th, 5th, 10th and 11th at 3.30 pm.
By Marissa van Eyck
Pictures by Waruna Wanniarachchi
0 Comments
chandra says:
Sep 29, 2014 at 12:00 amwhy wasn't this opera allowed to perform about the year 2013?? Are some of the cast still in this production? I know Serela Athulathmudali was supposed to take a lead role.