‘Run for your wife’ - Indu does it again! 

Indu Dharmasena’s direction of Ray Cooney’s 1983 British farce, ‘Run for your wife’ kept the audience in fits of laughter for the whole duration of ninety minutes. This well written play filled with humour puts a funny spin on infidelity. It is indeed interesting to observe how Sri Lankans truly enjoy comedy. With the stress of everyday life weighing heavily on their shoulders, it must be a relief to have a good laugh on and off. 

Presented by the Rotary Club of Colombo Metropolitan this comedy was staged at the Lionel Wendt from the 19th to the 21st of February. 

A London cab driver, John Smith, literally has two lives, complete with two different wives, Mary and Barbara. One wife is at his home in Stratham and the other at home in Wimbledon. Somehow, he manages to juggle them both without arousing suspicion for many years. 

Trouble brews when Smith is mugged and ends up in hospital, where both of his addresses surface, causing both the Stratham and Wimbledon police to investigate. Having upset his schedule, Smith becomes hopelessly entangled in his attempts to explain himself to his wives and two suspicious police officers. Thing don’t get any better for him when he tries to get the assistance of his lazy layabout neighbour upstairs in Wimbledon. 

The action takes place simultaneously in his homes in Wimbledon and Stratham as Mary and Barbara respond to the unfolding drama. The staging of the drama gets more and more complicated and it is interesting to watch John Smith getting deeper into an entangled web which he is struggling desperately to get out of. 

Veteran actor Indu, played the role of John Smith who was so charming that he managed to even make the audience forget just how despicable his actions were to begin with. At one point he ate the newspaper he was reading to stop his wife from seeing his picture on the front page. He was actually chewing it and appeared to be swallowing it. The audience was in hysterics at this point. 

Sanwada Dharmasena and Michelle Herft played the two wives. Abbas Rozais and Anuk Dharamsena played the roles of the two police officers. Yasal Ruhunage was the other complicit neighbour Bobby Franklin. George Cooke who played the role of the neighbour Stanley Gardiner was excellent. Everything he said and did was extremely hilarious. All the characters were cast very well. They seemed to be so comfortable in their roles. 

Indu, the maestro of comedy does it yet again! 

Following are some comments from the audience: 

Sanjaya 

Excellent production. We were in fits of laughter. 

Malik 

I was really surprised at how well each character mastered their role and how they managed to bring out the unique traits of the characters. I enjoyed it very much. A good show indeed. Well done Indu and the team! 

Clifford 

There was never a dull moment. Enjoyed every minute of it. Would love to watch it the second time if time permits. Congratulations Indu and the team. 

Asha 

It was hilarious. We had a good laugh! 

Dehara 

It was a super show. My husband Dian and I were in fits of laughter. I laughed so much that tears were rolling down my cheeks. Enjoyed it very much! Congratulations Indu and the team. 

Rayhan 

The play had us in stiches of laughter. Fantastic acting coupled with a well-crafted script made the play an enthralling way to spend a Saturday evening. 

Trishma 

Delightful acting by a colourful set of characters. It was a hilarious evening well spent. 

Anil 

It was a light and easy comedy. Very relaxing to watch. All in all a lovely evening! 

By Niro Waidyaratne 
Photographs by Waruna Wanniarachchi