An excellent and thought-provoking piece of
theatre. (Review by Caroline Smart)
One of the highlights of the recent Hilton
Arts Festival was the inclusion of two plays from the Baxter Theatre in Cape
Town - Karoo Moose and The Inconvenience of Wings.
I managed to see Karoo Moose and was extremely moved by its message and impressed by
its presentation. Lara Foot is a highly acclaimed playwright, director and
producer – and justifiably so.
The talented cast which included Bongile
Mantsai and Zoleka Helesi, along with Chuma Sopotela, Mdu Kweyama, Thami Mbongo
and Mfundo Tshazibane display their extensive versatility in performing key
characters as well as doubling up to play a number of additional roles. I was particularly
enchanted with the actors playing children – kneeling, using children’s voices
and holding up tiny outfits.
To quote the programme notes: “this is a
story of pain, redemption and hope. It cleverly and creatively combines
traditional African storytelling and magical realism and has already garnered
18 prestigious local theatre awards. In an impoverished village in the Karoo, a
young girl, Thozama, struggles to survive. Her life is changed forever after
her father uses her to pay his gambling debt.”
Interwoven with this, is the story of the
moose that is running wild around the countryside. A strange choice of creature
for South Africa but it is said that the moose was on its way to a zoo but
escaped the truck. Thozama ends up killing the moose but at the same time using
it to wreak her own vengeance on the man who has abused her.
Amid the pain, turmoil and suffering, there
is much humour as well as an endearing love theme.
The actors don’t leave the stage which is
surrounded by a multitude of props. I was fascinated by the use of palm fronds
to create the moose’s antlers and create rain sounds. The birth of Thozama’s
child was brilliantly handled.
An excellent and thought-provoking piece of
theatre. – Caroline Smart
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