Afropocalypse, Theatre
Venue: Centenary Hall
Review
By Aryn Guiney
The buzz on the streets is that Afropocalypse is one of this year’s gems. The show last night confirmed this for the group of us attending. There were a number of members in the crowd returning for a second helping of this delightful odyssey, and as a seasoned Festival supporter commented, “I’ve seen some brilliant shows with disappointing audiences, so it was good to arrive for Afropocalypse and see a long queue.”
The Market Theatre Laboratory 2nd year students bring on the energy from start to finish.
Described as ‘Stories of Hope in a World Beyond Despair’, the production matches this expectation and more. The magic of director Daniel Buckland’s unmistakable style is infused into every aspect; the disarmingly captivating landfill waste-bag creatures, the mesmerising floating head that feeds on laughter, blood and tears, are some of the notable elements in a feast of detail that promises to hold audiences enraptured.
Greed, mortality, religion, and unconditional love are themes at the core of what it is to be human and explored through the storytelling of Afropocalypse’s motley group of travelling players. Scrambling to survive in a wasteland with imminent threats of drone strikes and thundering helicopters in the desolation of post-apocalyptic South Africa.
The physical theatre lineage is a vivid filament running through the gestures, expressions and movements of this impressive troupe of youthful performers. They weave together a dreamlike voyage of futuristic possibilities, imagined and dissected through a list of threadbare characters that are as endearing as they are grotesque. Standouts include Chameleon, Gecko, Ginger and the twitchy-jerky zombie girl.
Although the landscape of the Afropocalypse setting is bleak, the audience experience is anything but. The play is a microcosm in which the viewer can escape into a world of the imagination and be reminded of our resilience and the strength of the human spirit.
