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A fevered dream of a production
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November 17, 2009
By Zane Henry
Quack!
Director: Rob Murray
cast: Lysander Barends, Liezl de Kock, Jori Snell, Marlon Snyders, Taryn Bennett, Emilie Starke, Christo Beukes and Tomri Steyn
Venue: The Intimate Theatre
Rating: ****
I first saw Quack! in one of its very early performances, in Grahamstown earlier this year in the antiseptic confines of the Masonic Hall. I remember being puzzled, intrigued, rapt and stimulated.
After reading that the story has been tightened and clarified for the current run at the Intimate Theatre, I'm pleased to write that after watching Quack! for the second time I'm still not sure what's going on all the time.
It's reassuring because what theatre group FTH:k (From the Hip: khulumakahle) is proving so good at is exploring that mine between dreams and reality using their trademark non-verbal performance. The story isn't the most important thing. The medium is the message, to use Marshall McLuhan's overly quoted phrase.
The combination of Janni Younge's surreal masks, James Webb's nightmarish soundscape and director Rob Murray's overarching vision makes for an intense, unique theatrical experience. Audience members are encouraged to meet the play halfway and fill in the spaces between the story's components. Because nothing is certain, anything is impossible.
A man is dying in a hospital bed, with buzzing machines and buzzing doctors all around him. The story slips into a fantasy world where he is a renowned preacher/shaman/motivational speaker who travels everywhere spreading his message of hope and healing. His designs are more sinister. What is he doing with all the goodwill sent his way? How is his assistant helping him? Where does the real world start and the fantasy end?
The story has been scrubbed up and tightened appreciably. Some tedious repetition has been cut and turning points are clarified. At certain points, there is an overly diagrammatic slant to the direction, like having characters with fluffy foam clouds held over their heads.
The performers are gifted actors who use their bodies well to tell the story. A romance subplot has been added. This doesn't really serve the main story, but it does sweeten an otherwise rather grim tale.
It's impossible to review Quack! without mentioning Pictures of You, FTH:k's earlier non-verbal hit. That production told a small story in a big way. Quack! tells a much bigger story in a big way. Its ambition still slightly exceeds its grasp, but this is a good thing. Theatre should sometimes be a little dangerous, especially when in the hands of a dynamic, talented young company.
This fever dream of a production is a credit to FTH:k and well worth your time. Just prepare to have the dinges freaked out of you.
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