Important new role players in the entertainment industry present quirky and eccentric black comedy. (Review by Keith Millar)
I saw the Epicene Butcher and Other Stories for
Consenting Adults at the Musho! Festival at the Catalina Theatre in Durban
and was very impressed by the innovation and creativity shown by Jemma Khan. So
when I saw that she was part of the creative team behind The Last Show, playing on the Fringe at the National Arts festival
in Grahamstown, I was very keen to see it.
I was not disappointed.
The Last Show is a quirky and
eccentric black comedy. While it is very different in presentation from the
Japanese Kamishibai story telling of The
Epicene Butcher the idiosyncratic style of Khan is very apparent, and the
innovation and creativity remain the same.
The play tells the
story of Ronel whose marriage has ended. She, her son Ronnie and their dog
Rusty have had to move from their upmarket home in Dainfern to the harsh
reality of the inner city suburb of Brixton in Johannesburg. They try to make
the best of their circumstances and find ways to cope with this difficult
environment. But even at this point, their jolly temperaments and false
cheerfulness suggests a level of paranoia. Also the relationship between mother
and son is worryingly close. Slowly as the pressures mount they spiral further
and further out of control and descend into mania and lunacy. Finally a meteor
strike in central Johannesburg convinces them that the end of the world has
arrived.
Adding to the
mayhem is a set which consists of stacks of cardboard boxes used for the move,
and various electrical appliances which randomly switch on and off.
Sound effects are
also extensively used throughout the play and it was to the credit of the young
lady who was responsible for sound that these were all played in on cue and at
the right levels.
There is plenty of
humour throughout this piece, but one cannot help feeling a little uneasy for
laughing at this poor family’s desperate circumstances.
The roles Ronel and
Ronnie are played by Toni Morkel and Roberto Pombo. The acting style adopted is
over the top and verging on comic at times. This is probably intentional as it
enhances the eccentricity of the play. With this in mind, both actors can be
commended for excellent and sustained performances.
Direction of The Last Show is by Jemma Khan and it
was written by Gwydion Beyon. With this production both have enhanced their
reputations of being important new role players in the entertainment industry.
I look forward to their next offering.
If you like your
entertainment a little different and a little off the wall then The Last Show is worth seeing. It will
be playing at the Drill Hall daily at 14h00 until July 7. Tickets R60 (R45
children, R50 students and scholars) – Keith Millar
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