(Kim Blanche Adonis.
Pic supplied)
Mike van Graan is a household name in theatre, best known for his post-apartheid plays that reflect upon South African culture, politics and turmoil. His latest offering, My Fellow South Africans, is a one-person, multi-sketch, satirical show that has all the charm needed to ignite dialogues in the audience through witty words and cunning commentary that questions South African politics and current affairs. It is no wonder that the show has already piled up numerous awards and played to sold-out audiences across the country.
The script is deliciously enticing. I relished in the Shakespeare references with a Cape flats version of Romeo and Juliet and an entire monologue describing fears and anxieties of South Africans written by using the titles of Shakespeare's plays as descriptive speech and emotions. This was remarkably clever and very revealing of van Graan's boundless talent as a writer.
The direction is simple but effective. There was one lighting state for the entire show, which was presented in The Playhouse Loft Theatre, with the house lights left on to allow for interaction between the actress and the audience. I am accustomed to directing one-person shows with myriad costume effects but this show relies primarily on accents and physicalisation to portray the numerous characters that are depicted.
The acting is superb. The exceptionally talented Kim Blanche Adonis carries us through the metaphors, mayhem and music with poise and persuasion. It takes a remarkable talent to capture an audience through a one-person show but she does it with ease and confidence. She held her own on the Loft stage. An incredible talent that saw her play five characters in one scene with the utmost breeze.
The storyline covers the ongoing saga with Eskom and load shedding, the staggering number of corrupt politicians and corruption in government, the still-presiding race politics (30 years into democracy), the alarming presence of femicide, and the hope for a better future to come.
This one-hour long masterpiece had us laughing, applauding and questioning our lived realities. I was impressed by the script and the acting talent and am always looking forward to van Graan's next piece. - Dr Verne Rowin Munsamy