SamSays

The Fall

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The Fall

I was at the Market Theatre for the opening of “The Fall”. The place was filled to the brim and gushing onto the floor. So much so that the auditorium couldn’t accommodate everybody with seats, some people sat on the steps. The venue was exuding radiant energy and it was contagious. Excitement was in the air and everyone was beaming. I also met Bongiwe Potelwa, Yay! Thank you for the invite Bongi.

Set in 2015 at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. This piece of protest theatre explores issues of race, decolonization, social inequality, upbringing, the #rhodesmustfall movement and the #feesmustfall movement. It follows 7 students with different perspectives, backgrounds and ideals, united by one cause bringing down the statue of Cecil Rhodes. The statue is a symbol of colonization and it doesn’t reflect the current times and ideals of an African University. Instead it divides and perpetuates racism among the students and the staff. It is a symbol of oppression, privilege and the white man’s dominion. It is like a persistent dark cloud hanging over them. The students converge and discuss the possibility of bringing it down. One student suggests taking it down with a chisel and hammer, while another contemplates a truck. Ultimately, the statue is taken down with the help of a helicopter but problems still persist. It is announced that tertiary fees will increase by 12%. This enrages the students of UCT, it’s not like they could afford the fees before the increase. A lot of students are from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. They rely on government aids and loans to continue with their education. NSFAS is not always the answer, sometimes they don’t approve applications and when they do you have to prove to them that you are poor. Of course you are poor, that’s why you are trying to build a better life for yourself and your family but the government are making it so hard. The students get together and discuss their right to free education. This results in a protest and the #feesmustfall movement is born. Stellenbosch University students join and it spreads like a wildfire resulting in a nationwide shut-down of all universities in the country.

The show tells the story of the two movements beautifully. It also explores feminism, masculinity, racism and inequality. It’s easy to relate with the characters, they are real and the conversations between them are naturalistic. Like conversations with your friends, they are free, open, funny and silly. They are not hindered by language, instead they mash it up, communicating in a way that feels authentic to the characters. African languages are integrated because the characters are South African. You can see yourself in their image and hence relate and emphasize with them and their struggles. The actors on the stage are brilliant and captivating, it is a performers paradise. They fully inhabited the characters worlds. It was convincing, it felt as though they were telling their own personal stories. From voice intonation, usage of the stage, monologues, singing, protests – it is a masterclass.

I loved everything about the show, shout out to the cast:

Tankiso Mamabolo
Sihle Shona
Sizwesandile Mnisi
Tshepo Matlala
Mosehlana Mamaregane
Kevin Narain
Leche Tangee

Congratulations Mahlatsi Mokgonyana, Billy Langa and the whole team for a superb show and a deserved standing ovation.

Pieces of me

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Pieces of me

I was at the Market Theatre for the opening of “Pieces of me” by Bo Petersen. A poignant play about family, belonging, race and identity. Set in the era of apartheid, the story world is plagued by inequality, segregation and racism. A time of the bompass, when you had to carry your identification documents at all times to gain access to parts of the country. This law severely limited the movements of black South Africans and was viciously enforced by the police with violence and jail time being norm for perpetrators who didn’t have their identification documents at hand. A time of Prohibition of mixed marriages act, an act that made it illegal for a white person to marry any other race, the immortality act, an act that barred sexual relations between whites and non-whites, transgressors could face up to 7 years in prison and the infamous Group Areas act that designated certain areas for certain races among other stringent, harsh and unfair acts.

Pieces of me explores Bo’s life, about how her father classified as “colored” marries her mother classified as “white” and the emotional toll of having to live in secrecy because of the laws imposed on them. After falling in love and having having 5 children together, her father passes off as white, a lie if discovered could send him to prison for 10 years and destroy the family.

Bo Petersen tells the story from different perspectives, her father’s, aunts and grandmother, breaking the fourth wall at times to talk to the audience to make them feel what she felt. The message is powerful and emotive. The acting unbelievable! She also enacts the roles of her aunt, father and grandmother. She is a great storyteller and inhabits all the stage. She is expressive with her body, language and overall demeanor. The set although minimalistic is effective. The hanging suit serves as a homage to her father, it has a presence, a spirit of its own and Bo interacts with it. The lighting nuanced and intimate. Christopher Petersen plays the keyboard and he sets the tone for the play, working alongside Bo to curate the story throughout.

Powerful story.
Powerful performer.

Congratulations Royston Stoffels for a great show and a deserved standing ovation.

