Director Yael Farber returns to the Playhouse
- following the acclaimed production of SeZaR in 2002 - bringing to the
Oxford stage a vivid and immediate portrayal of the struggle for survival
against the odds in South African townships.
Amajuba is a direct-impact dramatisation of the stories of five young
people growing up in the tough and impoverished world of the townships,
surviving hardship with a potent mix of song, prayer, resilience and an
indomitable determination not to look back but to move forward. That momentum
is the key to this production.
We are told five stories from Yael's 'wasteland of discarded memories'
- not exceptional stories, but representative of 'the countless stories
that will never be told'. The five actors, dressed simply and working
in a basic set with minimal props, bring these 'small' stories directly
to life for the audience with power and authenticity. They seek to find
their way out of the darkness seeping into their lives, and they sing
when their untold stories cannot stay silent any longer. Most of all,
they try to leave the past where it belongs - behind.
The stories told are based on the lives of the cast, making Amajuba true-to-life
in the best sense and, unsurprisingly, the stories are delivered with
conviction. Each character tells his story using a rhythmic mix of narration,
dialogue, mime and song. The stories present vivid images in both word
and movement and when these coincide the message is very powerful. We
see the struggle against darkness, against silence, and the effort to
reclaim the light of hope. The dialogue is beautiful at times - realistic,
yet poetic and expressive.
The actors cavort over the stage mixing mime, movement, dialogue and
song to great effect and giving the storytelling a dance-like quality.
The pace is urgent as the action cuts from scene to scene giving the impression
of rapidly turning pages in a book. We see a father abandon his family
following forced relocation and his painfully unsuccessful attempt at
reconciliation, a girl subjected to attack by a gang and a police tear
gas attack. Most of all we see the irrepressible energy of the characters,
their ability to rise from the brink of defeat and move on.
Song provides the backdrop for them to rise from their troubles with
spirit. The whole production is suffused in original song with the actors
producing their own constant sound backdrop of haunting harmonies, more
powerful and evocative than any line of dialogue. The song holds the story
and sets the mood as much of the dialogue is delivered in native tongue
guided by narration in English. The immediacy this gives the scenes of
family strife, brutal policing and gangland violence is striking.
In the final scene the actors summarise their childhood stories and assess
how far they have come. To survive and keep momentum they have had to
look forward in spite of the prevalence of death around them, but in the
end it is time to bury the past and rise from its ashes. Time moves, and
the momentum has been clearly shown dramatically as well as in words.
Uniting word and movement into a tightly woven whole is Amajuba's greatest
triumph. The production is authentic from the heart. And that is why the
audience rose to their feet to applaud it.
Kathryn Karakaya 23.07.03
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