(Atandwa
Kani & Nat Ramabulana. Pic by Val Adamson)
Splendid
performances in a riveting, highly amusing, acutely sensitive and memorable
production. (Review by Caroline Smart)
You
enter the Playhouse Loft to be greeted by the sight of Matthew Macfarlane quietly
playing his guitar and sitting alone on a stage which is bare apart from two
book flats to mask exits and entrances.
The lack
of props and set – or costumes (the performers remain simply dressed in T-shirt
and slacks throughout) - becomes barely noticeable as Atandwa
Kani and Nat Ramabulana launch into Hayani
which forms part of the Playhouse Company’s current season of New Stages.
Written by Kani, Ramabulana and Warren
Nebe, Hayani charts the journey of
two men from childhood to adulthood. At the same time, it moves through recent
South African history, making this a thought-provoking as well as an excellent
educational piece.
The play starts off as Atandwa and Nat
separately recount their first childhood memories of going back to their
respective family homes. (Hayani means
“home‟ in Venda)
The one travels to Port Elizabeth in a
comfortable Mercedes with his family and siblings and the other is crushed into
a taxi with his mother on the way to Limpopo. I can boast that I have had the
privilege of having Ramabulana sit on my lap (not once but twice) when he came
into the audience to act out the journey!
Between them, they play a mind-boggling
myriad of characters – male and female – from naive and energetic children to frustrated
parents, drunkards to dope artists, a bereaved young woman or a nose-rubbing taxi
queue marshal as well as an eye-twitching old man or a dignified old lady from
Parkhurst.
They run through a gamut of emotions, they
switch languages and their accents range from township to upper class English.
Each new role is a perfect cameo in itself. You’ll
laugh at some of the delicious nonsense, you’ll cry at beautifully-handled
sensitive scenes and be impressed by the pair’s dancing abilities. They both give
memorable performances in this compelling production that is riveting, highly
amusing and acutely sensitive. All this, supported by Macfarlane’s impressive on-stage
soundscape which reflects the various scenes and moods.
Apart
from the distinctive Kani smile, close your eyes and Atandwa
is definitely his
father’s son with very similar vocal patterns. You can see John Kani in Missing which comes to the Playhouse
Drama next week.
Hayani runs in the Playhouse Loft for only two more performances –
Saturday (May 9) at 19h30 and Sunday (May 10) at 15h00. Booking is at Computicket. Don’t
miss it! – Caroline Smart