THE BUTCHER BROTHERS

Review by Margaret von Klemperer of production at Hilton Festival 2010. (Courtesy of The Witness)

The hand of director Sylvaine Strike is clear in this production: that clever mix of the hilarious and the poignant where she excels. Masked throughout, performers Mongi Mthombeni and Jacques de Silva tell through mime the macabre (sometimes deeply macabre) tale of a small town family butchery which is run by a ballroom dancer who had to give up his career when his parents died, and the faithful family retainer. There are also appearances by a wanted kidnapper and a flirtatious policewoman.

The relationship between master and servant is clearly established early on, but things are set to change when there is an unexpected intrusion into their lives. Their peaceful, if rather gloomy, existence begins to spiral out of control as events head towards a bloody conclusion. There are wonderful props, particularly a mincer/sausage machine and a collection of butchers’ knives. Those should warn the squeamish, but don’t be put off. I watched with a school audience, and they were clearly loving both the action and the emotion of the piece. - Margaret von Klemperer