A Broadway Spectacle – A Trinity Musical

Review by Mrs. Shyamali Ranaraja

I have a bone to pick with the title of this production, because it was completely misleading: what the audience experienced on a drizzly and drear Kandy evening, was not anything as meagre as a glimpse, but a full-throated, foot-stamping, lion-hearted theatre spectacle. As one young spectator expressed it, this was another ‘Trinity Epic’!

It is difficult at any time to stage a production that is beloved by everyone to the extent that the audience is word-perfect with every musical number and can spot any mistake or deviation from the original script from the back of the hall: to put on a considerable part of three such productions in a single evening is a daunting task. But the young student cast of the Drama Society of Trinity College, Kandy, achieved the seemingly impossible: putting on the best-known scenes of the musical productions of The Lion King, Hamilton and The Greatest Showman, in extravagant and original style.

But first, credit must be given for efforts of the technical and artistic crew for excellent props, costumes and stage-effects. The audience was made to understand that other than one or two costume pieces all of the costumes had been designed by talented members of the Drama Society, and that the props had been made by students themselves. The headpieces for the Lion King cast in particular were worthy of a professional production, being both artistic and accurate, and the stampede in which King Mufasa is overcome was impressively managed with the effect of the wilderbeest masks despite the relatively small space for such a scene. Some of the music had been composed by two talented staff of the school, in particular the music during the antagonistic meeting between a grown Simba and Nala, which was strikingly memorable. Lighting, sound effects and music were all handled by staff and students working together with excellent results.

Both the movie and the musical versions of The Lion King require large scale productions with an extravagant African setting which provides a backdrop for the main storyline. The Drama Society managed the scenes chosen for this performance at a much smaller scale, but spirited main characters, an energetic supporting cast and brilliant props combined with a smoothness that indicated extensive rehearsals that must have taken many months of preparation. It was a near-flawless performance from the young Simba with an angelic voice to the scene-stealing duo of Pumba and Timon, the impressive King Mufasa to the mean-visaged Scar, and the graceful Nala to the older Simba. Pumba in particular was perfectly costumed and made-up, and the two friends even comically ad-libbed to poke fun at the amused Principal of the school who was in the audience. When that segment ended with Simba leaving to return to the Pridelands, the audience was left wanting to see what happened next, always a clear indication of a successful performance.

Scenes from “The Lion King” – pics by the Trinity College Media Unit

Hamilton, less familiar to local audiences, was nevertheless a revelation: the distinctive rapping style used by Lin Manuel Miranda in the original play was effortlessly delivered by the young cast, and was as effective as any Shakespearean dialogue. The titular character of Hamilton (recognizable as the mischievous Timon in the previous set) played his role with verve and panache, and the other protagonists brought a self-possession to their roles that belied their relative youth. George Washington was both impressive and inspiring. Admirable stagecraft made for slick scene changes without interrupting the fast-paced rapping that is a feature of this musical, making sure that many present made a note to check out the original production again online.

Scenes from “Hamilton” – pics by the Trinity College Media Unit

The cast shifted around swiftly to put on the P.T. Barnum extravaganza ‘The Greatest Showman’ next, and young Simba changed into gown and beard to play Lettie Lutz and deliver the showstopping ‘This is me’ with a purity of tone that electrified the audience. The other cast members, although less recognizable as the original characters other than perhaps the Tattooed Man, supported the main characters effectively, in particular the vivacious actor that played Nala who brought that same confidence to the role of Charity.

The standout performances were though, without a doubt, Rafiki, in The Lion King, and the portrayal of King George and P.T. Barnum in Hamilton and the Greatest Showman. Rafiki was absolutely perfect from makeup to the last final catch of the staff thrown by Simba. From the opening chant in ‘Circle of Life’ to the inspiring ‘He lives in you’ Rafiki was completely in character, gestures, expressions and the costume combining for an unforgettable performance. The charismatic young actor who played King George also played Barnum later and displayed admirable confidence in both roles. ‘You belong to me’ by the King was mesmerizing, with the stage lighting focusing on the speaking facial expressions that were sinister and comical by turns. The range and depth of the performance of this actor in two such contrasting and difficult roles was remarkable, with superb singing and dancing adding layers to the visual impact of crown and costumes.

Scenes from “The Greatest Showman” – pics by the Trinity College Media Unit

The choreography also deserves a special mention, especially as it must have been a demanding task to train an amateur cast of such varying talents and ages. The cast put on a creditworthy performance in different styles of dance, especially in the challenging Showman sequences. The young background singers were impeccable in every musical number they supported, and added to the theatrical performance by their expressive reactions.

