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Performance Poetry at the British Council
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The cast rehearsing. From left to right:
Ruvin de Silva, Gihan de Chickera, Sashane
Perera, Dilrukshi Fonseka, Tehani Chitty,
Prasad Pereira Photo by Deshan Tennekoon |
The Mind Adventures Theatre Company
presents
Lookin Thru My Earphones, directed by
Tracy Holsinger at the British Council on
January 26 at 7.30 p.m.
The title of the production refers to a
collection of free verse narratives and
lyrics written by a Sri Lankan poet known as
Masii. The pieces are arranged according to
a broad narrative structure based on the
themes prevalent in the work, and the show
is intended as an expressionist commentary
on the dichotomies of life within the city
of Colombo, the platform on which social and
political excesses are played out against a
backdrop of violence and corruption.
Masii confronts these issues and portrays
situations synonymous with urban Colombo,
with wit, subtlety and colloquial rhyme.
Masii’s tongue-in-cheek style is irreverent
and often sensual.
Fans of the show, which was first
performed in 2006 for the British Council in
Colombo and Kandy, will have many new poems
to look forward to, as well as complete
re-interpretations of pieces used in the
first production. The cast includes Gihan de
Chickera, Dilrukshi Fonseka, Jake Oorloff,
Prasad Pereira, Akhry Ameer, Tehani Chitty,
Ruvin de Silva, Sashane Perera, Nuzreth
Jalaldeen and Jehan Mendis.
The event at the British Council is
organised by the Sri Lanka United Kingdom
Society (SLUKS), and refreshments are
included in the ticket price of Rs.1000 per
head. For information on ticket availability
call 0777 799499.
The production has also been invited to
the Galle Literary Festival, and will be
performed at the Lady Hill Hotel in Galle
from January 29 to 31.
A better movie than Madagascar
S equels
are tricky beasts. Handled wrong, they can
sully your positive memories of the original
movie. Thankfully, the folks at DreamWorks
Animation did everything right with
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. The story’s
meatier and the animation is even more
spectacular than the first Madagascar movie.
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa brings
back the best elements of Madagascar,
including the familiar critters: Alex the
lion (Ben Stiller), Marty the zebra (Chris
Rock), Gloria the hippo (Jada Pinkett-Smith),
Melman the giraffe (David Schwimmer), and
the loony lemur, King Julien (Sacha Baron
Cohen).
Even little Mort, the world’s most
adorable animated lemur (you know you just
want to pet his little head every time you
see him on screen), returns for more
adventures. Building on the characters we
grew to love in Madagascar, the
writers have added a herd of new creatures
who are just as fully fleshed out and
entertaining.
A better movie
In fact, in many ways Madagascar:
Escape 2 Africa is a better movie than
Madagascar. The first film
established the personality of each of the
animated animals so now the writers are free
to leap right into the story.
The friendship between the four Central
Park refugees is stronger after having spent
time away from the comfy confines of the
zoo. The old ‘home is where your heart is’
adage comes into play.
And there’s even a budding romance
featured in Madagascar 2, which is
sweet to watch develop (no matter your age).
Plus, this one’s got striking monkeys
demanding pregnancy leave, more screen time
for King Julien, and the return of the New
York granny who kicks furry butt like Jet Li
on steroids.
The Story
This Madagascar sequel picks up right
where the 2005 film left off, with the
Central Park Zoo animals preparing to leave
Madagascar to return to the Big Apple.
Attempting to prove penguins can fly, the
tuxedoed dudes pieced together a plane and
now Alex and company, along with King Julien
and his second in charge, Maurice, believe
they’re on the way back to New York City.
But penguins, as we soon discover, are not
qualified to be airplane mechanics.
The plane crash lands in Africa which
turns out to be the best place on the planet
for our NY gang to wind up – if they can’t
make it back to the States. Their plummet to
earth couldn’t have worked out better if
it’d been planned. The four zoo buddies, the
penguin posse, and the lemur duo find
themselves face to face with wild animals of
their own kind. And for Alex, this
unexpected detour is actually a homecoming.
The king of the lions, Zuba (Bernie Mac),
and his mate (voiced by Sherri Shepherd)
turn out to be Alex’s real parents.
The reunion
Everyone’s happy to finally get to know
members of their own species in the wild,
but the reunion between Alex and his parents
doesn’t please all members of the pride.
Makunga (Alec Baldwin) has long wanted to
replace Zuba as the leader, and the return
of the city-raised Alex provides him with
just the right opening to make his move...
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa has a
slightly less harried pace about it, while
being just as hilarious as the original
movie. This sequel has a lot more heart than
the first film which worked hard at filling
every moment with a joke.
The returning members of the voice cast
are terrific, and the newbies – including
the late Bernie Mac and 30 Rock’s Alec
Baldwin – compliment the familiar voices
well.
The plot’s involved enough to keep adults
engaged while not alienating youngsters, and
the overall look of the movie is
breathtakingly gorgeous. This sequel not
only outshines its predecessor, it leaves
you looking forward to #3.
Celebrated women authors fly Emirates to
Galle Literary Festival
Two remarkably different women
authors of international fame will enliven
the Galle Literary Festival (GLF) next week
courtesy Emirates, a Gold sponsor of this
high profile event.
