BLACK AND BLUE
DIRECTOR: James Cuningham
CAST: Sylvaine Strike, Atandwa Kani
VENUE: The Laager at Joburg’s Market Theatre
UNTIL: November 1
RATING: 5 stars (out of 5)
DIANE DE BEER
BLACK and Blue is, simply put, a precious moment in time. Two souls find themselves struggling for survival – of very different kinds and in different ways.
But in their coming together, the loss and longing of the one and the passion and pain of the other bump against one another in extraordinary fashion. But storytelling is a marvelous thing as it creeps into your mind, entangles your thoughts and transports you to another space entirely. With the meeting of theatrical minds in this instance, director and actors have woven a magical tale and tell it in a way that has you smiling and drifting off at moments, wrapped in the softest cotton wool.
There’s the talent of the two actors at play. This is serious as they dare not put a foot wrong or have a hair or shoulder out of place.
Even a sleeve has a special way of hanging over a chair so that you can imagine Maureen as she is supposed to be seen.
Nothing is left to chance, even when it all seems so. Strike and Kani are a perfect match as she selectively smuggles with her eyes, while he delightfully disarms with a smile. They hit you with arrows of pleasure and pain, but it is the most blissful encounter of two souls who share their stories in a way that makes words disappear. It’s about feelings and memories that are tickled, as they open a door and their hearts plant a seed while growing a new life and touch one another with much more than simple skin.
If you want to show someone the magic of live theatre, this is it. It’s enchanting and holds all the ingredients in a way that completely bowls you over.
When something is this perfect, everything that is so powerful about live theatre is unleashed and all you have to do is be there.
Strike and Kani will do the rest and so much more. This is the kind of production where you want to stop people in the street and tell them to go. It’s accessible, tickles all your senses and reminds you why storytelling is such an invigorating experience as it unlocks hidden memories, builds new ones and takes you to a place which nourishes your imagination.
That’s sheer bliss.