INGRID ‘N VLAM IN DIE SNEEU

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INGRID ‘N VLAM IN DIE SNEEU

We attended the premiere of this beautiful adaptation of a tragic South African love story last night. A musical and poetic story revealed by the published collection of letters in Vlam in die Sneeu: Die liefdesbriewe tussen Jonker en Brink, love letters exchanged between Ingrid Jonker and Andre Brink and spanning the length of their relationship between 21 April 1963 and 27 April 1965.

It was a passionate and volatile relationship and they loved each other fiercely.

3 months after writing her last letter to Andre, Ingrid committed suicide by walking into the freezing Atlantic Ocean in Three Anchor Bay and drowning.

I loved this production – a glimpse into the lives and love of two beloved South Africans. Lizelle Pike is beautiful as Ingrid. Ethereal, broken, fragile, giddy with happiness at times and deeply sad at others, overwhelmed by the love she feels for her daughter, Simone, lost, lonely, abandoned, deliriously in love, and eventually defeated. She conveys the essence of Ingrid perfectly – a literary icon with raw emotions, who loved fiercely. I love how light footed she is and the attention to detail – the barefoot girl, in the long red shirt. The blue coat. The yellow teddy bear. The waves crashing.

Poet and writer Jak J Brits weaves Ingrid’s words into a powerful narrative enriched by original compositions and his adaptation allows her poetry to resonate with the modern audience.

The emotions of the piece are interwoven with original new music inspired by Jonker’s poetry. The songs are beautiful and fitting as musical director and pianist Chanie Jonker accompanies Lizelle on stage. It’s haunting!

The direction by Nadia Beukes, Tiaan Kirsten-Lubbe, and Lian Sachse sees Lizelle Pike sometimes delicate and sometimes raw – no matter what, Ingrid’s spirit and voice is always heard.

She was complex, passionate and deeply human. We feel all of her emotions, desires, doubt, and longing and witness her battles with the dark shadows of depression, the same shadows that took her mother.

Presented by Scenario Productions and Die Centurion Teater

Review by SamSays

Life and times of Micheal K

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Life and times of Micheal K

Just when you think you have seen it all, something you haven’t seen comes along and blows you away.

I was at the Market Theatre to watch “The Life and Times of Micheal K”, a novel by JM Coetzee adopted by Lara Foot. The story is told through puppetry and physical theatre. The story is of a man named Michael K, who along with his very sick mother make an arduous journey from Cape Town to her mother’s rural birthplace in Prince Albert amid a fictitious civil war during the apartheid era. To get there Michael K builds a shoddy rickshaw to carry her mother. Along the way they head into some trouble, they don’t have the right paperwork and permits and the little money they have gets confiscated by soldiers. His mother ends-up in the hospital and passes on. She is cremated. Alone, dejected, hungry and with nothing Micheal K carries on the journey to Prince Albert to scatter her dead mother’s ashes. Along the way, he is exploited for cheap labor and he goes through an intense starvation period. Soldiers also misidentify him as a rebel and keep him hostage but he survives and escapes finding his way back to his mother’s apartment in Cape Town. It is revealed that Micheal K has a deformity, a cleft lip and because of this deformity people tend to treat him like he is lesser, slow.

The story-telling with the puppets is amazing. The puppets mimiced the real life movements of humans. The puppet masters understand the human anatomy, how the leg moves and the bend of the knee when the foot touches the base. The movements of the puppets were realistic. Somehow the puppets even had facial expressions, a testament to their realism. Supplemented in was the voice-actors, they breathed in life to the puppets, the puppets were panting, moaning, laughing and just communicating like any other ordinary human being. The puppets moved the story. The manipulators worked in tandem to achieve the desired effect, double teaming in groups of threes or four per puppet to move the limbs, while others lend their voices and manipulated the torso and head. I loved how the goat puppet was manipulated, it moved like a real goat. My favorite scene was the swimming scene, it was so intense. The team chemistry is beautiful. They are deliberate, concise and work with care. Every movement has a purpose, every detail added to the story. With Kyle Shepherd on the score, the show is poignant and emotional. Story-telling techniques like deliberate silence were used to make the audience reflect and take in the significance of what just transpired. After a while, you even forgot about the manipulators, the puppets came alive and told the story.

That was an amazing show, story-telling perfection is my humble opinion. I loved everything about the show, the sets, the props, the lighting, puppets and the music. The 2 hours watching fly, because you are having so much fun. It’s a story-telling masterclass, it’s different, innovative and inspiring. Shout-out to the Handspring Puppet Company, those puppets are just awesome!

