(Madelaine Davis & Brandon Moulder)
Impressive
new multi-layered work from notable new talent. (Review by Caroline Smart)
It’s
always an exhilarating experience to see a new work written and performed by
Durban actors, boding well for the success of the new wave of notable performing
talent waiting in the wings to move into mainstream theatre.
Having
opened tonight for a short run at DHS’s Seabrooke’s Theatre, Transition is written and designed by
Madelaine Davis who performs alongside Brandon Moulder. The production comes
straight from the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown where a reviewer from the
festival newspaper Cue made the following comment: “You will be left speechless
and touched after this fantastic piece”.
Often
the fringe reviews in Cue can be a bit over-the-top but this time, I agree with
the reviewer’s sentiments.
Transition offers an edgy, humorous and multi-layered one-acter set in a rehab centre where we meet two total misfits who have lost the
capacity to feel that they belong anywhere. Ia is a cocaine addict suffering
from cystic fibrosis. The only thing in which she can find beauty is the sun as
it rises and sets. She’s angry, disillusioned and rages at the world.
Taking the
brunt of this anger is Paul who is prone to suicide attempts and has turned to
religion to make some sense of his life. While she sorely stretches his
patience, he greets Ia’s jibes, insults, sneering and posturing with calm admonition.
As the
play progresses, Ia’s outspoken off-the-wall behaviour gradually rubs off onto
Paul while he patiently tries to introduce her to his way of thinking. Leading
to some very funny moments, the former process is more successful than the
latter.
There
are two processes here – centre stage where the two meet in a little-used meeting
room and at the two side stages behind flats. Backlit, the shadow play shows
how each character goes through their own personal hell in privacy, eventually
progressing towards a more positive state … or otherwise.
Davis’s
script is well-constructed, taking the audience through numerous mood swings,
dynamic energies and very poignant moments. The final scene is extremely
well-handled. All credit to Davis and Moulder as well as their director, Vedarsha
Singh. My only adverse comment is that Davis is prone to rapid-fire speech and
we miss a lot of what she says. However, this is easily corrected.
Transition runs nightly at 19h00 at Seabrooke’s
Theatre at DHS until Sunday (July 28) when the show is at 18h00. It is 45 minutes
in length with an age restriction of 13.
Tickets
R60 (R50 students/pensioners/block bookings) booked through Brandon Moulder on
083 643 2087 or email: brandonmoulder@gmail.com
– Caroline Smart
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