THE AGENTS: SIGN, SIGN, SIGN! SELLING DREAMS, MANIPULATING REALITY AND THE BEAUTIFUL ART OF CLOSING A DEAL
An Antakalipa Theatre Review
There is something rather extraordinary about watching people do the things you recognise from your own professional life, except that somebody has taken those things, exaggerated them to ridiculous proportions and placed them on a theatre stage for everyone’s entertainment. Suddenly, the familiar becomes hilarious. The ordinary becomes absurd. And the things you might ordinarily take seriously become the very things that have you laughing uncontrollably.
Welcome to The Agents!
I was at Theatre on the Square for this wonderfully mischievous production, and goodness, what a delightful experience! I genuinely did not want the show to end. I laughed, I recognised situations, I appreciated the cleverness of the writing, and I found myself relating to practically every little trick, tactic and psychological manoeuvre unfolding before me.
As somebody who works in sales, this production was particularly entertaining. I know the language. I know the pressure. I know the obsession with targets, the importance of closing, the persuasive conversations and, above all, the beautiful possibility of commission.
Sign, sign, sign!
Always be closing!
And if the customer doesn’t know they need something, well, that is where your imagination comes in.
But perhaps I am getting ahead of myself.
THE PREMISE: EVERYBODY HAS A PRICE, AND EVERYTHING IS FOR SALE
At its heart, The Agents is a comedy about three estate agents navigating the wonderfully treacherous business of property sales. Venter, Linda and Brenda inhabit a world where selling is not merely a profession; it is a philosophy, a lifestyle and practically a religion.
These are not ordinary people showing somebody around a property and pointing out the beautiful kitchen, spacious bedrooms and magnificent views. No, no, no. These agents are prepared to go considerably further. Their imagination knows no boundaries, their persuasive abilities are questionable in the most entertaining ways, and their commitment to securing a deal is almost frightening.
The production takes aim at the property industry, luxury estate living, property development, gentrification, consumer culture and the capitalist dream. It explores the curious relationship between what people want, what they believe they need and what somebody else is prepared to sell them.
And that is where the comedy becomes particularly delicious.
A house is never simply a house. It is a lifestyle. It is an investment. It is status. It is security. It is a dream waiting to be purchased. Give somebody four walls, a roof and a sufficiently convincing sales pitch, and you might just convince them that they are purchasing a little piece of paradise.
The genius of the premise is that it takes something recognisable and exposes the absurdity hiding underneath it. We have all encountered people who can sell us practically anything. We have all encountered somebody who knows precisely which buttons to press. And we have all, at some point, found ourselves entertaining a purchase that we had absolutely no intention of making.
The Agents understand this world intimately.
Their business is property, but their real product is persuasion.
THE CHARACTERS: THREE AGENTS, ONE OBSESSION
VENTER — ROBERTO POMBO
Venter, portrayed by Roberto Pombo, is an essential part of this wonderfully dysfunctional sales operation.
There is something particularly entertaining about the confidence and conviction required to sell something, especially when the circumstances become increasingly ridiculous. Venter belongs to that fascinating breed of salesperson who understands that hesitation is simply another obstacle to overcome.
The customer says no? Perhaps they need more convincing.
The customer has doubts? Introduce another selling point.
The customer is uncertain? Change the conversation, redirect their attention and find another way into their imagination.
Venter is part of the production’s larger exploration of the absurdity of the sales profession, where confidence can sometimes be mistaken for competence and a convincing presentation can make almost anything sound attractive.
Pombo brings considerable comic energy to the character, contributing to the chemistry that makes this trio such an entertaining spectacle.
LINDA — LISA DERRYN OVERY
Linda, played by Lisa Derryn Overy, is another wonderful ingredient in this theatrical recipe.
There is a particular pleasure in watching performers inhabit characters who are prepared to embrace the ridiculousness of their circumstances. Linda belongs to a world where the objective is clear: make the sale, secure the deal and keep the business moving.
Overy contributes to the mischievous personality of the ensemble, bringing the character into a wonderfully exaggerated world of property transactions, persuasion and competitive salesmanship.
What makes the characterisation so enjoyable is the way the performers commit to the absurdity. They do not stand at a distance and merely tell us that these people are ridiculous. They become them. They inhabit their peculiarities, their ambitions and their determination to make the next sale.
BRENDA — KYLA DAVIS
Then there is Brenda, portrayed by Kyla Davis.
