(Jenna Dunster and Mothusi Magano)Neil Coppen’s highly acclaimed dramatic comedy, Abnormal Loads, is a KZN flagship show, and a must-see for theatre-goers in Durban.
Standard Bank Young Artist Award winner for Drama in 2011, Neil Coppen’s latest stage work has its Playhouse debut season from March 16 to 31, before transferring to the Market Theatre in Johannesburg for a run from April 11.
This work swept the boards at the 2011 National Arts Festival in Grahamstown. It is set in a fictional battlefield town in the once war-ravaged valleys of Northern KwaZulu-Natal. It has been described as a breath-taking amalgamation of ghost story, love drama, historical epic and dark comedy…a lyrical (at times, bloody) praise-poem to the Province of KZN and its myriad of characters and cultures.
Described in The Witness as “a profound, complex and deeply moving piece of theatre”, and by The Mercury’s critic last year as “one of the most astonishing productions at this year’s Grahamstown Festival”, Abnormal Loads is presented by Think Theatre in association with The Playhouse Company, with support by the Catalina Unltd, Arts and Culture Trust and The National Arts Festival.
In creating his ground breaking piece, “Coppen didn’t simply juxtapose the past and present, he allowed history to run parallel to the present, eventually allowing the two to intersect, at its climax, in such a way that they become indistinguishable from each other”, wrote the Sunday Independent’s drama critic.
Further reviews are as illuminating: “In this production there is no caricature, just real warm-blooded South African characters… Movement, sound, multimedia, music and shadow-play combine seamlessly with the actors on stage demonstrating just how beautiful history can be when placed in the right hands,” opined Beeld’s reviewer, while Mind-Map SA praised Coppen’s achievement as “a structural triumph in a medium that is often infested by creative repetition”.
Abnormal Loads’ protagonist is Vincent Bashford, a mixed-race descendent of the town’s founding father, who grows up alongside his conservative colonial grandmother, Moira, on a small-holding outside of the town. After 29 years spent in relative isolation, Vincent begins to dream of an escape. Spurred on by his new friend, Katrien Joubert, the rebellious 16-year-old daughter of the NG Kerk dominie, and Moira’s domestic worker, Prudence, the three youngsters begin to unravel a series of secrets and events that connect them across time, memory and history.
With a narrative that whisks audiences through two centuries of South African history, Abnormal Loads presents a theatrical universe where the past runs in tandem with the present. It takes an irreverent look at how history is misconstrued to suit the individual’s needs, while offering a humorous reflection on the many contradictions and complexities of life in small town South Africa as events shift seamlessly from the grandeur of a battle-field in 1879 to the intimacy of the bedroom in 2011.
Written and designed by Neil Coppen, the production is directed by Coppen and Jana Ramos Violante. It features a multi-talented cast comprising some of the country’s finest actors, including Allison Cassels, Mothusi Magano (of Totsi and Plein Street fame) and Jenna Dunster (Isidingo), with Fortunate Dhlomo, Ntombikayise Gasa, Nhlakanipho Manqele, Clinton Small, Thomie Holtzhausen and Nosipho Bophela.
Once again Coppen has collaborated across disciplines and mediums to bring his new work to life. Movement, sound, music, multi-media and shadow combine to create an arrestingly original theatrical experience.
Lighting design by Tina le Roux and sound design by Tristan Horton offsets an original score by Gary Thomas. The production’s Heliograph Hill is designed and built by Xavier Clarisse. Audio visuals are by Vaughn Sadie and additional period costuming by Julia Wilson and Neil Stuart-Harris. Military uniforms are by courtesy of The Dundee Die Hard re-enactment group.
Abnormal Loads runs in The Playhouse Drama in Durban from March 16 to 31. Previews are on March 16 at 19h30 and March 17 at 14h30, with the opening night on March 17 at 19h30. Performances Tuesdays to Saturdays at 19h30, with 14h30 matinees on Saturdays and Sundays (no evening shows on Sundays). No show on March 21 (Public Holiday). Two morning schools performances will be given on March 22 (no evening show).
Early booking is strongly advised. Tickets R110 adults (R80 students and pensioners) booked through Computicket on 083 915 8000 or online at www.computicket.com or Playhouse box office hotline 031 369 9540 (office hours). School bookings at discounted prices through Margie Coppen on 031 266 1459 / 083 251 9412.
See Caroline Smart's review of the production when it appeared in Grahamstown at http://news.artsmart.co.za/2011/07/abnormal-loads.html
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