Chaos at the Vicarage: Tickled to bits, both cast and audience
Reviewed by Dushy Parakrama
Colombo’s patrons of the arts, along with a new bunch of exuberant youngsters, were entertained to an evening of blissful hilarity on June 30 and July 1 and 2 at the Lionel Wendt, where a cast of fresh-faced and talented thespians from the Creative Art Foundation brought to life ‘Chaos at the Vicarage’.
We lovers of outrageously contrived wartime farces have been starved of good entertainment of late, so it was a delight to sit through producer Jith Pieris’ Chaos at the Vicarage, based on Philip King’s classic British stage comedy ‘See How They Run’. This period piece that has stood the test of time could not have been easy to pull off so kudos to Stage Manager Isthartha Wellaboda who orchestrated a challenging setup remarkably well.
Set shortly after the end of WW2, this play is set in Merton-cumMiddlewick, a fictitious English village. It opens with the lead character Penelope Toop, a former actress and now the Vicar’s flamboyant wife, tiptoeing back home with a friend, Allison, lustily singing ‘Over the Rainbow’.
The curtains open and we find ourselves in the living room of the Vicarage with Rev. Lionel Toop, played by Meth Bandaranaike portraying the mannerisms of a model country vicar, appeasing his flock in order to enjoy a quiet existence. Until, that is, he is biffed on the head by an escaped German prisoner and stripped of his clothes – which then morphs him into an enraged, stampeding bull.
Before that particular pandemonium, however, Rev. Toop’s peaceful morning is shattered by the harsh intrusion of the formidable Miss Skillon. For one so young, Tahiri Perera did well in her interpretation of this spinster stalwart of the parish (but a disgruntled whiner and gossip) who insists on complaining to Rev. Toop about Mrs. Toop.
Luckily for all, the sparky Cockney maid Ida manages to get rid of both Rev. Toop and Miss Skillon, just as Lance Corporal Clive Winton arrives somewhat unexpectedly. Who is this, wonders Ida, clearly smitten by the handsome visitor. All is revealed when the exuberantly fey Lance Corporal and the svelte Vicar’s wife (both ex-thesps) lapse into their old sparring acting roles, having toured together for 43 weeks in Noel Coward’s ‘Private Lives’, many moons ago.
This scene was a superb enactment of farce, requiring physical agility and spot-on timing. Punch lines were mostly delivered with deadly accuracy while the two actors remained just on the right side of caricature. Well done Gowrienanthan Balarupan and Melmari Cruse.
This deliciously entertaining, rather high-spirited scene comes to an abrupt end when Miss Skillon makes yet another unwelcome entry and of course leaps to the wrong conclusion. Right on cue, the strangely censorious maid Ida arrives and unceremoniously locks Miss Skillon in a broom cupboard.
Saranie Wijesinghe made for a game Cockney maid, displaying wideeyed incredulity at the bizarre goingson in her employers’ Vicarage. She was the constant factor holding together the many threads amidst a stage that erupts with hilarious pandemonium.
Meanwhile, Penelope Toop and Lance-Corporal Clive Winton (now dressed in the Vicar’s clothes, pretending to be the visiting preacher Rev. Arthur Humphrey) make elaborate preparations to go out for the evening, incognito. However, when the Bishop of Lax and the real Rev. Arthur Humphrey unexpectedly show up early, chaos quickly ensues – culminating in a cycle of running figures, mistaken identities, broom cupboards, French windows and a copious amount of Brandy.
Josiah Bulathsinhala ably portrayed the role of poor Rev. Arthur Humphrey, the bona fide visiting preacher who, when thrust into what seems like complete chaos, behaves with perfect decorum and charm. His humouring of his hostess by accepting and savouring a make-believe glass of imaginary Brandy is a moment of comic genius.
The escalating absurdity continues with the entrance of a German intruder. With his funny twitches, ridiculous moustache and startled expressions, Roshane Jayampathy made a convincing POW who in fact manages to convince everyone that he is the real Rev. Lionel Toop. He almost gets away but is revealed and foiled by the quick thinking Lance Corporal Clive and maid Ida.
Clutching at dignity is hard when clad in ill-fitting striped pyjamas but, exploding in almost childish fury, Vikram Parathalingam as the Bishop is magnificent in his plummy delivery of the killer line, “Sergeant, arrest most of these Vicars!”
