Kill the dragon within

13-06-2010

Dharmasiri Bandaranayake’s acclaimed play Makarakshaya is to go on the boards once more

By Randima Attygalle

“You see, the human soul is very resilient. Cut the body in half — and the man croaks. But tear the soul apart — and it only becomes more pliable, that’s all. No, really, you couldn’t pick a finer assortment of souls anywhere. Only in my town. Souls with no hands. Souls with no legs. Mute souls, deaf souls, chained souls, snitch souls, damned souls,” says the Dragon in Soviet playwright Yevgeny Shvart’s political satire The Dragon. Aimed at totalitarianism, The Dragon is a subtle dramatisation of truth and illusion, reality and fantasy, finely symbolised by the mythological dragon which terrorises a land of suffering men and women under a despotic rule and brutality beyond imagination. Between the extreme ends of mythology- cruelty juxtaposed with heroism, (latter personified by Lancelot) stands a land of ordinary men and women who are finally salvaged by Lancelot.

Upon witnessing the dramatic charm of Lancelot, of celebrated late dramatist Henry Jayasena’s production of Makara in 1973- an adaptation of The Dragon, none other than Prof. Sarachchandra invited the young hero to grace his celebrated play as Maname Kumaraya. A privilege indeed, yet the handpicked Maname Kumaraya believed he could not do justice to the hallowed role, with his ‘not-so-musical’ timbre! “Thus I quit rehearsals of my own accord,” recalls amused Dharmasiri Bandaranayake, who later stole the show at the State Drama Festival of 1986, bagging 12 coveted awards including Best Drama, Best Translation, Best Direction and Best Music, for his production of Makarakshaya, once again inspired by Shvart’s Dragon.

“By 1973, when Henry invited me to play Lancelot in his much acclaimed play Makara, I had my theatrical exposure only in the productions of Dayananda Gunawardene and Hemasiri Liyanage. Needless to say that, Makara was a poignant moment in my theatrical career,” recalled Bandaranayake. First staged in Moscow in 1944, Shvart’s Dragon inspired many dramatists of both Socialist and non-Socialists nations alike. “Despotic rule, idleness, dishonesty and cowardice are strongly criticised in this play, and when I did my own production in 1985, based on Cyril C. Perera’s translation, the political theme of the play could be more easily arrested by the Sri Lankan audience,” cited Bandaranayake, whose creation baptised as Makarakshaya, took to the stage in a context of political and social unrest within the country, in the aftermath of the 1983 communal riots.

“When Henry invited me to do a reproduction of Makara, in the light of my success of Eka Adhipathi in 1976, with the original cast, it could not materialised, owing to the changes in the socio-political fabric of the country,” said Bandaranayake, who salutes the celebrated dramatist instrumental in crowning him as the ‘hero who outdid the dragon or makara’.

Renowned artistes such as Swarna Mallawarachchi (as Elisa), Winston Serasinghe, J.H. Jayawardana, Daya Alwis and Nihal Fernando, taking to the stage, Makarakshaya saw the light of the day in 1985, with Bandaranayake giving life to Lancelot, once more in his own production. Touring the island with over 800 shows, and added scholarly acclaim to its credit, Makarakshaya enthralled the audience, its worth reflected in the prestigious awards secured at the 1986 State Drama Festival.

Last staged in 1999, Makarakshaya is to enthral theatre lovers once more on June 19 and 20 at the Lionel Wendt Theatre. Shedding light upon the re-production, Bandaranayake said, “Makarakshaya is the second endeavour of my series of re-productions which commenced with Eka Adhipathi last year and I hope to stage Yakshawagamanaya in July, with a new cast.” The new production of Makarakshaya showcases the talents of both the veteran and the novice, among them are Dharmasiri Bandaranayake (as Lancelot) Yashoda Wimaladharma, Dharmapriya Dias, Janaka Kumbukage and Lakshman Mendis. Choreographed by Jehan Aloysius, with the expertise of Wasantha Vittachchi in makeup, Makarakshaya promises to be another stimulating theatrical endeavour by Bandaranayake.

Dragon or Makarakshaya killed by Lancelot, did not necessarily free the inner spirit or soul of people of the terrorised land. The final words of Lancelot, who returns to the town free of the dragon (makarakshaya), “This is going to be a very meticulous job. We have to kill the dragon in each one of them,” offer food for thought…

http://www.nation.lk/2010/06/13/eyefea3.htm