Australian born Germaine Greer, one of
the world’s best known writers and feminist
thought leaders and Vasugi V. Ganeshananthan,
a New York based fiction writer and
journalist with roots in Sri Lanka, have
been provided with travel sponsorship to the
festival by the award-winning Dubai-based
international airline.
"Emirates is proud to host the travel of
these two very accomplished writers, and to
support the Galle Literary Festival," said
Emirates Area Manager for Sri Lanka and
Maldives, Chandana de Silva. "Besides
helping promote Sri Lanka as a destination
for cultural tourism, the festival also
provides potentially life-changing
opportunities for aspiring writers and
literature lovers in Sri Lanka. As the most
active international carrier operating in
the country, Emirates is pleased to play a
role in the festival’s success."
Germaine Greer arrives in Sri Lanka on
January 27 from Sydney on Emirates flight
EK650, while Ganeshananthan travels from New
York via Dubai to Colombo, arriving on
flight EK 348 on January 23.
Writer, academic, journalist and scholar
of early modern English literature, Germaine
Greer is widely regarded as one of the most
significant feminist voices of the later
20th century.
Greer’s ideas have created controversy
ever since her ground-breaking book, The
Female Eunuch, became an international
best-seller in 1970, turning her overnight
into a household name and bringing her both
adulation and opposition. She is also the
author of many other books including, Sex
And Destiny: The Politics of Human Fertility
(1984), The Change: Women, Ageing And
Menopause (1991) and Shakespeare’s
Wife (2007). She currently serves as
Professor Emeritus of English Literature and
Comparative Studies at the University of
Warwick.
Vasugi V. Ganeshananthan whose family
originated in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, is an
alumna of Harvard College, the Iowa Writers’
Workshop, and the Columbia University
Graduate School of Journalism, where she
specialised in Arts and Culture. She has
written and reported for The Atlantic
Monthly and The Washington Post,
among others, and is Vice President of the
South Asian Journalists Association.
Her novel, Love Marriage, parts of
which are set in Jaffna, was published in
North America in April 2008; it has appeared
or is forthcoming in other countries,
including India, the U.K., France, and
Germany. In 2005-2006, she was a
writer-in-residence at Phillips Exeter
Academy. This past fall, she was a
writer-in-residence at Skidmore College. She
grew up in Maryland and lives in New York
City.
The winner of more than 400 major
international awards for service excellence,
Emirates operates 17 services a week between
Colombo and Dubai and four services a week
from Colombo to Singapore. This is Emirates’
second participation in the Galle Literary
Festival as a sponsor.
A sanctuary for the senses
T ucked
away in the historic city of Dambulla,
within Sri Lanka’s cultural triangle,
Thilanka Resort and Spa, is the perfect
balance between a holiday resort and
spiritual retreat.
The 25 acre narrow land stretches almost
1 k.m from the busy Matale – Dambulla Main
Road to the scenic Dambulu Oya.
Follow the enchantingly beautiful paved
pathway embraced by a lush canopy of full
grown mango trees and one arrives at a bold
statement in architecture that effectively
combines minimalist structure with the
sweeping pastoral landscape.
First glimpse
The first glimpse of the resort one gets
through the mango trees is the bridge like
dining pavilion which stretches across the
land in dramatic contrast to the blue sky
beyond, with a 120 ft. long pool running
perpendicular to it below, with paddy fields
by the side.
An elegant stairway in teak and steel
leads the way up from the pool bar lounge to
the restaurant above where one has the
pleasure of enjoying a glorious view of the
forest, paddy fields and the mountains while
dining.
Six luxurious villas, each with four
extremely comfortable suites with a
Jacuzzi/plunge pool are nestled among a
variety of trees.
Named after a specific fruit
Inspired by the surrounding plantation
each villa is named after a specific fruit
which is reflected in the interior from a
larger than life, brilliantly coloured oil
on canvas panels behind the bed to a bowl of
delicious fresh fruit on the coffee table.
Spacious beds with comfy mattresses, soft
cotton sheets and plush silk covers complete
the cozy interior.
Warm shafts of sunlight and a cool gush
of wind pour in through the large glass
sliding doors which open out on to a
verandah on the ground level and a covered
terrace on the upper level and gives one a
magnificent view of the surroundings, the
many wonders of nature.
The villas are located away from each
other for privacy and keeping in mind the
existing trees.
The entire resort consists of polished
cement floors and walls including the long,
elevated pool and a touch of colour on the
re-cycled timber doors.
Here nature is not conquered, it is
befriended.
Kala Pola — Colombo
comes alive with art on the street !
Sri Lanka’s popular open-air art gallery
cum art fair, Kala Pola, comes alive
at 10 a.m today on the pavements of
Ananda Coomaraswamy Mawatha in Colombo 7
(opposite the National Art Gallery).
Conceptualised by the George Keyt
Foundation, Kala Pola enjoys the
unbroken patronage of the John Keells Group
for the 16th consecutive year.
US Ambassador Robert Blake will be chief
guest at this year’s Kala Pola which
features over 250 artists and sculptors who
will display their creativity to an
increasingly appreciative Sri Lankan and
expatriate clientele, in an infectious
atmosphere filled with music, song, fun and
contagious bonhomie.
Kala Pola 2009 will continue
throughout the day, bringing a kaleidoscope
of colour, sights and sounds to the heart of
Colombo, until dusk settles over the city.
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