Full of Shine and Full of Sparkle: A tribute to a group of Thomians who blazed an unforgettable trail.

An obsession with Barbara Streisand was what started it all! 

As we already know, her voice is admired by millions around the world. Her stupendous vocal craft, her ability to hit high notes effortlessly, combined with a prodigious acting talent has made her an incomparable superstar. She became an icon to many, but this story is about a group of teenagers who were totally smitten by this woman’s extraordinary talents that they decided to use it as a springboard to launch their own unique careers as actors in our country.  

In 1973, a group of young actors from St Thomas’ College, Mt Lavinia, swept the boards at the Inter-school Shakespeare Drama Competition by winning every award possible including the one for ‘Best Actress.’  Soon after this great success they were genuinely hungry for wider exposure on the stage. Just a few months after this momentous victory, the film HELLO DOLLY (starring Barbara Streisand and Walter Matthau) arrived in Sri Lanka and was being shown at the Majestic Cinema. This group of students (all of whom were members of the school’s Drama Society) were ardent Streisand fans. They couldn’t get enough of seeing this film and watched it obsessively. They would buy tickets for the 3:30pm showing and sit in the same seats because they had bought tickets for the 6:30pm show as well. Some even sneaked in to see the 9:30pm show even though they had to attend school the next day. We have to remember that this was before the age of TV and DVD’s. It was when they watched the credits roll at the end of the film that they noticed in the small print some information that was vital to their own search for a time in the spotlight. This was the information that simply stated - “based on the play by Thornton Wilder.”

A scramble to find the script began almost instantly. Richard de Zoysa and Steve de la Zilwa led the search. In those days, the only places they could find a script of an English play was at the British Council Library, the USIS or at bookshops around Colombo, unless of course, someone brought a script from abroad. But as luck may have it, the Lake House bookshop had a copy which was purchased by Richard who read it and then passed it to everyone in the drama society. By then, they had realised that they were sitting on a dramatic goldmine! 

Richard wanted to play the lead role of Dolly Levi with a passion. Rohan Ponniah was undoubtedly the best person to direct and also play the leading male role of Horace Vandergelder. Steve had his eye on the part of Cornelius Hackl from the time he read the play. He admits that he was inspired and deeply influenced by the performance given by Michael Crawford in the film version. Driven by the desire to perform, this formidable trio, back by the mouthiest lot of school-boy diva’s one would ever encounter, marched up to the master-in-charge and demanded that this play should be put on the boards!

Tom Wilson who was one of the kindest, mildest and broad-minded teachers at STC, realised that he was on to a winning ticket. With the resounding success of the Shakespeare Drama competition still shedding its glow on these young thespians, Mr Wilson supported by a fellow teacher Gwendolen Dias Abeysinghe, faced down the college Warden demanding the funds for the play to presented at the Lionel Wendt. Warden Anandanayagam conceded. 

The rest, as we say was the beginning of theatre history in Sri Lanka. The production of The Matchmaker sparked widespread acclaim from everyone who saw it. The critics raved! English theatre was already on a very strong footing with actors such as Lucian de Zoysa, Winston and Iranganie Serasinghe and Shelagh Goonewardene giving superb performances in some fantastic productions. However, these schoolboys had crashed into their hallowed space with a new-found zest and energy. It refreshed and revitalised English theatre for the next two decades generating show after show which kept the theatre scene in Colombo, truly alive.

Here are the actors who were the key to the success of this production and the theatre renaissance that took place thereafter.

Richard de Zoysa’s performance as Dolly Levi was unique as it was unforgettable. Having been the driving force behind this production he proved that he could hold an audience in the palm of his hand. As an actor, he mesmerised anyone who watched him. His life was cruelly cut short in 1990. I don’t need to enlarge on his career as it is already the stuff of legend. Rohan Ponniah was being hailed as one of the most promising theatre directors of our generation even before he directed The Matchmaker. He continued to prove this with his unbroken record of directing successive entries to the Shakespeare Drama Competition for several years to come. Rohan is a master of drawing out innuendo from the dialogue in a script, especially sexual innuendo. His directions for The Matchmaker and many of the entries to the Shakespeare Drama Competition always contained an element of sexuality. This was a gift to the testosterone filled young actors in this show. They revelled in it and used it to add an extra edge to their performances. If you ever get your hands on a copy of the programme of this show, the cast quotes in themselves will prove that I am right! Rohan also had a wonderful gift of selling an idea to a young actor in a way that would always draw out their best on stage. Adding to his talent for directing, Rohan is a superb actor with a voice which one could only describe as “God-given.”

