‘Hunuwataye Kathawa’ – opening night

It’s 50 years since Henry Jayasena’s classic, ‘Hunuwataye Kathawa,’ was staged. Certainly an occasion to celebrate even though almost all the key players, including Henry and wife Manel, are no more.

I vividly remember the day – 8 March 1967 – the first night it was staged. ‘Lumbini Rangahala’ – as the hall at the Lumbini Junior School came to be identified because of its popularity to stage Sinhala dramas – was filled to capacity. 

It was a lavish production. The play was pretty long but it was so absorbing and perfectly done that we did not feel the time passing. There were two intermissions, mainly because the stage sets had to be changed. 

Being a keen follower of Sinhala theatre in the 1950s and ’60s, I watched Henry doing the rehearsals at the Royal Primary. The cast was huge – over 40 (a few playing several small roles) plus five in the chorus. Not all of them had to come every day when rehearsals were held. Being a strict disciplinarian and a methodical person, Henry planned a calendar and allocated days when each group had to come. Those who were doing the key roles naturally had more practices.

Being fascinated by German playwright/director Bertolt Brecht’s ‘The Caucasian Chalk Circle’, Henry had started translating the English version two years before he produced ‘Hunuwataya’.  It tested the skills of the writer particularly because of the musical element. Henry did an excellent job of it with maestro Shelton Premaratne creating a wonderful score.

“He (Shelton P) used to bring all types of new musical instruments to the rehearsals every day. He created suitable sounds for rain and winds using tiny gadgets. He used an innovative little instrument made out of a copper ball in a door lock,” Henry writes in ‘Nim Nethi Kathawak’ 2 (1996) – his autobiography.

Shelton P had spent days and nights tirelessly to turn out a unique score. Many left the theatre humming some of the lyrics – they were so ‘infectious’. 

‘Hunuwataya’ saw some of the experienced dramatists in the English theatre lending a hand.  Ernest McIntyre who had done an English version of the play agreed to be stage manager – quite a tough task. “Stage management was one of our weak areas. McIntyre gave us some very valuable tips while taking over the burden of handling such a difficult job,” Henry wrote. 

Henry recalls how he changed his approach to the role of Azdak he was playing when Karen Breckenridge commented after watching a few early rehearsals. “Breck felt I was too rigid. Azdak’s is a very easy-going character, he told me. So I changed and it turned out to be very good advice,” Henry wrote.

Henry had not formed his theatre group ‘Nalu Kela’ at the time but he had some very talented actors – both male and female – taking part in his plays. They were quite experienced by the time ‘Hunuwataya’ was produced. 

Wijeratne Warakagoda did an excellent job as the Narrator whose role was a key one in the play. He had to guide the audience with the story. I remember how Douglas Ranasinghe and U. Ariyawimal as the corporal and his colleague, singing ‘Yuddeta man giya – geni gedera thiya’ – one of the several songs that became instant hits – and creating the right mood quite early in the play. 

Among the unforgettable characters were Santin Gunawardena, a young soldier having eyes on the kitchen maid Grusche, played brilliantly by Manel Jayasena; Dharmadasa Kuruppu and Grace de Silva – the old couple; Fitzroy de Mel playing three roles; cameo role by Breck as the patient; Chandra Kaluarachchi – the patient’s mother, and many more.

Henry and his team took a gamble by booking the hall for five successive days. The first night the collection from the sale of tickets was Rs. 268. (He would have possibly given a fair quantity of invitations for the opening night.) The second night brought in Rs. 535, the third 780, the fourth 928 and the fifth 1561. 

While the newspapers had reviews immediately after the first night (that was the era when there were evening papers), Henry believed that it was word of mouth that brought the crowds. As for pre-publicity, the Sunday Observer (then called Observer Magazine Edition) devoted virtually the full page on the Arts to ‘Hunuwataya’. The day after the first night I reviewed the play for the Evening Observer stressing that it was “a rare treat for theatregoers”. The Times too carried a review – so did the Daily News. 

Soon the play was in great demand in the outstations. Henry recalls how in many a place the theatregoers couldn’t get tickets. “Since my role was in the latter part of the play, before that I used to observe what went on outside the hall. There were so many who used to plead with me for seats since they had come from faraway places. Wherever possible I used to put an extra chair or two and found them room.”

The 100th show was held on 25 February 1969.

After 29 years when Henry wrote the book referred to earlier in January 1996, there were 11 players who had continuously played their roles. By then Manel had done her role without a single break (“She used to gulp down tablets when she was sick and continued to play” – Henry) while a few others missed some. 

Apart from Henry and Manel, the other regulars were narrator Warakagoda, Santin G, H.L.P. de Silva (George Abashville), Yasawathie Ramawickrema (Maro/Ludowiika), Fitzroy de Mel (Lavtrenthi/doctor), Chula Kariyawasam (Shavuwa), Nimal Jayasinghe (singer/doctor/lawyer), Y.D. Piyasekera (architect/wealthy farmer/old man), and Gunawathie Ramawickrema (Anikko/queen/mother-in-law). 

A few years later Jayasena (Jr) – Sudaraka joined the team playing the role of the small boy who was claimed by two females.

It’s good to see ‘Hunuwtaya’ based on Henry’s script being continued over five decades. It is a fitting tribute to an artiste who had contributed so much to the progress of Sinhala theatre.

As for me, two sequences of the original play are etched in my memory. One is Manel crossing the swinging bridge with baby in hand singing the ‘Vel paalame geetaya’. The other is Henry (Azdak) sitting in the judge’s chair leaning to the left with the hand stretched and saying ‘Mang gannawa’ meaning he can be bribed.