A regular contributor of reviews to artSMart, Margaret von Klemperer visited the recent Hilton Arts Festival and gives her insightful comments on three productions:
VINCENT
It is a cleverly constructed piece, and whether you call it cabaret, or musical theatre, it makes for a very starry night of entertainment. (Review by Margaret von Klemperer)
The music, powerfully sung by Anderson, is taken from various genres – pop, rock and jazz – cleverly reworked to illustrate the story of the artist’s life and quest for love. Ferreira does much more than simply play the piano. Although silent, he is a presence, commenting by look and gesture and bringing a wholeness to the performance. Anderson both tells the story as a narrator and also as Vincent, using the artist’s own words, drawn from his letters to his brother Theo. He makes the tortured and supremely talented character come to life on the stage and engages the audience from the outset. It is a cleverly constructed piece, and whether you call it cabaret, or musical theatre, it makes for a very starry night of entertainment.
MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON
Strout’s writing appeals to thoughtful readers, and this excellent production will appeal to thoughtful theatre-goers as it sets off on its South African tour. (Review by Margaret von Klemperer)
Adapted from Elizabeth Strout’s acclaimed 2016 novel, this is the South African production of what has been a hit play in both London and New York. Directed by Charmaine Weir-Smith and starring Julie-Ann McDowell, it is a one-woman show that explores the relationship between Lucy and her mother.
Lucy is in hospital for a long stay, and wakes one day to
find her estranged mother sitting by her bed. In Strout’s classic, understated
and seemingly undramatic way, the action goes deeply into Lucy’s impoverished
and painful rural childhood, revealing piece by piece what took place, and how
it was seen by both women.
There is no sudden barnstorming revelation, nor any
sentimental reconciliation between the two, but the work is all the more
powerful for that as it slowly unravels the past, the hurts and difficulties
that remain unresolved and unforgotten.
It is a slice of reality, of what is so often left unspoken in family relationships. McDowell holds the audience’s attention completely, whether in the role of Lucy or her plain-spoken, difficult mother. Strout’s writing appeals to thoughtful readers, and this excellent production will appeal to thoughtful theatre-goers as it sets off on its South African tour. – Margaret von Klemperer
MY FELLOW SOUTH AFRICANS
Written by Mike van Graan and performed on a bare stage in front of the curtain by Kim Blanche-Adonis, this is a satirical revue which takes a sharp, witty and sometimes uncomfortable look at the state of the nation, showing many of our fellow South Africans in a light that they might not always welcome and pressing a finger on many a local bruise.
Blanche-Adonis tackles all kinds of sacred cows as she eviscerates the political and social scene in all its disunity and discomfort, taking on a whole host of characters and voices with never a misstep. One of the most telling moments is the panel discussion on the Fees Must Fall movement in South Africa’s universities, showing the disconnect between the various student groups. If these are future leaders of our society, we might be right to panic. Other sketches are lighter as Blanche-Adonis sings, impersonates a chicken and keeps the show moving at breakneck speed.
Inevitably with sketch comedy, some moments land more sharply than others, and with the political scene moving as fast as it does here, it is almost impossible for writers and performers to keep on top of developments. But My Fellow South Africans does a pretty good job of making us wince, and laugh. – Margaret von Klemperer
Margaret von Klemperer's reviews appear regularly on artSMart - often courtesy of The Witness as she will have published these in the Pietermaritzburg newspaper.