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Refreshing township drama in CT
26/09/2007 14:12 - (SA)
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| Wandisile Makana delivers a great performance as a youth in search of answers to his troubled past and his uncertain future in The Living. (Photo supplied)
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Joe Meyer
Cape Town - It is not always easy to know what seems to be familiar. Themba Tsotsi's drama The Living is a refreshing and intimate glimpse into township life and teenage trauma that offers everyone an opportunity to foster a new understanding.
Set in contemporary Gugulethu, The Living focuses on a middleclass family that is forced to reconcile their differences through tragic events.
It tells the story of a teenager (Lungi Phinda), who lives with his older brother (Wandisile Makana) and his aunt (Mhimhi Mabona), and shakes the foundation of their tranquil existence when he starts digging into the past.
It has a raw-edged neo-realism that strikingly reflects the realities of living in a culture where tradition forms the cornerstone of the community, and how these traditions are heavily compromised by contemporary conventions.
Heartfelt honesty
Tsotsi's township expressionism is a window into a world he understands and now shares with a heartfelt honesty.
The Living is an introspective journey into the soul of a culture that lives in the shadow of society.
It's about living the lifestyle of a gangster, the life of a teenager growing up in world filled with uncertainty, and the life of a single mother who sits on her cushy throne and rules her kingdom.
The tainted confessions and unspoken secrets force the characters to reveal their true selves and clearly shows how easy it is for those who are closest to us, to become total strangers; how this gap in communication corrupts the bonds that tie, and ruins the love that could become a saving grace.
The play is also the story of a gangster's gun that finds its way into a middleclass family and destroys their lives.
Sensitive direction
The Living never labours the exposition and comes to a point, thanks to the sensitive direction by Fatima Dike.
Some of the most powerful scenes in the play are without dialogue, and offers vibrant visual action that Dike infuses with a much needed sense of humour, strengthening the dramatic impact and allowing the characters to burst to glorious life.
Dike masterfully manipulates the dramatic pauses that heighten the suspense and tension, allowing her potent cast to express themselves with an indisputable sincerity.
The Living, a product of Artscape's New Writing Programme, is an ideal opportunity for those who want to take a step outside their familiar world and add a new dimension to their rigid views of being a South African.
The Living is on at Artscape Arena for one week only, and ends its run on September 30.
Booking is at Computicket or Artscape Dial-a-Seat.
- News24
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