Basil JR Jones and Adrian P Kohler are the Puppet Directors

Puppet Masters are:
Sandra Prinsloo
Andrew Buckland
Faniswa Yisa
Craig Leo
Carlo Daniels
Roshina Ratnam
Billy Langa
Marty Kintu
Nolufefe Ntshuntshe
Markus Schabbing

Congratulations Lara Foot and the whole team for a great show and a deserved standing ovation.

Dear Evan Hansen

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Dear Evan Hansen

I was at the Teatro to watch “Dear Evan Hansen”, been looking forward to seeing it for weeks and it didn’t disappoint. The production is simply excellent, live theatre at its absolute best. A musical with a live band, they are not in sight but they are felt throughout the show. The show is seamless and flows effortlessly, the moving stage creates this seamless transition between scenes. The mood is blue and it permeates the auditorium, with blue LED lights flickering, set against a backdrop of screens that are most of the time blue. The screens are also a story-telling device that helped communicate the passage of time. They helped create sets for certain scenes by providing the backdrops and gave us visual cues when the content in the show went viral on the internet, reading all the comments and seeing all the likes on the screen made the experience even better. The set is glorious. I loved the fact that we could hear the conversations Evan had over the internet with his devices. The show is inclusive, we could hear everything, even what was happening in his head, his thoughts, ridden with anxiety. The live band are a nice touch, they are exquisite, the singing wonderful and the acting world class. From voice intonations, body language, hand gestures, micro-expressions and movements. Evan for example is overly anxious, his mind is always racing, he is nervy, uncomfortable, awkward, not sure of himself and just everywhere. This is reflected in his demeanor, tone of voice, expressions and gestures. His hands are always moving, head looking downwards, characteristic mumbling and fumbling, his favorite words to say “I am sorry”. He is riddled by insecurity, he is a mess.

The story explores depression, social anxiety and suicide. The tone is blue, sophisticated color considering the subject matter and link to depression. Evan Hansen, a high school pupil who suffers from depression and anxiety, who also has a broken arm has a hard time making friends. His mother suggests he should let other students sign his cast, that way he will make friends. A student named Connor whom he is not close to signs his cast and ultimately commits suicide. Evan lies about the nature of their relationship, claiming that he and Connor were best friends. The lies pile up and Connors family get involved. Now that Connor is not here anymore, grief makes them regard Evan as their own. They even offer to give Connor’s college fund to Evan, something that enrages Evans hardworking single mother parent. Evan even manages to date Connor’s beautiful sister – surprising, considering his level of social anxiety. He wins her heart by lying, fabricating narratives in the guise of them coming from his brother. The socially awkward Evan benefits immensely from Connor’s suicide, his peers even start looking at him favorably but he can’t live with himself so he tells the truth. It is a moving story about family, belonging, relationships and mental health. Social media is the focal point as we see a number of posts go viral. Viral posts that perpetuate a lie, but through the “Connor Project website”, they also manage to immortalize Connors memory.

Stuart Brown is magnificent as Evan Hansen, he got the nuances spot-on, the mannerisms of someone who is socially awkward, the fidgeting, lack of eye contact, hand movements and voice intonations. His performance carried a lot of range, he made you laugh, he cried, he was vulnerable and he was awkward among other states. He is a phenomenal actor. Sharon Spiegel-Wagner plays Cynthia Murphy. Sharon is my all time favorite performer in the world!

Charlie Bouguenon is Larry Murphy
Keely Crocker is Zoe Murphy
Ntshikeng Matooane is Alana Beck
Justin Swartz is (family friend) Jared Kleinman
Micheal Stray is Connor Murphy
Lucy Tops is Heidi Hansen

The show is truly wonderful and the venue perfect. Everyone performs at a high level. It’s beautiful to watch theatre that connects with the youth, theatre for the times, for the human spirit, theatre that tackles feelings of unworthiness, loneliness and well-being. Theatre that resonates with anybody despite your social standing and influence in the world. The world is plagued by anxiety, pills and other drugs only numb the pain but it doesn’t go away, tomorrow it’s still there and the weight is heavier. We sit with the pain because the world claims depression is not a real condition, meanwhile it eats at us until we can’t carry on anymore. We need more stories like these to normalize depression and mental health, stories to make the common man feel like he is understood. Stories that will make us understand our world much better.

Congratulations How Now Brown Cow Productions for a great show and a deserved standing ovation.

As always SamSays on the credits.

You strike a woman, you strike a rock!

