(Jennie Reznek)
A superb and mind-blowing solo performance from Jennie Reznek.
(Review by Caroline Smart)
I Turned Away &
She Was Gone was presented in Grahamstown by the National Arts Festival and
Magnet Theatre.
Nominated for four Fleur du Cap and 2 Naledi Awards, I Turned Away & She Was Gone “poetically
explores the passage and cycle of life of three generations of women – mother daughter,
grandmother – and the relationship we all have with our past, present and
future selves.” It is also described as “a journey of discovery of the bonds
that connect mothers and their children.”
Directed by Mark Fleishman who also created the exceptional
lighting design, the production features a superb and mind-blowing solo
performance from Jennie Reznek who also wrote the piece. It is a reworking of
the ancient Greek myth of Demeter and Persephone. The story goes that Demeter’s
daughter Persephone was gathering flowers one day when she was captured by the god
of the underworld. There was never any trace of her whereabouts or how she had
disappeared.
The set involves three baths and there is a strong focus on
water, representing a volcanic pool or the mythical River Styx which borders Earth
and the Underworld. This is a “drought-friendly production” as Reznek quips so
there is very little actual water involved but I would imagine that it would be
a highly dramatic water-drenched production in normal times! A screen takes us
on the journey as we move between moods or characters.
In this version of the myth, Persephone owns a holding in
the Valley of 1000 Hills in KZN with a beautiful sculpted garden barely
controlled by barbed wire fencing in need of repair. Demeter has been warned never
to go through it.
This is a powerful theatre piece involving choreography by
Ina Wichterich where Reznek takes on the roles of Demeter, her mother and her grandmother.
It is an excellent showcase of Reznek’s considerable versatility as the script
requires her to handle a vast gamut of emotions from infinitely gentle or
fiercely tender to bellowing with rage, frenzy and frustration.
The storyline is heartbreaking, no doubt about it, but
Reznek has infused much humour where appropriate – this is particularly seen
with the grandmother who battles to find the word she needs at the time. There
is superb handling of the final moments. – Caroline Smart
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