Presented by the Melbourne University Sri Lankan Student's Association (MUSLSA)
March 12-15, Union Theatre
Review by Leeor Adar
MUSLSA's magical rom-com As You Wish has to be one of the most spirited student theatre productions I have ever seen. I wasn't sure what to expect but when the production was in full swing I, like every one else, was laughing and smiling at the clever dialogue that made you feel as if you were watching your favourite sitcom.
The tale of young Pras (Rohan Mirchandany) in search of fortune in the realms of a convenience store, aptly named `7/24' is the stuff of light-hearted comedy. Like all epic convenience store stories, there is an unrequited love story of Pras' longing for the 7/24 store owner's daughter (Natashya Fernando). By some stroke of luck a bootylicious genie – `Jean E' (Davina John) swoops its way into Pras' life and unable to grant him the love he so desires, transforms him into a less desirable gangster who would get "Chris Brown on your face†(much to the audience's horror/delight), and into a charming soap opera suave, Keith Turban.
The casting choices were mostly superb. I must say that Davina John's gender-confused genie's ADHD-infused love for life was admirably unrelenting. Some real crowd pleasers were Dushy Blanchard as the foolish Mean Girl knockoff and Nish Vivekananthan as the convenience store owner who suffers from a bad temper and even more bad-tempered bowel.
The curry-soaked mayhem continues with dodgy relatives, cross-dressing mothers, bling wearing posses and half-naked 200-year old Neanderthals in search of their genie. While the production carried on for over three hours, it hardly dwindled in energy and the charming cast stayed true to their characters. Even when the rare slip-up occurred (particularly with a confused spotlight) Mirchandany managed to flip back and forth with chameleon-like speed, also reflected in his overall performance.
Wansaja Wettes and Christina Arichandran both did a marvelous job as writers and directors; their piece had fun pop-culture references (even if they snuck in an outdated Bush joke) and their cast and crew clearly worked tirelessly to perfect the comic-timing they achieved. The piece also provides some interesting social commentary on the lives of highly educated foreigners in Australia who work long hours for a pittance.
Friday 13th and the show was full house with friends and families cheering and marveling at the talent on stage. Of course it's all for a good cause… in its nine years MUSLSA's productions direct its profits to various charity organizations and this year was no exception with UNICEF and Spirit Missions benefiting from the proceeds.
If you have never seen a MUSLSA production before, I absolutely recommend you pay a visit to next year's romp. If it's anything like this year, you will leave the theatre with a smile on your face and wishing for more.
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Posted Tuesday 17 March, 2009. Updated Tuesday 17 March, 2009.