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You strike a woman, you strike a rock!

SamSays delivered the through ball and I controlled and finessed for the match ball, hatrick! I deliver over and over again. Thank you Sam, SamSays on the credits.

I was at Joburg Theatre to watch “You strike a woman, you strike a rock” (Wathint’ abafazi, wathint’ imbokotho). Live theatre at the highest level. The play is set in the Apartheid era, PW Botha is the president, the story world is plauged by inequality, social injustice and poverty. The story opens with a Helicopter scattering, hovering and surveilling the location. The residents hate the roaming Helicopter, they call it a bird, they see it for what it is, spying, surveillance by the government. They curse and swear at every time it features in the show. This describes the relationship the people of the story have with the  government and unjust system. It’s hate, resentment, they feel oppression and utter contempt for the system. We are introduced to the three main characters in a typical market in the Transkei. Children and chaos co-existing in the market, Mambhele and Mampompo sell chickens and Sdudla sells oranges and vetkoeks. They all operate their stalls illegally without permits or permission. The threat of the police or authority is ever present. It’s a woman’s world and men are hardly present. These women fight on a daily to secure their families future, money is tough to get and they work hard. Seeing that opportunities for money are few in the Transkei, they move to a township in Cape Town. In the world of the township, violence prevails as the unrest is prevalent. It is a story-world that is not fair for women, they are easily fired from work by their white employers for coming late, their transport issues not factored in, they are sexually abused for standing up for themselves at the farms and deadbeat unemployed husband’s drink away the family’s money at the shebeen. Despite everything, the women stand strong and they miraculously prevail in this unjust, unequal and in different world.

Money and survival are paramount in this world, we see Mambhele practically prostituting herself to sell chickens, letting her customers interact and touch her inappropriately, boob grabs and just about anything that gets the job done. Mampompo is notorious for robbing his customers change and hiking up prices. Sdudla is surprisingly level headed out of the three. It is physical theatre at its best, sounds of chickens and objects in the play are mimicked to perfection. The performers created a realistic environment, we were transported to their world. They imitated chickens, busses, babies, windows, knocks on doors and the protests on the streets. They have tremendous stage presence and chemistry. They know each other instinctively and intuitively on the stage, they just flow, they just play. They fully embodied their characters on the stage, it was convincing, humorous, wholesome and relatable.The characters are 3 dimensional, they have hopes, dreams and fears. The conversations and interactions felt natural. The play is in English but has an Eastern Cape dialect, you can hear the Xhosa accent and undertone. The characters are alive, they are real, they exist. The performance and acting is just incredible! The performers have incredible range, they were serious, humorous, tearful, excited and Ziaphora even regressed to a child. Incredible endurance and stamina too – a lot happened, they created magic, they were simply amazing.

Barileng Malebye plays Mambhele, Keitumetse ‘Kitty’ Moepang plays Mampompo and Ziaphora Dakile is Sdudla. Excellence all around, live theatre at its very best.

Congratulations Rorisang Motuba and the whole team and a deserved standing ovation.

ABBA

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ABBA

Money, money, money, must be funny, in a rich man’s world. Money, money, money, must be sunny, in a rich man’s world. Yet another great production from Showtime Australia, yet another great pass from Bronwen and B-Sharp entertainment.

I was at the opening of the ABBA Dancing Queen concert hosted by Joburg Theatre. It was Abbasolutely Fabbaulous! I was with Sam and Mia, big fans of ABBA and it’s easy to see why. They were excited about the show but it was not just them. The excitement was in the air and it was contagious! Everyone was excited for this show. The atmosphere was 70’s like, with disco balls and retro music playing in the background before the show commenced. Everyone was in their 70’s outfits, sequins and sparkles were everywhere, it was dazzling! A full house, I love the Joburg Theatre, the experience was memorable. When we finally got inside the auditorium, there was an expectation. We were primed with classics from Micheal Jackson and the Village People – everyone was singing YMCA and that’s before the show! When the show finally commenced it exceeded all expectations. The lighting, the band, the performers, the costumes, it was all grand, we were in the ABBA world and it was awesome! The audience couldn’t stop singing and dancing. The show is interactive, the performers led the songs we were singing and encouraged us to let loose. The show was simply outstanding! Some of the songs performed were Dancing Queen, Waterloo, Gimme, Gimme, Gimme!, Mamma Mia, Take a chance on me, SOS, Money, Money, Money, Knowing Me, Knowing You, Fernando, Thank for the music and other timeless classics! I loved Money, Money, Money, the performers encouraged the audience to participate and we all sang at the top of our lungs. The last song of the program, ” The Winner takes it all” was truly epic, it was mezmarrizing, it was fire – Dracarys!