As Cornelius Hackl, Steve de la Zilwa was simply superb. His comic timing has always been a gift which he carried with him all along his career. Who can forget his performances in Private Lives, The Proposal and My Fair Lady? His own illustrious career as a theatre director continues even to this day. David Ebert as Irene Molloy was so convincing as a woman that some veteran actors could not believe that it was a young male dressed up as a female! I recall Michelle Leembrugan (one of Sri Lanka’s most renown actresses of that time) confirmed this by saying, “I was about to kiss her when I realised that it was a him, so I quickly stepped back and shook his hand instead!” Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu played the part of the drunk Malachai Stack, brilliantly. It was yet another show stealing cameo in this wonderful show. (The late) Harendra Molemure looked so utterly beautiful as Ermengarde that many of the college prefects, who were helping out as ushers, were ready to ditch their real-life girlfriends, just for a date with him!

The portrayal of Flora van Heuysen by Hemal Jayesekera could only be described as high octane sluttery. In his case, a man did really leave his girlfriend to embark on prolonged love affair with him. Suresh Thambipillai who played the eccentric Colonel Pickering in every production of My Fair Lady that was on staged in Colombo in the 80’s and 90’s, mastered his art playing the dithering cabman in this production. Christopher Ponniah who was known for some of the best performances ever seen at the Lionel Wendt stage (Equus, Hamp, Smart Ass) began his career playing some of the most notable female portrayals at the Shakespeare Drama Competitions. In this production he played the young Minnie Fay to perfection.
The cook in the Vandergelder household was played by the late Chanaka Amaratunge. The governess was played by none other than Koluu (better known then as Hemalal Ranawake)! While this lot were turning on their magic on stage, several others worked tirelessly behind the scenes to create this unforgettable event.

Graham de Kretser diligently created some of the most beautiful hats that were worn by the actors. He was also in charge of the décor as well as the stage management. Steve de la Zilwa designed the costumes after meticulously researching through many books on period costuming. His mother, Crystal de la Zilwa sewed the costumes. She even had the difficult task of making shoes out of cloth for Richard who was not able to find a pair of women’s shoes to fit his enormous feet. David Ebert altered his mother’s wedding gown which became the base of his costume. This was because Harendra Molemure had got his hands of the costume budget and blown half of it on buying the fabric for his dress at Barbara Sansoni’s. As a result, the rest of the costumes had to be made with various local chintz and sarong materials. In spite of this the costumes ended up looking fantastic. Caryl Ponniah worked wonders with the hair styles for those playing the female parts. Her skill in creating the most beautiful hairdos on boys who had the regulatory short hair as demanded by the rules of the school – was nothing short of amazing! Suresh Thambipillai’s house was a treasure trove of ancestral furniture. It was filled to the brim with beautiful sofas, divans and birdcages etc, causing it to become the chosen venue to be temporarily raided to dress the sets for the four variedly different scenes in this play. 

The uplifting and joyous songs such as, “Put on your Sunday clothes,” “Ribbons down my back,” “Before the parade passes by,” “So long Dearie” and “Hello Dolly” which were taken directly from the film’s soundtrack added an extra verve to the action when they were played between acts. This production began a revival of the English theatre in Sri Lanka like none other before it. Following suit, many other schools were inspired to put on their own productions. It inspired so many that some of the actors from this production still have a following almost 50 years after that event! I was just another starry-eyed teenager watching my friends shine and sparkle on the stage, wishing that someday I would also be able to tread the board just as confidently as they did. I am sure I was not the only one.

Bravo and thank you!