Davis is part of the production’s wonderfully energetic ensemble, helping create the comic chemistry that allows the three characters to bounce off one another.
Brenda exists in this peculiar universe where the imagination is an essential sales tool. Selling requires creativity, adaptability and an almost unreasonable ability to make the impossible sound perfectly reasonable.
And that is precisely what makes these characters so much fun to watch.
Together, Venter, Linda and Brenda form a deliciously dysfunctional team. Their interactions, individual personalities and shared obsession with making a sale provide the production with its comic heartbeat.
The performances are not simply about delivering funny dialogue. There is a physical dimension to the comedy, an understanding of timing, movement, expression and the wonderfully unpredictable possibilities of performing together.
It is an ensemble that understands the assignment.
THE ART OF SELLING: ALWAYS BE CLOSING!
This is where I found myself particularly entertained.
There is an entire psychology behind selling. Anyone who has spent time in sales understands that you are not simply selling a product. You are selling an idea, an aspiration, a possibility and sometimes an entirely different version of somebody’s life.
You create a need. You identify a problem. You present a solution. You overcome objections. You introduce urgency. You apply a little reverse psychology. And when everything goes according to plan, you close the deal.
Commission is how you make your living. That is paramount!
The production plays beautifully with these familiar mechanisms of persuasion and manipulation. It understands the language of salespeople and the extraordinary lengths to which somebody might go when a commission is hanging in the balance.
There is something almost philosophical about the profession. People do not always purchase things because they need them. Sometimes they purchase because they desire them, because they want to belong, because they want to impress somebody or because somebody has successfully convinced them that their lives will be better once they own whatever is being offered.
The art of selling is understanding the difference between what somebody says they want and what they can ultimately be persuaded to buy.
And these agents are not particularly interested in allowing a little thing like reality to interfere with a transaction.
The comedy becomes even more amusing when you consider the possibilities. If you can sell a house to somebody who cannot afford it, persuade somebody that a questionable investment is the opportunity of a lifetime, or convince a customer that the most ordinary property represents extraordinary luxury, surely the next logical step is selling the entire earth to aliens!
Why stop at property? Think bigger!
It is this exaggeration that makes the production so enjoyable. It takes the familiar language of sales and stretches it until it becomes wonderfully absurd.
And somewhere between the laughter, one recognises an uncomfortable truth: human beings are remarkably susceptible to persuasion.
CAPITALISM, PROPERTY AND THE BUSINESS OF SELLING DREAMS
Beneath the laughter, The Agents has a rather sharp observation to make about the world we inhabit.
Property is never simply about bricks and mortar. It is connected to wealth, class, identity, social status, privilege and the desire for security. The places we live in communicate something about who we are, or perhaps who we would like the world to believe we are.
Luxury estates, gated communities and exclusive developments have become powerful symbols of aspiration. The promise is often bigger than the physical property itself. You are not merely purchasing a home; you are purchasing an imagined lifestyle.
The production’s satire of gentrification is particularly relevant in this conversation. As neighbourhoods change, property values rise and developments reshape communities, there are questions about who benefits, who gets displaced and who has the financial power to determine what a neighbourhood becomes.
There is a fascinating contradiction in the capitalist dream. We are encouraged to desire more, acquire more, upgrade more and constantly pursue something better. Yet somebody must always be selling us the next version of that dream.
And that is where our three agents come in.
They are not simply selling properties. They are participants in a much larger machinery of aspiration, consumption and economic ambition.
The production does not need to deliver a lecture on capitalism to make its point. It simply places three wonderfully exaggerated salespeople in front of us and allows their behaviour to expose the ridiculousness of the world they inhabit.
We laugh because it is funny.
We laugh even harder because we recognise it.
THE COMEDY: WIT, IMAGINATION AND PHYSICAL THEATRE
One of the most enjoyable aspects of The Agents is its commitment to comedy.
This is a production with personality. It has wit, imagination, mischief and a wonderful understanding of how to entertain an audience.
The writing is clever, the situations are wonderfully exaggerated, and the performances embrace the ridiculousness of the material. There is an infectious energy to the production, with its combination of clowning, mime, physical comedy and theatrical playfulness.
The performers demonstrate that comedy does not always require elaborate scenery, complicated technical effects or an enormous production budget. Sometimes all you need is three committed performers, an imaginative script and an audience willing to surrender itself to the experience.
And surrender we did!
