Arts writer
IN addition to Fruit, a hard-hitting one-hander at the Baxter’s Masambe Theatre, another production at the venue pays homage to the resilience of women. Egoli, which was selected on merit as the best-seller at The Zabalaza Theatre Festival, is being staged until Saturday.
The production is written and directed by Bongani Titana, and is being staged on the Baxter’s Golden Arrow Studio stage. The musical theatre production, which is performed by an ensemble cast of nine young actors, won the best musical director award, most outstanding artist of the festival (Zikhona Jacobs) award and the Outright-Faisit award for performance excellence (Ayanda Dakuse).
With music composed by Titana, this story is vibrantly brought to the stage through song. Here Madlamini is a strict, God-loving woman from a rural village who travels to Egoli in search of her husband. He left their home for the big city in order to find a job and make some money for his family. However, his plans were derailed when he got sucked into the fast and sometimes dangerous life of the big city, and now Madlamini journeys to find him.
There is a matinee performance this Saturday. Schools who would like their learners to see the show can enquire about performances at 10am and 12pm.
Fruit is written and directed by Paul Noko from the Soweto-based Dala Arts, and is performed in English with some isiZulu by 19 year-old Matshediso Mokoteli.
Fruit won the most promising actress, best script and best visiting production awards at The Zabalaza Festival.
The work deals with the loss of innocence and relays the simple tale of a young girl called Matlakala, who uses a game called masikitla to tell her story about what life is like for her growing up in Diepkloof, which is ravaged by crime and poverty.
In her game she uses stones to represent the 16 characters from her neighbourhood, which she seamlessly portrays.
l Tickets R35. Book: Computicket, 0861 915 8000, www.computicket.co.za or book at any Shoprite or Checkers outlet. For any discount school, charity, or fundrasing events, as well as block bookings: Sharon, 021 680 3962, or Carmen, 021 680 3993, carmen. kearns@ uct.ac.za