Freddy, a comedy written and directed by Feroze Kamardeen, took place from November 24 - 27 at the Lionel Wendt Theatre. 

Kamardeen has always bought humour to the stage at every turn. His play of 8 years, ‘Pusswedilla’, has always received a full house and is a well-loved play among drama enthusiasts. So it comes as no surprise that even on its third day on stage, Freddy managed to draw in a full house of eager audience members just waiting to see what Kamardeen’s new play had to offer. 

Freddy however was not your usual drama. Following a different direction, ‘Freddy’ was a play made up of a collection of 10 short skits titled The Bank Robbery, The Operating Theatre, Flight 714, Fly In The Soup, The Trial, Horsing Around, The Faith, The Politician, The Ad Agency and The Mission. 

All short plays were played by 6 brilliant actors well known in the theatre industry; Mohammed Adamally, Dominic Kellar, Gehan Blok, Dino Corera, Sean Amarasekara and Daminda Wijayaratne. From clever bank robberies and operating theatre mishaps to pro marijuana churches and creative ad agencies – Freddy had the audience members in hysterics from start to the end. The play also included a few stand-up comedy sessions by Gehan Blok, Dominic Keller and Dino Corera which was a refreshing experience that made the whole play more interactive with the audience. 

And as for the burning question in your head as to the identity of Freddy? Well, Freddy doesn’t exist. At least on stage! The play, though they mention Freddy’s name, did not feature him as a character in any of the short plays. 

Despite the realization that Freddy doesn’t exist, Kamardeen’s perceptive direction and casting together with a witty script made Freddy a standout comedy drama this year! We thought it was a refreshing theatre experience, utterly different from the usual plays. And the fact that it had us in stiches throughout the whole time gets extra points from us! 

We also caught up with a few audience members to see what they thought and here’s what they had to say; 

“It’s so different. Very unlike some of the other plays I’ve watched. I liked the ‘Horsing Around’ skit because it was very impromptu and looked natural and unscripted!” - Pramukshi 

“It’s pretty interesting. Its British humour infused with politics and social stuff. It’s all brilliantly interlaced. The Trial and Horsing Around skits were brilliant.” - Shamal 

“It’s quite interesting. Something different!” - Azath 

“It’s entertaining. Loved the one with the nurse.” - Dishnira 

“It was alright!” - Chathuni 

“It’s fun! Horsing Around was good!” - Renuka 

“It’s something quite different. I’m enjoying these short plays!” - Mangaleeka 

“I expected it to be a little bit more humorous” - Kanishka 

“Fantastic cast!” - Sabrim 

“It’s different and it was alright. It’s a different concept and it’s a shift from what Feroze normally does but it’s entertaining!” - Minister Faiszer Mustapha 

“It was really good. Started off well!” - Harry 

“Something different.”  - Isuru 

“Quite funny and different to the usual stuff we see nowadays!” - Ovandi 

“It’s different. Feels like a first timer in Sri Lanka. The Robber was hilarious!” - Darshi 

Photographs by Waruna Wanniarachchi