Rajesh Gopie’s commitment
to theatre through his performance internship programme has resulted in a
multi-faceted interesting production of drama, song and dance. (Review by
Caroline Smart)
Multiple award-winning actor and director, Rajesh
Gopie – known for his international hit plays Out of Bounds and The Coolie
Odyssey – proudly presents a presentation by the students of his recent
performance internship programme. The idea is to assist individuals looking to
enter the industry.
The result is Hook
or by Crook, a full length political comedy written, directed and produced
by Gopie with assistant producer Lisa Pyanee. Music production is by Jonathan
Yenkendess and choreography by Sureka Singh. The show runs in the iZulu Theatre
at Sibaya until July 8, 2018.
The cast numbers eleven – with varied levels of stage
or performance experience. What Gopie has offered them - and they’ve taken up
the challenge with gusto - has been an intensive course in acting, singing and
dancing.
Gopie admits that it has been a challenging journey,
particularly without public funding, but the end result is testament to his
passion for theatre. He has moulded together a tightly-knit cast who are
disciplined and interact well.
The programme notes state that Hook or by Crook is “premised on the classical archetype of good
vs. evil and uses a magical realist theatrical approach to tease out some of
the fundamental questions being asked of our society today, i.e. how can moral
leadership thrive an age of endemic corruption?”
The setting is in the Bangladesh area of Chatsworth
which has been declared a slum and city officials are sending in bulldozers to
raze all the dwellings. However, there seems to be a suspicious agenda behind
it all. The residents are up in arms and appeal to their “leader” Manikum
Chetty, a former freedom fighter, for support in leading the fight against the corrupt
politicians involved. Manikum has his own personal battles to confront and
these are seen by Mother Earth who decides to send back to earth someone who
can help him. This is no less than Mahatma Gandhi.
Rajesh Gopie’s commitment to theatre through his
performance internship programme has resulted in a multi-faceted interesting
production of drama, song and dance. There are many interesting twists to the
story as the cast take on numerous characters, Gandhi’s staff becomes an
Excalibur-symbol and it is a woman who releases it … and the Guptas aren’t too
far away!
Strong performances come from Lyle Davidson Chellan as Manikum; Byron Mcneil as Gandhi; Sue Vasikan Govender as Shanty; Mello
Gilbert as Police Captain Nyar and Mother Earth; Sheree Thavarayan as Geraldine, and Crystalene Nair as Linda. They are
ably supported by Shalen Maharaj; Preven Reddy; Nokuthula Ncwayiba; Talmon
Lawrence, and Arya Dwarika.
A big problem is the quality of the sound system which
is often unbalanced and detracts from the performances.
Hook Or By Crook runs in
the iZulu Theatre at Sibaya until July 8 with performances from Wednesdays to
Fridays at 20h00; Saturdays at 18h00 and 20h30, and Sundays at 15h00. Tickets
R80, R100 and R150 booked through Computicket, Shoprite/Checkers or Sibaya Box
Office. – Caroline Smart
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