(Menzi Mkhwane and Sabelo Ndlovu)Paving their way forward as two young actors to be reckoned with on the theatre scene, Sabelo Ndlovu and Menzi Mkhwane opened this evening in the DUT Gallery with their work Pockets of Knowledge which has a short run this week.
It’s a piece that demands all the versatility – and then some – of Ndlovu and Mkhwane as they tell the tale of a school in a typical African village while taking on the persona of numerous characters along the way. The play opens with them explaining that they are former students of the school which burnt down and are standing in its ruins to pay tribute to their late Chief Bab’Mantshongo by unveiling a statue in his honour.
We go on to meet the gravediggers, the jittery principal Mr Mthembu and committed bespectacled teacher thishu’ Mazibuko before the catalyst arrives in the form of ruthless Mr Mthambo. He is full of ideas for improving the school, then going further to upgrade the surrounding landscape. Politics enter the arena as the villagers are asked to elect a councillor for the area.
The title refers to the handouts that Mr Mthemba pays to those would normally thwart him, including the principal. On the surface the idea is good – create a mall with a craft market in the middle of a depressed area. However, this would involve chopping down a great number of trees and alarm bells ring about the devastation of the landscape for commercial purposes.
The principal acknowledges that it’s a great idea to put a swimming pool and a gymnasium into the school but, as he states ironically– half the learners can’t swim and the other half probably can’t even spell “gymnasium”.
It’s a cleverly devised script about how human greed for financial gain and political power can slowly erode traditional values of respect and good training.
Menzi Mkhwane is all too clearly the son of his father, acclaimed actor Bheki Mkhwane, who directs the play and created a new style of South African theatre with his long-term partner Ellis Pearson about 20 years ago. I often had to remind myself that I was watching the son, not the father. Sabelo Ndlovu matches Menzi in versatility and the production crackles with energy as they tell their story which includes some very funny scenes.
My only criticism is that, while their vocal imitations of the sounds of creaking doors, digging graves, fire alarms, filing cabinets and police sirens are highly skilled and extremely accurate, these do tend to slow the story down. I would suggest that they follow the time-honoured belief that “less is more”.
All this was created in the space of the Art Gallery at DUT surrounded by its white walls carrying the current exhibition. If these two can create such theatrical magic in such a non-theatrical space, I can’t wait to see it on a real stage.
Pockets of Knowledge runs until June 15 at 19h00 in the DUT Art Gallery (Steve Biko campus above the library). The play is approximately 90 minutes with no intermission Tickets at the door R30 from Monday to Thursday (R25 on Friday). Bookings on 072 716 7950 or 083 382 6054. – Caroline Smart
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