(Andrew-Buckland as Dad & Liezl de Kock as Ginny)
(Part of a series of reviews from the
artSMart team from the festival in Grahamstown)
Returning to the
fringe at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown this year after having won
a Standard Bank Ovation Award on its debut in 2013 was the eccentric
tragicomedy Crazy in Love.
Directed by Rob
Murray and starring Andrew Buckland and Liezl de Kock it is a very funny,
albeit rather poignant little story, of love and loss.
Leon (Buckland) was
abandoned at the altar by Ruth, the love of his life. Together with his baby daughter, Ginny (de Kock), who was the result of this union,
he embarks on a lifelong quest to find Ruth so that the three of them may be
re-united.
After many years
without success the two have essentially become hobos, with Leon a pretty
serious alcoholic to boot. Their search has not gone well and after each
failure Leon has tattooed the name of that town on his body. He looks like a
messy road map.
The humour in the
piece comes from Buckland doing what he does best. High energy physical
performance. He is phenomenal and extracts every ounce of humour and pathos
from the script. Of equal stature is Liezl de Kock’s very complimentary
performance of a young girl becoming a woman in these bizarre circumstances.
The other star of
the show is the amazing shopping trolley the two push with them wherever they
go. Designed by Jayne Batzofin it serves as everything from their home to the
storage place for all sorts of quirky possessions, and even Ginny’s secret
shrine to her missing mother. It is wonderfully inventive and sets a perfect
backdrop for Leon and Ginny to live out their obsession.
Crazy in Love is an innovative and clever production
which will amuse as much as it will create a tear of two. It is something just
little different and is well worth seeing if ever you get the opportunity. –
Keith Millar
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