The massive impact of the Sri Lankan Civil War (1983 – 2009) on one family is brought into sharp focus in the incendiary play The Jungle and the Sea. It is a moving follow up to S. Shakthidharan and Eamon Flack’s highly acclaimed Counting and Cracking, which played at Union Theatre in June 2024.
It is 1995 and Amma (Anandavalli) and Appa (Prakash Belawadi) live in Jaffna, in northern Sri Lanka, with their four children. They have three daughters, Lakshmi (Emma Harvie), Madu (Nadie Kammallaweera), Abi (Kalieaswari Srinivasan), and a son, Ahilan (Shiv Palekar).
They receive word that the Sri Lankan Army wants to occupy Jaffna to drive out the Tamil Tigers. The Tamil Tigers were a militant separatist organisation that fought to create an independent Tamil state in northern and eastern Sri Lanka.
The family is told the safest place to go – where the Army won’t bomb – is a place of worship, so that is where their father takes them, only to find themselves blindsided. The church is reduced to rubble and the family barely escapes with their lives. Indeed, Madu loses all the fingers on her left hand and Appa is blinded.
Thereafter, against his family’s wishes, Ahilan is convinced to join the Tamil Tigers and leave behind his parents and sisters. He tells them not to come looking for him. Appa blames himself for failing the family by putting them in harm’s way.
Lakshmi is charged with transporting Appa to safety in Australia and they head for Sydney, where Lakshmi studies to become a lawyer. Meantime, Amma blindfolds herself, saying she won’t remove her eye covering until the family is together again.
Unfortunately, that is only the beginning of their ordeal as the civil war continues to rage for a further 14 years, and even when it is over, further tragedy awaits. The truth is that, according to United Nations estimates, the death toll from the 26-year war was as many as 100,000, with both sides committing atrocities. In many instances, basic humanity went missing and there was religious persecution.
Another important figure in the piece is Rajan Velu. Despite a different religious background (Buddhist, rather than Hindu), he plays Abi’s love interest, Himal. And then there is Dushan Philips as Kishan, a senior government official in the north and Himal’s father, who has a significant say in the outcome.
The co-writers and co-directors have gone to great lengths to give us a credible, though distressing, slice of life piece, which tugs at the heart strings. It has been built out of testimonies from the war and woven through with elements of seminal Indian text the Mahābhāratha and the Greek myth of Antigone.
The acting by all eight performers, several of whom fill multiple roles (for instance Prakash Belawadi, who plays Appa, is also cast as an influential priest) is first rate. They are all so realistic in their characterisations – heavily invested in the parts they play.
Although fundamentally heavy drama, a number of humorous elements help lighten the load. Prakash Belawadi is gifted some of the choice – laugh aloud funny – lines and makes the most of them.
There is a huge air of authenticity about what unfolds on the stage, featuring a revolving centrepiece, on which most of the action takes place, and gunshot riddled walls. A lot of seemingly endless walking occurs, as displacement plays a significant part in proceedings. Props too serve an important function in telling the story. The set and costume designer is Dale Ferguson, who has ensured cultural appropriateness in his wardrobe choices.
Stage right is a platform on which talented musicians – Kalieaswari Srinkivasan and Hari Sivanesan – sit, playing traditional Carnatic music, complete with haunting chants. Drumbeats replicate gun shots and can be quite startling. In fact, it is a most evocative score that accompanies the work. Composer Arjunan Puveendran has done a fine job.
The sound design by Steve Francis resonates. So, too, the lighting design (the original lighting designer is Véronique Benett and the lighting designer is Damien Cooper). The Jungle and the Sea hits hard, shining a searing light on the hardships and turmoil faced by the Sri Lankan people during a very dark period in its history. Two hours 50 minutes, including two intervals, it is on at Southbank Theatre, The Sumner, until 12th September, 2026.
Alex First
Other reviews you might enjoy:
- The Wrong Gods (MTC and Belvoir Street Theatre) – theatre review
- The Glass Menagerie (MTC), at Southbank Theatre, The Sumner – theatre review
- Losing Face (MTC), at Southbank Theatre, The Sumner – theatre review
Alex First is the editor of The Blurb. Alex is a Melbourne based journalist and communications specialist. He also contributes to The Blurb on film and theatre.