TAKING ON DUAL ROLES
olombo's favourite thespian couple, Jehan Bastians and Neidra Williams, are getting ready to bring down the house with another Silent Hands production, the hilarious comedy “Yes Hon. Minister”. This localized adaptation of Ray Coony's original play “Two Into One”, will not only be co-directed by the duo but will also see them performing together in it as well; with Jehan taking on the role of MP Richard Parakrama and Neidra, playing the ministers wife Pamela.
Speaking to Jehan and Neidra about their dual roles in the production, they explained that although they usually don't act together, as Neidra prefers acting while Jehan would rather direct; after performing together for the first time in ‘Mrs. Markham' they realized they had good chemistry on stage.
“When we decided to stage “Yes Hon. Minister” again, we knew we wanted new people to act in it. There are plenty of young actors out there fresh out of ‘Shakes' that are eager to take on such roles. But we also decided to act in this one together because we can't really see someone younger then us, convincingly portraying the role of an older person and really committing the time to rehearsing it as well,” said Neidra.
Citing a script that calls for older actors, Jehan added that the play is full of action that the audience sees but which has to be choreographed precisely by the actors. Something that's hard to do if you have an actor that can't commit time to rehearsals. The cast comprises of former students that both have previously worked with on school and shakes productions. “Our relationship with them has changed from those days. We're more than friends, we are like an extended family,” said Jehan.
The couple also explained why they decided to restage the play. One being that when they initially staged it, it was the first time they had ever done a comedy, and now with more experience under their belts, they feel like they could have done more with it. The other reason being, there is a sequel to “Yes Hon. Minister'. “We want to stage a revamped version of the first one before we take on the sequel, hopefully next year. With Ray Cooney productions, people have a certain level of expectation and this is his best, so it's a pity to do it only once,” Neidra elaborated.
With a plot that spirals from one hilarious situation to the next, from false names, to scandalous affairs and mistaken identities, “Yes Hon. Minister” is sure to leave audiences laughing their sides out! Yes Hon. Minster is set to take stage at the Lionel Wendt
on the 24th, 25th and 26th of
February.
PIX BYWARUNAWANNIARACHCHI