Jessica Driver is Agnetha Falskoy, Andre Behnke is Benny Andersson, Jimmy James is Bjorn Ulvaeus and Giverny Allen is Anni-Frid Lyngstad. I even saw familiar faces from previous shows produced by Showtime Australia like Dale Ray who was Prince, I see you and Hi Nadine, she was in the Micheal Jackson HIStory Show! Outstanding show, we couldn’t get enough of it! Everything is perfection, from lighting, cheography, music solos, the singing is just out of this world – no hyperbole, go see for yourself, I’ll put my reputation on the line!

Congratulations Showtime Australia and the whole team and a deserved standing ovation!

the assembly improv show

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The Assembly Improv show

Improv – make something up, think on the spot, go with the flow, zen, Bruce Lee, be like water, be formless, quick witted, puns, irony, sacarsm and it has to be humorous! Let’s break the fourth wall, you there, yes you reading this, listening to this, yes hi, happy new year, acknowledge me, make things easier for yourself, I am not going anywhere.

On the square for the Assembly Improv show, filled to the brim, full house. Was with SamSays, it was a great show, unpredictable, spontaneous, quick witted and so funny. We couldn’t stop laughing, we were entertained from the first minute to the last. What I found to be most effective in Improv, is calm. You have to let things process, be in the moment, respond not react. Reactions are filled with anxious energy and that’s not humorous because you bulldoze the act and spoil the tone of the scene. Relax, let other performers have the spotlight. You don’t have to be in every scenario. Listen – don’t bulldoze and overpower others. Anxiety is nervous and not sure of itself, it roams around everywhere, attempts to do everything, please everyone, and it ends up having the opposite effect because it hinders the performance of the other performers to flourish. Calm is controlled, it exudes power, charisma and assurance. When you are calmer, you can be playful and ironic and your punchlines carry more weight. You listen to respond and not to strengthen your view. There were moments of calm and anxiety in the show. I understood the anxiety, entertaining a full house can be exhausting and emotionally draining. It was still a great show, light-hearted, filled with humor and completely unexpected. The show comprised off 6 acts. They improvised about chicken, boyfriend builders, being a little gay, earthworms and burning your mother’s tyre’s.

I loved the two sisters of Case Closed, Megan and Tash Casey. They had a lot of chemistry and complimented each other. They were quick witted, quirky and humorous. The girls of Mechanics of Chaos were simply outstanding! They stole the show, the audience couldn’t stop laughing, they were totally in sync, they complimented each other, they built on each other’s scenes, they listened and added to each other’s scenes, they stuck to performing the scenario the audience gave them; the boyfriend builder and they looked like they were having a lot of fun. I loved them because they were not searching for laughs, anxiety was not a factor, they were in the moment, they loved performing for the audience and it reflected with their performance. Shout-out Itu Chiloane, Mmasehume Raphiri, S’bahle (Sparkles) Hlophe, Sonia Mayor, Tafadzwa Chakanya, Unathi Shongwe and Zanele Sokatsha for a wonderful set. Shout-out to everybody, the gradient, the off cuts and thirst trap. Thank you Daphne Kuhn and the team for the whole experience. Yet another one from Bronwen and B-Sharp entertainment – thank you. Congratulations to The Assembly Improv show and a deserved standing ovation.

