QMW SRI LANKAN SOCIETY
KANDY FLOSS
THE STORY OF SRI-UNIT

Text by Mayuka Dias


Kandy Floss being one of the last shows on the calendar had a lot to live up to. ‘Mega Malai’ was flawless in its organisation & performance, ‘From Sri Lanka With Love’ had some solid acting performances, how would Kandy Floss compare? The venue was completely sold-out with people begging for any extra tickets at the door. QM had focused the show on their drama & tied it in with all the other dancing and singing acts, effectively creating the first Sri Lankan society musical. The questions were would people like this format and could QM actually pull it off? The answer was a definite yes on both accounts.

Like in most of these shows now, the Western dances were all slick and very stylish. What was great about Kandy Floss' dances though was their individuality, none of them were similar in the slightest. The Eastern dances were slightly weaker than dances produced by the other shows this year, but were still entertaining and the crowd seemed to love them. The vocal acts were good but mention must go to Abi Sampanthan, who having wowed audiences at many of the shows this year, was just breathtaking at Kandy Floss.
Having watched all the major SL society shows over the last 3 years, I can safely say the drama in Kandy Floss is easily the funniest. Great performances by the “Sri-Unit” boys, especially Nirajan Selvarajah, meant the crowd never really stopped laughing. Technical hitches & occassional large gaps between acts was a small downer on the show. Unfortunate sound and lighting errors meant the cast had to occasionally improvise, but managed to deal with it rather well.
Having been involved with the National Youth & Music Theatre, I once noticed a young Sri Lankan boy 10 years back with great promise. This boy grew up to be the writer & director of Kandy Floss, Rajesh Kumarasuriyar. The script was remarkably unique and well structured with perfect casting & incorporation of the dances. Everything about Kandy Floss was unique, even the programme! (which I hear Rajesh designed himself!) He is a talent which could go on to really make us Sri Lankans proud.
The Imperial Tamil Society may have given their rival societies a lesson in professionalism with Mega Malai but Rajesh & his cast truly gave a lesson on how to write a play & entertain an audience with Kandy Floss.

So congratulation QMSLS on a great show, I will definitely be there next year. (If I get a ticket!)

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