Weaving history, memory and magic…
HAUNTING in more ways than one, this new work by Nadia Davids probes the vestiges of a troubled past inherited by a city that has not yet fully come to terms with its dark legacy. Inspired by the discovery of a graveyard for slaves uncovered in Cape Town in 2003, What Remains is based on historical fact. Thereafter its theme evolves into a multi-layered amalgam of what Davids herself sums up as “ghosts and property developers, archives and madness, history, memory and magic, paintings, protests and the now”.
These diverse strands are interwoven with finesse to create a richly textured piece of theatre, the dramatic impact of which is palpable as the audience enters the venue: a dense white mist veils the set, one passes mysterious shapes shrouded in white plastic, the floor and props are white – a spectral colour suggesting death and the purity of non-being.
As the 12-part drama unfolds, the cornerstones of the action are revealed. A bulldozer breaking ground on a tract of land earmarked as the site for a shopping mall encounters a bone, the middle finger of a human hand pointing skywards in a symbolic gesture of defiance.
Reactions to the discovery of a vast and hitherto unsuspected burial ground vary, from the anguished terror of the Healer to the cool scientific analysis of the Archaeologist. The predictable obstinacy of developers determined to continue building is counterbalanced by the insistence of descendants of the long-dead that the exhumed bones be re-interred with the respect they deserve.
A dancer mutely but eloquently traces the untold history of the dead slaves, his performance complementing that of the actors as the play’s narrative sweeps through the space dividing the audience.
Ingenious staging, lighting and audiovisual design from Wilhelm Disbergen and Ryno Keet provide all the ambience needed to evoke the supernatural. The performers, under Pather’s experienced direction, do the rest to make the drama vivid.
Newman is versatile in the radically different roles of Healer and Chairwoman, capturing the spirituality of the former and crass materialism of the latter. Yisa, as the Archaeologist, rings the changes convincingly as she shifts from coldblooded scientist to hag-ridden human being, and Ngaba, playing a Student, delivers her lines with clarity as she narrates the plot. Oelf ’s dancing, choreographed by Pather, is a thing of acrobatic and evocative beauty.
The only flaw in this otherwise superb theatrical offering is the melodrama of its dénouement. If a city is cursed by its past, there are possibly more subtle ways for it to meet its Nemesis than conflagration – such as a life-sapping drought with no end in sight?
What Remains is nonetheless a worthwhile and rewarding experience.