Beauty and the Beast

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Beauty and the Beast

Perfect show, a great theatrical experience. I loved everything about the show. It’s bursting with with imagination. It is grand, magical, energic, interactive, vibrant and refreshing. It is a show that has a lot of enthusiasm, from the diverse cast, the multiple sets that keep on changing, the costumes that transport you to that world, outstanding lighting, the amazing sound and sound effects, the singing, dancing and cheography, the rich story world and mesmerizing performers on the stage. It is so humorous and entertaining, I was hooked from the first moment to the last. The songs had the audience singing along. We even sang Shosholoza. The timeless story of “Beauty and the Beast” is revamped and given more color, it has a South African context, it has personality, it is memorable. Gavascon is my favorite character, he is brash, vain, narcissistic and has that Jonny Bravo “I am pretty” aura. The “macho, macho man”, it’s hard to be humble when you are perfect. But of course, he does give everyone indigestion, heartburn and stomach complications. Last infamous words of his first appearance, “They eating the dogs, they eating the cats”, I thought that was funny. The sound effect when the beast was talking, it was raucous and deep, he growled, he was thundering, he was menacing. The witch is really a witch. She flys on her broom, casts spells and has the most wicked laugh. She is diabolical, she shot the audience with her snort gun and turned the prince into a beast. I can’t believe her assistant ate her snort, proclaiming it’s protein. That was nasty. She really doesn’t give a damn about a bad reputation. Beauty is just refreshing and so beautiful. I loved the donkey, the movements, very donkeylike, comedic and talked a lot, reminded me Shrek. Mama (Fairy god mother) and Bonnyface are charming and relatable, very South African too, uses words in the South African lexicon, like kleva, Soweto and mfanawami. Mama is eccentric, she keeps watch over the story and makes sure everyone sticks to the script of the story. I Loved when Mama, Bonnyface, Beauty and the Dad performed the “friends” theme song. That was nostalgic. The 3 sisters are funny, whinny and an echo. It was great to see the beauty of the ballerina and the character with the bread on his head and torso was very peculiar. Not sure what he was. So I went to Sam and she clarified, Monsieur Brioche, a sweet French bread. Thank you so much Sam. SamSays on the credits. I loved everything about the show. The costumes, lighting and sets are truly epic. I can’t wait for Pinocchio next year, a real favorite of mine. Congratulations Janice Honeyman and the whole team for a great show and a deserved standing ovation.

Coal Yard

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Coal Yard

Just about the greatest thing I’ve ever seen. Story-telling on another level. Outstanding show, amazing performers. They were filled with enthusiasm and outflowed with energy. They were relentless on the stage, they were always moving, doing something, complimenting the current act, serving out sound effects, being props – I am not surprised they were sweating. Absolutely no set, just an empty stage and they created magic. Effective story-telling is centered around the premise of showing not telling. The show is a prime example of that premise. Since there is no set, the performers imitate the sound of props. From vacuum cleaners, matches, chairs streetching on the floor, cars, doors, just about everything. The show also has a catchy soundtrack that is sang by the cast members to indicate that time has past or a change of scenes or tempo. It’s literally like watching a movie on stage without the sets and big budget. They paint a picture so effective with the mimicry of props and their sounds and their movements on the stage. The performers are in sync, they work well with each other and assist each other all the way through. Every scene is clear and vivid, it’s descriptive and rich in detail. The transition from scene to scene is seamless, it just flows, it doesn’t even matter that the performers, perform multiple characters. All gents cast and they managed to play ladies, comical but convincing too, they captured the essence of being a woman. It’s unbelievable how they played so many characters effectively. The show is supremely entertaining and funny. It captured the human condition beautifully, they imitated life on the stage and it was artful. The performers are expressive, they make use of the stage to perfection, jumping, running, crawling all about. They have energy. They are full of life. They are humorous. It’s difficult to look away, they are captivating and the different characters command your attention. I have to say Mr. Naidoo is exploitative. Paying someone half-price because he is shorter is ridiculous.

The show contains a three act structure and the hero has an redemptive arc at the end. A story of a man fleeing home owing to sexual abuse by his father. The depiction of this sexual abuse is tasteful and not vulgar and forceful. Instead a container of “Baseline” (Vaseline) is held up for the audience to see, this communicates what is transpiring in the scene. An effective way of saying something, without really saying it. It’s suggestive and effective and works well considering the sensitivity of the subject matter. After the hero flees from home, he gets a job working at a Coal mine and later meets a girl he falls in love with. Traumatized by his father’s sexual abuse, he has a problem performing and ultimately the girl looks the other way, searching for greener pastures. The story comes full-circle when the hero comfronts his father now in prison for his sexual abuse. The story is told by committed actors who are creative and have a lot of range in their arsenal. They love what they do, they were having the time of their lives on the stage. The tone is easy-going and relatable for the average South African of color. No need for fancy dialogue and words, a mixture of “vernac”, “tsotsi taal” and English will do. The lighting of the show is incredible, it too tells and moves the story. Powerful piece of theatre, so artistic and satisfying.

My hat goes off to the performers, Diphapang Mokoena, Tumelo Mokoena, Abongile Matyutyu and Mbovu Malinga, one word – unbelievable! Amazing creatives who literally created magic on the stage. Also, well done to Nomvula Molepo, the lighting designer who helped the artists create this magic. The lighter was gorgeous! SamSays on the credits, another great one Sam. Thank you for sending me out to review this masterpiece. Congratulations Prince Lamla and a raucous standing ovation.