(Tom
Dennen)
Busy Durban production company, Polart, presents
their second drama of the year: Beggar,
which comes to the Catalina Theatre in Wilsons Wharf at the end of the month.
Beggar is a one-man drama supported by the movie of the same name from
which the lead actor emerges live to tell you his story. Featuring Tom Dennen,
it is a contemporary parable of empathy and compassion.
“We look at people all the time, but do we
see them? We hear people all the time, but are we listening to them? asks
Polart’s Pranesh Maharaj.”The production reminds us to take the time to engage
with those around us; to listen to their stories and not project our own
stereotypes and prejudices so easily onto those whom we meet.
“A foreign man with a different language is
not mad; he is just not understood,” adds Maharaj. “Yet our daily lives and the
status we strive for deny us the time to listen and see those that need us.
Beggar is a work of acute perception and dramatic vigour. It will pose an
interesting challenge to any audience, especially in its execution and style.”
Tom Dennen plays the hapless man who has
lost love among all his worldly possessions. He has a chance meeting with two
students who have their own personal challenges to deal with. The students are
relaxed in their naïve and contrived world, only to slowly discover that there
is more to the beggar than meets the eye: a tale of twists and turns and
unanswered questions.
“We are reminded that a group of people are
not to be blamed for the actions of a few. We are also reminded that the legacy
of our country’s complex past impacts on us all: the struggle was, and still
is, everybody’s,” says Polart’s Vivian Moodley.
“Tom Dennen handles this character with
much control as it is a terrifying contemplation to lose control over one’s
consciousness,” says Moodley. “Tom is able to bring this to the attention of
the audience in a delicate yet engaging way, so that you are able to leave the
theatre with a developed consciousness and heightened senses. Much of this is
achieved in the first of technical experiments in cross mediums.”
Beggar runs at Catalina
Theatre, Wilson’s Wharf from February 26 to March 2 at 19h00. Tickets R100 booked at Computicket.
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