LITTLE FOOT

Post-Grahamstown: July 12, 2012 – Review by Sifiso Sikhakhane

As I was looking through the National Arts Festival programme, I realised that Neil Coppen was the production designer for Little Foot and that was more than enough to have me interested in the piece. I must admit that I have always been a Coppen fan. I have always found his work aesthetically thrilling, hence I could not wait to witness what he had now cooked with the other theatre top dogs, Craig Higginson and Malcom Purkey. Little Foot …food for the soul? Nope, I don’t think so. The production turned out to be a huge fat smack in the face!

This is a story of a group of university student friends who decide to have a reunion on New Year’s Eve in the Sterkfontein caves. The heart-breaker, Wizard (Dylan Nicol Horley) arrives with his new girlfriend, Rebecca (Phumzile Sitole) which then provokes the jealous ex, Coco (Jenna Dunster) who seeks vengeance against Wizard. We also discover that Braai (Khayelihle Dominique Gumede) is in love with Coco and Moby (Glen Biderman- Pam) is obsessed with his friend, Wizard.

I somehow failed to connect with the story (perhaps issues with the direction or the acting…?), so instead I just had to rely on Coppen’s striking set, the beautifully grotesque masks and how it was all being utilised on that beautifully-lit stage by another favourite Durbanite and award- winning lighting designer, Tina le Roux. The chorus was made up of strong performers: Kyla Davis, Jacques de Silva, Sibulele Gcilitshana, Peter Langa and Sello Sebotsane. All five of them gave a stellar performance which was a bit comforting after the disappointment one experienced from the production as a whole.

Little Foot was presented at the 2012 National Arts Festival Main programme by the Market Theatre in association with the National Arts Festival. – Sifiso Sikhakhane