(Faca Kulu and Thabani Mahlobo with Lyschelle Linderboom, Khanyisile Jwaha, Julia Wilson and Derosha Moodley)Heart-warming multi-cultural offering of a new play celebrating our Rainbow Nation, ideal for the Christmas season. (Review by Maurice Kort)
The very accessible, centrally located, and sadly under-utilised Stable Theatre has had a welcome financial injection to make this production possible. This is a result of internationally renowned playwright, producer, director and choreographer, Welcome Msomi, winning the arts category of the Johnnie Walker® Celebrating Strides Awards and honouring his Durban roots by identifying the Stable Theatre as the recipient of the award's cash prize.
He had specific requests for the inaugural production which included that it be dedicated to the late Kessie Govender, the founder of the theatre, and that the plays be written to reflect the stories of South Africa today and the varied cultural constituents to respect and embrace each other's cultures.
The creative team of Caroline Smart (scriptwriter), Thuli Dumakude (director) and Faca Kulu (musical director) have taken the bull by the horns and the resultant Nkanyezi – The Star is a heart-warming celebration of the positive side of our "Rainbow Nation" involving four lady friends from different ethnic backgrounds (a Black, a Coloured, an Indian and a White).
There are no recriminations and no political undertones, only good vibes. Indeed four young entrepreneurs had started their own fashion business and are meeting the night before Christmas Eve to celebrate their first anniversary of the co-operative. True to the spirit of Christmas, unfortunately often taking a back seat in the modern commercialisation of Christmas, Joan (Julia Wilson) and the ebullient and religious Catholic, Gloria (Lyschelle Linderboom), are decorating a Christmas tree for an orphanage down the road.
They are joined by the energetic Nomathemba (Khanyisile Jwaha, winner of the recent Mercury Durban Theatre Award for New Performer - Female) who is just back from a successful trip to the United States, and Tharusha (Derosha Moodley) who is returning from India on a trip to drum up new business. The four are ideally cast and are very convincing in their roles. Joan is suitably shattered when she has the phone call that her mother, whose visit is eagerly anticipated, has been involved in a car accident on the way to Heathrow for her flight to South Africa. Gloria tries her best to give her moral support.
Also in the cast is the Guitarist (Thabani Mahlobo) who takes up his position on the steps of the church across the road from the flat where the main action of the play takes place and he can be seen from the upper balcony of the flat. He hopes to peddle loose change from the passersby while strumming on his guitar with appropriate musical numbers complementing the action. Completing the cast is a Runner (Faca Kulu) who only makes his appearance later in the play. However he and the mysterious guitarist feature strongly in the main storyline.
The script is well written and certainly fulfils the sponsor's mandate of dreaming big, survival, spirit of Ubuntu, being cultural and diverse and sharing beliefs and values. It is also an ideal play for this Christmas holiday season, reflecting its true spirit without being bible-punching in any way. The pace of the play lagged a little when Nomathemba was describing the sad disappearance of her uncle to Tharusha and the lighting was occasionally inadequate when the actresses’ faces were in shadow. These are minor quibbles, though, as the production team are to be congratulated on a fine staging of a well-scripted play with no loose ends being left unresolved.
Nkanyezi – The Star can be seen at the Stable Theatre, 115 Johannes Nkosi Street (formerly Alice Street), until December to 19, Monday to Saturdays at 18h30 (Sunday at 16h00) with Saturday matinees at 14h30. Tickets R30 (R20 students and pensioners). Bookings at the Stable Theatre on 031 309 2513 or email: stabletheatre@telkomsa.net For more information visit www.stabletheatre.co.za – Maurice Kort
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