There was, as always, room for improvement: a few performers were somewhat overpowered by the recorded backing track. Some of the scenes could have been better supported by thematic backdrops, for instance, in the Showman, which needs at least the vague outlines of a lofty circus tent to do justice to the storyline. But these were but minor issues and in no way detracted from the high quality of this complex production, and the director and associated staff are to be commended for a remarkable achievement despite the limitations that would have been created by the regular academic and co-curricular activities of the school.

The German philosopher Friedrich Schiller’s 1795 treatise On the Aesthetic Education of Man (and Woman) in a Series of Letters urged the importance of aesthetic education, as he theorized that it will lead man to freedom, because it is not until he is both physically and spiritually free that he can be truly moral. Given the challenges that these young students will be required to overcome in future, it is heartening to see the emphasis placed by Trinity College, Kandy, on developing aesthetic skills that will hopefully stand them in good stead in time to come.

The Cast

The Lion King
Simba – Shevindra Herath
Nala – Nadil Abeyratne
Rafiki – Dulith Cooray
Young Simba – Anjelo Etugala
Timon – Sachika Boyagoda
Pumba – Chathwara Weerasinghe
Mufasa – Nethula Hettihewage
Scar – Ravindu Jayasinghe
Animals –
• Giraffe – Themiya Wanigaratne
• Deer – Minuka Jayasinghe, Dinal Jayratne
• Antelope – Danithu Keerthisena
• Birds – Minidu Yasaratne , Nisaja Nimalasena
• Rhino – Shakya Premaratne, Agnijan Vaheesan
• Wilder beast –
Thevindu Dayan Malitha
Menath Kahapola
Sadil Angammana
Matheesha De Silva
Agnijan Vaheesan
Ramindu Yasaratne
Arham Dhilfowzy
Dulkith Jayasekara

Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton – Sachika Boyagoda
Eliza Schuyler – Anjelo Etugala
Aaron Burr – Shevindra Herath
Hercules Mulligan – Sanchitha Wickrama
Marquis de Lafayette – Jason Navaratne
John Laurens – Hansana Jayasundara
King George – Kevin Tennekoon,
Samuel Seabury – Ian Etugala
George Washington – Abidh Jameel
Dancers –
Minuka Jayasinghe
Dinal Jayratne
Muhammed Jameel
Minidu Yasaratne
Themiya Wanigaratne
Salinda DeSeram
Danithu Keerthisena,
Nisaja Nimalasena
Shakya Premaratne

The Greatest Showman
Phineas Barnum – Kevin Tennekoon
Charity Barnum – Nadil Abeyrathne
Young Barnum – Themiya Wanigaratne
Young Charity – Muhammed Jameel
Bearded lady – Angelo Etugala
Lord of Leeds – Chathwara Weerasinghe
Tom Thumb – Nisaja Nimalasena
Dog Boy – Shakya Premaratne
Mrs. Hallet – Ian Etugala
Mr. Hallet – Abidh Jameel
Tailor – Dulkith Jayasekara
Rich Person 1 – Nethula Hettihewage
Rich Person 2 – Matheesha De Silva
Rich person 4 – Sadil Angammanna
Protestor 1 – Arham Dhilfowzy
Protestor 2 – Agnijan
Protestor 3 – Dulkith Jayasekara
The tattoo guy – Dinal Jayarathne
Dancer 1 – Minuka Jayasinghe
Dancer 2 – Minindu Yasaratne

The Crew

Director – Aslam Marikkar
Choreographer/ Makeup Artists – Mr. and Mrs. Samarasundara
Mr. Lasantha Tennekoon – Choir Master and helped with the sound mixing on the day of the event

Yassassvi Wijesekara – Sound Engineer
Sasitha Heenagama and Dan Bartholomeusz – Asst. Sound Engineer
Pishon Elead – Light Engineer
Yeshan Ranatunga – Asst. Light Engineer
Linuka Mallikarachchi – Videographer
Nethmika Athukorala – Videographer
Shaluka Herath – Photographer
Jayageeth Basnayake – Emcee
Dhananjaya Herath – Media Coordinator
Aveesh Wanniarachchi and Nikhil Mohottala – Stage Managers

Lolonyo Rahulan – Head of PR and Logistics
Sherwain Wavita – Head of Finance
Vinuth Warnasooriya – Ticket Coordinator