Author: Rod Amner

THEATRE: Whistleblowers Review by STEVE KRETZMANN Down the stairs shouting their war cries, brandishing their hockey sticks, they enter the arena psyched for the battle. The arena, in this case, is the floodlit stage where our five contenders jostle and dance, full of fierce bravado as they ready themselves to take on the redcaps. The poster, the name, the props and the costume all point to Whistleblowers being about women’s hockey, women’s, where a certain butchness is expected. The AFDA students give it their all, creating the distinct impression: do not fuck with us. The set-up, including the intermittent appearance…

MUSIC: More than a handfulReview by MIKE LOEWE, The Critter Bryan Schimmel, 57, feels utterly unphased by his stutter on stage, so I will have no issue with bawling my eyes out. This was more than my emotions over his life journey as a gay, Jewish Pretoria pianist, composer director, the klaps he took from his patriarchal father – physically and emotionally, or the gut-wrenching base he is pulling from the lower register of that piano. No. I am tjanking because he is standing there on the boards right before me! An actor, at the National Arts Festival, in Denis…

CABARET: The Story of Eva CassidyReview by JENNA KRETZMANN Every small town needs at least one globetrotting performer. One who comes from humble beginnings to star in lead roles, returning after a few years to share their talent and knowledge amongst ‘their people’. As a born-and-bred East Londoner, I can attest to Kerry Hiles holding this status within the Slummies community, and her performance in The Story of Eva Cassidy proves why. The emergence of biopics has been deemed a ‘phenomenon’ by film enthusiasts. Think of Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), Rocketman (2019) and the much-anticipated Elvis (2022). They all chronicle the…

MUSIC: RAF CollectiveReview by ELEJHA-ZE GENGAN Upon entry, one is met with a warm and welcoming atmosphere. All members of the RAF Collective greet you with friendly smiles, and all that is left to do is take a seat before embarking on an eclectic instrumental journey. The group’s five members share a deep passion for music. The audience can feel this passion as the music starts pulsing through one’s veins. You feel every beat rhythmically syncing to the beat of your heart. You can feel yourself moving to the beat of the drums, swaying to the rhythm of the guitar…

THEATRE: River of tearsReview by DANA OSBORN Guttural yelling, jarring blue lighting, and eerie sustained notes made the first few minutes of ‘River of Tears’ an assault on the senses. It had its moments of relief, but they were fleeting. It wasn’t made to be an easy watch. This story follows a woman who has a calling to the supernatural, which leads us to the narrative arc of the journey, through which she strengthens her gift of communicating with nature. But this is just one narrative arc. Another examines gender politics and the forces which govern women’s bodies. Yet another…

MUSIC: SPAZA Reviewed by Sam van Heerden Layered, ethereal chanting reverberates through the air in an old power station on the outskirts of Makhanda. Spoken word interweaves the rich history of this frontier town with the soft sounds of Afro-jazz, “Stillness to the sounds of resistance, builds on the backs of our forefathers… Listen. Listen to the sounds of this resistance.” Composed and workshopped over the last three days at The Black Power Station in Makhanda, the music of the rotating recording ensemble, SPAZA, was grounded in themes of prophecy, re-birth, and black power. The familiar swing of jazz morphs…

THEATRE: Kamphoer Review by JENNA KRETZMANN History is often told through the male lens. Kamphoer, a powerful one-woman production performed by Sandra Prinsloo and directed by renowned theatre-maker, Lara Foot, sheds new light on the Anglo-Boer War from the perspective of women. A single tent draped with delicate lace takes centre stage. Susan Nell is the survivor of an unspeakable ordeal in the Winburg concentration camp. We serve as the audience to Nell’s cathartic retelling of her story, witnessing the lasting effects of sexual assault, violence, and its non-linear healing process. The drama is based on Francois Smith’s novel, Kamphoer,…

THEATRE: Bloke and His American BantuReview by David Mann The electric crackle of telephone lines and the click-clacking of typewriters activate the stage. It’s the 1960s in Harlem, New York. The poet Langston Hughes is seated in his elegant study, composing a letter to his friend, the London-based writer and actor from Sophiatown, William ‘Bloke’ Modisane. Perched on a chair in his scant apartment, Modisane responds in kind – warmly, lyrically.  So it goes with Bloke and His American Bantu¸ the Siphiwo Mahala-written, Sello Maake kaNcube-directed play about the enduring friendship between the two writers, intellectuals and activists. Told predominantly…

THEATRE: NonhlanzekoReview by MZWANDILE MAMAILA African tales are slowly fading away as the current generation is not engaging with them. Technology and social media have replaced significant family time. It is rare to find families sitting around a fireplace with elders, sharing myths and fables without a cellphone screen outshining the sparks and flames of the fire. Children today would rather spend hours gaming or watching YouTube videos than engaging with this heritage. Stemming from the township of Umlazi in Durban, Enthrone Productions has brought life to one of these myths through their production, “Nonhlanzeko”. It follows the story of a…

THEATRE: Conversation With GodReview by CASEY LUDICK Six women in white humming. Deep sombre notes create a sense of anticipation and sadness. They start to sing and rage and despair as they express their disappointment at where they’ve ended up. Conversation with God tells the story of three black women in purgatory demanding the ear of the Lord God Almighty himself. A prostitute, a prophetess and a feminist freedom fighter find themselves dissatisfied with their lives and form a movement speaking on behalf of black women. But as their endless day progresses, they question everything they thought they knew about…