Things calm down as Towers the Sergeant (Visura Silva) eventually leads the German POW away. Miss Skillon, now completely drunk on cooking sherry, emerges from the broom cupboard. She, the Bishop and the Vicar demand an explanation. Penelope Toop and Clive Winton begin to re-enact an elaborate explanation when Miss Skillon again manages to catch a blow in the face. She falls back into the arms of the omnipresent maid Ida, as the curtain falls to Allison (Rashmi De S. Wijeyeratne) singing ‘Over the Rainbow’.
The curtain call evoked tumultuous applause, reaching a crescendo as Producer Jith Pieries took a final bow. It was clear that the appreciative audience had enjoyed an evening of tense comic situations and headlong British humour.
And so ended a case of mistaken identities with 5 dog-collared clerics (of whom only 3 were the real thing!), a ludicrous fast-paced plot and a frightfully English setting. Jith Pieries’ attention to detail made this quintessentially English farce a great success, with a clever play on words and performance, where timing was of the essence.
‘Chaos at the Vicarage’ had us in stitches as the fast-paced comedy took us from one hilarious scene to the escalating absurdity of the next. What was so refreshing to see was that the entire cast was having the time of their lives on stage - their joy was infectious.
Bravo Jith Pieris! Here’s looking forward to your next British comedy.
The anticipation and excitement that members of the ‘Revelations choir’ feel as they prepare for their reunion concert, at the Bishop’s College auditorium on Sunday July 23 at 7 p.m. is no doubt shared by their many fans.
We were greeted by eight smiling faces at the Cinnamon Lakeside lobby, and founding member and choir director, Sanjeev Jayaratnam is at hand to introduce them.
Ishan De Lanerolle, now better known as one half of the De Lanerolle Brothers joined the ensemble back in 2000. “I was the youngest member at the time,” he laughs.
Winning international awards, first at the Asian Choir Games in 2007 and two titles at the Interkultur World Choir Games in Graz Austria, a year after was no easy feat, Ishan recalls. “I still remember going for the Games and telling Sanjeev, shall we turn around, because the choirs were very good. In a way, it was a case of disbelief that we could win something so prestigious,” Ishan relates.
Being on the same page with the different age groups in the choir, would have certainly been a challenge. Yet Ishan feels everyone in the ensemble complements each other and this combined with the fun they had was a binding factor. The key to this was that they all came from one foundation, he tells us.
“Even at the time we went for the World Choir Games, it was this particular lot that took part. We are all Thomians. Our foundation has been in that college chapel, learning choral music and enriching it,” he says.
For Willie Godridge, a senior member of the choir singing acapella is his addiction and that’s why he loves being part of the choir.
Willie first joined the group, just before they set off for the World Choir Games. He recalls the preparations for the games were intense, but in the end the love for acapella prevailed. “We were very surprised when we won, because we felt our competitors were better,” he says.
Willie adds that they made an impact, because their performance was very relaxed. “Sanjeev insisted that we be ourselves onstage, as opposed to being a stiff choir and that impressed the judges I feel,” he explains.
The real challenge came after the competition. And that was to maintain the same standard and level of expertise, after winning on a world stage. “We have that experience and discipline, and it just comes back,” he tells us, adding that this is what helps them to this day. Even though the choir split up, none of them ever stopped singing. This in fact led them to develop their voices more and they hope to showcase this at the upcoming concert.
It’s the strict regime of practices, coupled with the discipline, commitment and passion, which have made them perform the way they do, says Priyan De Livera, who has been managing the ensemble since the World Choir Games,. “In acapella, each person must be there, if half of them are not there, it’s not easy to put it together, because we are not being covered by an accompaniment. Revelations is essentially a group where harmonies play an integral part.”
“We are all like one family and there has been great fun and all sorts of challenges, which we have overcome and gone on to achieve what we have,” he says. And indeed it is this sense of family, which brings them together this time as they dedicate this performance to the late Mahen Peiris, a beloved member of the choir who passed away in September 2016.
A few tickets for the show - priced at Rs. 3000, 2500,2000,1500,1000 (reserved) and Rs. 750 (unreserved) (balcony) are available at the Bishop’s College auditorium office.