IT WAS ALL ABOUT THE NEW!
Freddy days were back and crowds kept filling the halls of the Lionel Wendt to see what he was up to next. With a bunch of fresh faces amidst the regulars, Freddy once again highlighted several matters of public interest. What began as a test on standup comedy by veteran playwright and director Feroze Kamardeen has now turned into a sensation with young and adult Freddy followers making it an item to tick off in their bucket lists. Is this because of the reality that is being spoken about? Or is it because Colombo crowds want to have a laugh – even at their own selves?
The latest rendition of Freddy was commended for adding its first female standup comedienne Shannon (not the undertaker as she pointed out). Shannon Misso earned a few claps for her content but one could say that she played safe. Misso pointed out how only certain females were chosen for the ‘Sri Lankan of the Year’ awards while there are so many other females who have excelled in various fields. She spoke about the odds of not having a female in the cast or the crew and very safely portrayed why women needs to be given a place. As is it is the case of Freddy, a future version would bring out better topics by Shannon.
Daminda Wijeratne was replaced by Nisal Katipearachchi who continued the usual attacks on the Hi!! Magazine. This time they have been a tad bit more creative and have gone to the extent of printing a magazine dedicated for Affairs, Divorces and Death. During this episode, crowds usually have a good laugh about their urge to be featured on this magazine as a step towards climbing the ‘social pile.’ Nisal also added in a few accents trying to act out how two ladies would crack up gossip sessions about certain topics. He did a good job as a first timer.
Then, it was time for some dark humour as Adin Mathitharan walked in. His debut performance was at Temple Trees and that’s something he’s proud about. Adin spoke about the days of the war and how nursery rhymes like Old Mcdonald were substituted with lyrics inspired by the prevailing war situation back then. Adin referred to certain content written by an Indian journalist who went on to describe how the LTTE leader gave her ice cream. He pointed out that while the rest of the people suffered, the LTTE leader had treated others with ice cream. Adin also went on to correct the British Police by teaching them the meaning of the word ‘proscribed’ as means of arguing how LTTE sympathisers could still hold meetings there when they have been categorised as a proscribed group. Once again he too earned applause for bravely speaking about his past experiences.
Dino Corera and Ifaz Bin Jameel were the only regular faces at Freddy 3 – A New Hope. While Dino pointed out certain political mishaps, Ifaz continued his usual take on his community. Dino was banned from swearing and the substitute word was ‘Faluda’ which did add much humour to his content. Dino’s usual portrayal of his drunken avatar Sumané in real life political situations did keep the crowd thinking. Ifaz did portray the pressure of multiple wives, why Sinhalese neighbours shouldn’t follow Muslim neighbours, the friction between mothers and daughters-in-law and the struggle to please them all. His act ended with a song that pleaded for racial tolerance.
The last act was by Yasas Ratnayake who portrayed how a military background disciplined him, especially with ‘polishing’ everything around. Punctuality was also tapped on. He was a replacement for Gehan Blok and recalled memories with the front pages of the Mirror magazine, how the magazine went missing within his house premises, getting caught to his parents and on a different note, how ‘I can’t remember’
– a popular phrase by ex-president MR, saved his life. Quite interestingly, Yasas also showed the audience why women would rather date a guy from the Republic of Congo rather than from South or North Korea. He also reminded the crowd that Sri Lanka was 0.3 inches ahead of India! He ended his act with a list of new hopes and the Freddy version of ‘We will rock you’.
The three-hour episode was hilarious and eye-opening at the same time as Feroze has gone the extra mile to gather facts, statistics and evidence. The entire act ended with a baila and paparé session by the five actors and actress.
Quite interestingly, Yasas also showed the audience why women would rather date a guy from the Republic of Congo rather than from South or North Korea