Grocott's Mail
  • NEWS
    • Courts & Crime
    • Features
    • Politics
    • People
    • Health & Well-being
  • SPORT
    • News
    • Results
    • Sports Diary
    • Club Contacts
    • Columns
    • Sport Galleries
    • Sport Videos
  • OPINION
    • Election Connection
    • Makana Voices
    • Deur ‘n Gekleurde Bril
    • Newtown… Old Eyes
    • Incisive View
    • Your Say
  • ARTSLIFE
    • Cue
    • Makana Sharp!
    • Visual Art
    • Literature
    • Food & Fun
    • Festivals
    • Community Arts
    • Going Places
  • OUR TOWN
    • What’s on
    • Spiritual
    • Emergency & Well-being
    • Safety
    • Civic
    • Municipality
    • Weather
    • Properties
      • Grahamstown Properties
    • Your Town, Our Town
  • OUTSIDE
    • Enviro News
    • Gardening
    • Farming
    • Science
    • Conservation
    • Motoring
    • Pets/Animals
  • ECONOMIX
    • Business News
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Personal Finance
  • EDUCATION
    • Education NEWS
    • Education OUR TOWN
    • Education INFO
  • Covid-19
  • EDITORIAL
  • Cue Media
    • Cue online
    • Cue Archives
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Trending
  • Boxing Heritage Hero: Mzimasi ‘Stopper’ Mthana
  • Makhanda Heritage Day MMA tournament thrills fans
  • Amasango Career School premises handover in Extension 10
  • Gutters for the rain
  • Anti-Crime group murder trial postponed
  • Concern and condemnation of recent attacks on Grocott’s journalist
  • Bekushiyana OoMama ukondla kwi tumente yamagqiyazana
  • Makana’s crime spirals out of control
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Grocott's Mail
  • NEWS
    • Courts & Crime
    • Features
    • Politics
    • People
    • Health & Well-being
  • SPORT
    • News
    • Results
    • Sports Diary
    • Club Contacts
    • Columns
    • Sport Galleries
    • Sport Videos
  • OPINION
    • Election Connection
    • Makana Voices
    • Deur ‘n Gekleurde Bril
    • Newtown… Old Eyes
    • Incisive View
    • Your Say
  • ARTSLIFE
    • Cue
    • Makana Sharp!
    • Visual Art
    • Literature
    • Food & Fun
    • Festivals
    • Community Arts
    • Going Places
  • OUR TOWN
    • What’s on
    • Spiritual
    • Emergency & Well-being
    • Safety
    • Civic
    • Municipality
    • Weather
    • Properties
      • Grahamstown Properties
    • Your Town, Our Town
  • OUTSIDE
    • Enviro News
    • Gardening
    • Farming
    • Science
    • Conservation
    • Motoring
    • Pets/Animals
  • ECONOMIX
    • Business News
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Personal Finance
  • EDUCATION
    • Education NEWS
    • Education OUR TOWN
    • Education INFO
  • Covid-19
  • EDITORIAL
  • Cue Media
    • Cue online
    • Cue Archives
Grocott's Mail
You are at:Home»Cue»Love in the Time of Taxis
Cue

Love in the Time of Taxis

Cue 2023By Cue 2023June 27, 2023Updated:June 27, 2023No Comments2 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
Actors unpack the rise of the taxi violence in Life of a Taxi Driver. Photo: Sibabalwe Tame
Actors unpack the rise of the taxi violence in Life of a Taxi Driver. Photo: Sibabalwe Tame

By Thapelo Matlala

Quality of over quantity is usually best, but Life of a Taxi Driver had a small audience who stayed for a short, but tedious show. 

The production’s inspiration draws from instances of taxi violence that took place in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape earlier this year. The piece revolves around the main character, Lubabalo Mthembu, also known as Small, who lost his parents to taxi violence.

Following the death of his parents, Small leaves school and becomes a part-time pantsula dancer and taxi driver. Much of the play takes place at his dance rehearsals. In one scene, he moves to the beats of ‘Ten past Four’ by Dr Dope, and this gets the audience moving. During a rehearsal, he meets Bongi, who is intrigued by his dance moves and develops a passion for dancing. The two of them quickly grow close. While Bongi’s father disapproves of her joining the dance crew, she persists in her passion. 

As the show progresses, Small experiences great love, loss, and violence. To deal with the pain, he engages in destructive behaviour, seeking respite through alcohol. 

While the themes of Life of a Taxi Drive are important, and the narrative is clear, the play lacked zeal, and the audience was left bored, with some even looking at their phones, save for the few stand-out moments of the show. 

Life of a Taxi Driver is on at City Hall from 25 to 28 June.

Bongiwe’s father and friends crying over her body after she was gunned down at the Taxi rank. Photo: Sibabalwe Tame
Bongiwe’s father and friends crying over her body after she was gunned down at the Taxi rank. Photo: Sibabalwe Tame
Previous ArticleMissing the Circus Lights
Next Article Embracing Complexity and Identity in Hatched Ensemble
Cue 2023

    Comments are closed.

    Tweets by Grocotts
    Newsletter



    Listen

    The Rhodes University Community Engagement Division has launched Engagement in Action, a new podcast which aims to bring to life some of the many ways in which the University interacts with communities around it. Check it out below.

    Humans of Makhanda

    Humans of Makhanda

    Weather    |     About     |     Advertise     |     Subscribe     |     Contact     |     Support Grocott’s Mail

    © 2023 Maintained by School of Journalism & Media Studies.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.