‘The Irish Curse’ : It’s a matter of size 

Masculinity, identity, sex, relationships and social status are a few things that 5 men are struggling to find answers for. From its blistering language to its brutally honest look at sex and body image, ‘The Irish Curse’ is a revealing portrait of how men and society define masculinity. Categorized in to the genre of dark comedy, the play is a fusion of humour and the issue of masculinity which is expressed quite openly among the group of 5 men. In a casual interview with the Daily Mirror Life, its budding director Gehan Blok shared his views about drama and specifics about the play.

Gehan Blok

How did you get involved in drama?

I started off acting in Shakespeare drama and my I started to love drama after we won Shakespeare. Thereafter I started working with almost every directed and through that I began directing myself. Last year I started off with Glengary Glen Ross where we had sold out performances. So we wanted to try out something new and this play also falls in line with dark comedy where it has a nice balance between being serious and funny. So the truth is said in a comical way. People come to watch a play to enjoy it so this play gives out a message while being a comedy at the same time.

What is the synopsis of the play?

‘The Irish Curse’ revolves around a theme of male insecurities and we don’t find these kinds of themes very often. The play revolves around 5 very different characters. There is a sports enthusiast, a priest, a gay cop, a lawyer and an immigrant who has come to America. The play talks about male sexuality, body image issues and different insecurities every male has. This young guy is a fully established lawyer but his wife has left him. Then this new guy comes in and starts questioning them. Each and every character who had had a façade for all these days is now broken. The priest is like the moderator. There are racial issues, body images issues, girlfriend problems, marriage problems and all sorts of issues are raised here.

What is your role in the play?

I play the character of Rick Baldwin who is a very optimistic guy. He’s the most fun loving in the bunch. I’m highly energetic and I am a sports enthusiast. So it’s a very different character.

Do you think it’s alright to stage these kind of plays when taking the Sri Lankan culture as a whole?

Yes. These issues too need to be addressed. We are trying to reach larger audiences but when we put the adults only tag there is a restriction. Many people come to watch plays with small children but then the censor board wanted us to carry the tag since it’s a subject you don’t find.

What has drama given you?

Happiness. We are not doing this for money. Whatever profit we make from this production we will carry on to the next production. We had issues with sponsors when taking the subject matter but then somebody needs to take a risk and push the boundaries ahead.

What will be your next production?

Definitely something with a female cast. If not we will feature mostly females.

Any acknowledgements?

I would like to extend my gratitude to Uga Escapes who very generously came on board to support us. Also Wijeya Newspapers and emerging media who provided us with the latest technical devices and EFm who has joined us as the official radio partner.

By Kamanthi Wickramasinghe
Photographs by Kithsiri De Mel