SLOWLY. Directed by Geoffrey Hyland, with Jennifer Steyn, Chi Mhende, Faniswa Yisa and Gahlia Phillips. At the Artscape Arena Theatre, Tuesdays to Saturdays at 7pm and Sundays at 3pm until August 3. STEYN DU TOIT reviews.
FOUR princessess stand surrounded by their palace’s deteriorating, temple-like pillars. It’s the final countdown. Invading barbarians will soon break through the city’s gates. All servants and guards have deserted the palatial fortress. So, too, has the rest of the city’s population. They are all that’s left of what was once a highly civilised culture.
Written by British playwright Howard Barker, Slowly then sees the women – Sign (Jennifer Steyn), Calf (Chi Mhende), Paper (Faniswa Yisa) and Bell (Gahlia Phillips) – enter into an ardent conversation about their fate.
They know what they must do. Cultural convention dictates suicide. However, now that death is a reality knocking at the door it seems too heavy a cross to bear for some.
Directed by Geoffrey Hyland, this is a play that candidly takes on this and other issues. Can suicide be an act of nobleness? Is it disgraceful to want to survive at all costs? What is the role of women in enlightened societies during a time of war? And, who or what are the barbarians?
Presented as a series of clashing opinions held by the characters, it is within this ambiguity that the rest of the production also finds itself.
With a text brimming with metaphors, abstract observations and contrasts – crudeness often appears alongside eloquence. For instance, a quick Google of the author as well as some of his other plays before seeing Slowly might be a good idea for Barker newbies.
A playwright that often challenges the belief that theatre should lend itself to one clearly laid-out interpretation alone, Barker deliberately “works to fragment response – forcing each viewer to wrestle with the play alone.”
That said, away from literal or thematic interpretations, there is a joy in simply watching the performers bring Barker’s words to life and to lose oneself in their execution.
Similar to watching a ballet or physical performance piece, there is a distinct, poetic rhythm and discipline to their physicality and mannerisms. Dressed identically in Leigh Bishop’s beautiful costumes in which the modern and traditional intersect, it is in their vocal tones and body language that each actress finds her own representation of an individual in today's society.
“We come in four versions evidently,” Sign remarks via Steyn’s trademark commanding and emphatic manner. “One willing whore. One who whores reluctantly. A suicide. That’s me. And this! (pointing towards a dignified and cogent Mhende).
This last remark is a reference to Calf’s belief that the shame of her killing would infect the barbarians' victory.
“Baby”, “want” and “I.” These are the three words Paper bestows upon Phillips’ Bell as possible items to use for bartering with the barbarians. Her usual authoritative and dynamic self on stage, it is through these words that Yisa’s character surmises that they will enter into an unspoken, protective contract with their enemies.
A formidable foursome in all aspects, Slowly sees Steyn, Mhende, Yisa and Phillips deliver an ensemble performance worthy of the term spellbinding. I first saw the piece at the National Arts Festivalearlier this month, and was so engrossed by their performance that it still stands out in my mind among the nearly 50 other productions I attended that week.
Apart from watching Hyland (who previously also staged Barker's Judith: A Parting from the Body) bring these four together through solid direction, other components that made this such an absorbing experience included his and Nicolas Mayer’s set and decor as well as Luke Ellenbogen’s lighting designs.
Never trying to take the attention away from the performances, these elements were elegant in their simplicity, yet crucial to setting the aesthetic and frame of mind in which the subject matter is best explored.
“This process of disappearing began a long time ago,” Greek geographer, philosopher and historian Strabo wrote in geography. “And has not yet entirely ceased in many regions because the people keep revolting.” During a 2010 interview about his body of work, Barker observed that in today’s world the individual is seen as “sacrosanct,” adding that it is calling into question this accepted arrogance that drives him creatively.
A production that dares to be different, at times difficult to interpret and to challenge the social status quo, Slowly is highly recommended for those wishing for a more conceptual and open-ended theatrical experience.
l Tickets are R70. To book, call Computicket at 0861 915 8000.