16 December 2017 12:04 am
With a cast of more than 40 of Sri Lanka’s best young actors and actresses, this original play is a hilarious, thought provoking satire presented in English and Sinhala that looks at one of the most intriguing aspects of recent Sri Lankan life: our ‘protest’ culture.
The issues may be real, exaggerated or twisted for political ends, but not a day goes by without some sort of protest taking place in Sri Lanka. From violent outbursts by university students on the streets, to union action that halt buses, trains and shut down petrol distribution, to politicians smashing coconuts at various devales if there were a country that got creative in protesting, Sri Lanka is it.
Picket Republic gives this ‘Protest’ this phenomenon an excellent depiction on stage. Loosely inspired by L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the play follows the journey of an orphan boy from Sri Lanka who lands in an eerily similar country in an alternate universe-the Republic.
"Picket Republic is a fresh new comedy by Ananda Drama, the theatre company behind such hits as Grease Yaka, Dracula!, Affair at Ward Place Hotel and Alice in Wonderland, goes on the boards of the Lionel Wendt stage this weekend"
Imprisoned on suspicion of being responsible for the mysterious disappearance of the Republic’s ruler, Her Goodness Madam Mihipali, the boy and his cellmate, the philosophical Arul, are sprung from prison by a former soldier who now serves as a prison guard. Together with Keshari, an intrepid female tuk-tuk driver, they travel across the Republic, trying to help the boy find his way back home.
Along the way, the group encounters various groups of picketers including the Communal
And, as always, pulling the strings behind the scenes are politicians, including Her Poshness, who has taken over the Republic after Her Goodness vanished and the former ruler, Her Proudness, who desires nothing more than to get back into power. Don’t miss the final play of the year at the Lionel Wendt!