An earthy ode to multiculturalism

Published Apr 19, 2011

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SILENCE OF THE MUSIC

DIRECTOR: Basil Appollis

CAST: Michelle Maxwell, Royston Stoffels, Loukmaan Adams, Keenan Arrison, Sury Boltman

VENUE: Baxter Theatre

UNTIL: April 30

RATING: ***

In Silence of the Music a couple in 2030 undertake a nostalgic reflection on their romance and courtship during the 2010 World Cup.

Some memories are joyous, like her engagement ring given to her on Signal Hill under the light of the full moon. Others are less so: their intercultural marriage – he a Sufi taxi driver, she a Christian composer of music – and the tension it caused in their families and communities; a tension that ultimately forced them to into exile in the Karoo, “that vast bowl of emptiness”.

The show focuses on the possibilities of love and togetherness between conflicting cultures, or how young people throw themselves into what one character calls the “global breyani”.

In the spirit of the cosmopolitan Cape, musicians and singers from a wide variety of genres, cultures and styles are summoned to the stage.

The opening performance demonstrates each voice and instrument, gently suggesting the fusion and sense for the spectacular that is to come.

There are haunting Hebrew melodies from Maya Spector and dramatic Bollywood vocals from Asmina Aleker.

Sury Boltman provides spiritually charged Sufi chants, and fast-paced flamenco riffs come from the fingers of guitarist Bienyameen.

The result is a musical that combines far-flung elements of culture into one and is a fairly overblown performance with a flair for the fantastic.

The story explores the meeting of Khalil and Maria during the exuberance of the World Cup.

They fall for each other in a typical schedule of swooning and longing.

But soon after announcing their marriage, they run into a problem.

The gentle jabs at Maria being a Christian (“Where’s her doek? Haraam!”) become more severe.

Their friends, families and communities attempt to tear them apart.

This initially takes the form of humour in the show. In the interludes, a comical duo called Solomon and Suleiman riff on the subject of marriage and religion, providing huge supplies of comic relief.

But by the second act, the upbeat songs have disappeared and the show takes on a sombre tone as a physical threat forces the couple to leave Cape Town.

A lively and energetic production, Silence of the Music is not without its flaws.

The narrative suffers from a lack of sophistication, telling an old story without nuance. It doesn’t add to the body of theatre that has told the heard-before tale of “star-crossed” lovers.

It has slimmed down on the complexity of religious conflict to accommodate the story within the musical format.

And a tendency for cheap moralising in the first act reaches its crescendo in the second, when the chorus Why do you think you’re the chosen ones? You kill in the name of god! appears.

The musical numbers are sometimes enthralling and sometimes quite boring – lyrically it is rather underwhelming.

But all these things said, with instrument, voice and dance at its centre, Silence of the Music does an entertaining and lavishly produced job of suggesting that music is the universal language that will overcome all odds.

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