There is something particularly satisfying about comedy that does not take itself too seriously but is nevertheless intelligently constructed. The humour is mischievous, occasionally outrageous and full of the kind of observations that make you recognise familiar situations in an entirely new light.
The performers understand that comedy is as much about timing as it is about words. A movement, a facial expression, a pause or an unexpected physical gesture can be just as effective as an entire paragraph of dialogue.
It is a pleasure watching performers who are comfortable enough with their material to play with it.
THE SET: IMAGINATION DOES THE HEAVY LIFTING
The set is wonderfully simple.
An advertising banner positioned at the back provides the principal visual feature, leaving the performers to do the heavy lifting.
And what a refreshing reminder that theatre is ultimately about imagination!
There is no need to overwhelm the audience with elaborate scenery when the performers themselves can create the world. Through movement, mime, physical expression and the power of suggestion, they transform the stage into the spaces and situations required by the production.
The simplicity works beautifully with the show’s comic identity. It allows the audience to concentrate on the performers, the writing and the interactions between the characters.
In a production concerned with selling appearances, lifestyles and dreams, there is also something rather amusing about having such a straightforward theatrical environment.
The agents can sell us practically anything, but they do not need an elaborate set to convince us that we are somewhere else.
The imagination takes care of the rest.
DIRECTION AND CREATIVE COLLABORATION
A production of this nature requires a director who understands rhythm, physicality, comic timing and the importance of allowing performers to explore the full possibilities of their characters.
Toni Morkel brings that directorial vision to The Agents.
The production’s combination of physical theatre, clowning, mime and ensemble performance demands a particular kind of theatrical discipline. Comedy might appear effortless when it works, but its effectiveness depends on precision, coordination and a clear understanding of timing.
The performers must know when to exaggerate, when to hold back, when to allow a moment to breathe and when to take the joke somewhere completely unexpected.
Morkel’s direction gives the production room to embrace its playful nature while maintaining its satirical purpose.
Robaby Productions, in association with Daphne Kuhn, deserves recognition for bringing this wonderfully entertaining production to audiences.
And, of course, the writing and performing collaboration between Kyla Davis, Roberto Pombo and Lisa Derryn Overy deserves particular appreciation. There is something special about a production in which its creators are also the people bringing the characters to life.
It gives the work a collective identity and allows the performers to inhabit the material with a sense of ownership.
THE VERDICT: SIGN, SIGN, SIGN!
I genuinely did not want this show to end.
That, perhaps, is one of the greatest compliments I can give a theatrical production.
The Agents is hilarious, witty, imaginative and wonderfully mischievous. It understands the absurdities of human behaviour and finds comedy in the everyday mechanisms of persuasion, ambition and the pursuit of money.
As somebody in sales, I found myself particularly connected to the material. The familiar language, the psychology, the manipulation, the reverse psychology, the pressure to close and the eternal pursuit of commission made the experience even more enjoyable.
I recognised the profession, laughed at its exaggerations and appreciated the intelligence behind the comedy.
But even if you have never sold a thing in your life, there is plenty here to enjoy. The production has something to say about consumerism, property culture, social aspiration and the extraordinary business of convincing people that they need things they never knew existed.
Kyla Davis, Roberto Pombo and Lisa Derryn Overy deliver a wonderfully entertaining ensemble performance, under the direction of Toni Morkel. Their commitment to the characters and the production’s playful theatrical language makes for an immensely enjoyable experience.
Theatre on the Square continues to remind us that theatre can be intimate, inventive, provocative and, above all, enormously entertaining.
This is definitely a MUST-SEE production.
And if anybody asks whether I enjoyed it, I have a very simple answer.
YES! YES! YES!
Now, where do I sign?
📸 : Ruvimbo Rushwaya
📸 : ANTAKALIPA
Antakalipa — Consciousness of culture.
PRODUCTION INFORMATION
Production: The Agents
Company: Robaby Productions, in association with Daphne Kuhn
Venue: Theatre on the Square, Nelson Mandela Square, Sandton
Director: Toni Morkel
Written and performed by: Kyla Davis, Roberto Pombo and Lisa Derryn Overy
Cast:
- Lisa Derryn Overy as Linda
- Roberto Pombo as Venter
- Kyla Davis as Brenda
Genre: Satirical comedy / Physical theatre
A fantastic theatrical experience. If you have the opportunity to see this production, take it. You might arrive thinking you are simply going to watch a play about estate agents. You will leave wondering whether somebody has just sold you something.
And remember the golden rule:
ALWAYS BE CLOSING!
