“I don’t think there has ever been a play like this,” says director Preven Reddy of Murder on Mondays. Running at the Seabrooke’s Theatre from Friday to July 18, the production is a dark comedy which focuses on a struggling theatre company and their doomed attempts to put on a production of Macbeth.
With an original storyline, Reddy explains how the concept was born: “Resident writer and co-owner of Blunt Productions, Mikhale Singh and I usually sit for about three or four months before we stage anything and come up with basic ideas of a narrative. We knew that whatever he wrote, it needed to be a South African comedy because we felt that with the amount of stress and trouble the country was going through three or four months back, we wanted to offer something audiences can laugh to as well as remind them why we are a rainbow nation, a nation like no other.”
Shedding light on the themes in the production, Reddy says it’s a very layered piece of theatre dealing with issues about staying true to yourself and not changing your cultural upbringing in order to fit in with the industry you’re trying to get into. He shares: “The show also deals with putting on a production and the things that audiences do not necessarily see, the financial woes of doing plays in South Africa and, lastly and most importantly, the myth of Macbeth and how it is a cursed production and should never be done in theatre. We sort of delve into that whole aspect and try to play science over the unexplained.”
Ironically, the director says the biggest challenge of this production was assuring the cast that the “curses” of Macbeth are not real: “In all seriousness, there have been no major hiccups with the production. As director, the only thing I did find tricky was finding creative ways to block a cast of 11 or 12 on stage without it looking clunky or sloppy.
“However, I think we managed to do a good job as a lot of the cast did pitch in with their ideas of how or what their characters should be doing at certain times, which made my job a lot easier.
“Another issue, which was definitely a personal issue, was while we were in rehearsal for Murder on Mondays, I was also in rehearsal for the 15th Annual Rainbow Young Performers production, Soldiers in the City, where I have been called back as one of the professional actors to join the cast. So there was definitely a lot of juggling, but I think we’re all ready to go and for the audience to enjoy the show.”
Reddy concludes that Murder on Mondays is filled with lots of laughter. “It is so light-hearted and fun while also subtly dealing with issues that people deal with daily. And most importantly, it will remind you why we are the rainbow nation and why we are the friendliest people in the world.”
l At Seabrooke’s Theatre, DHS from Friday until July 18. R100 at Webtickets.