Review: IKRELE LE CHIZA…THE SERMON at Baxter Theatre Centre Is a Transcendental Experience

IKRELE LE CHIZA...THE SERMON, presented by the Baxter, in collaboration with the Magnet Theatre, is difficult to put into words - largely because of how experiential it is. Choreography and movement-heavy, this play is aptly described as 'dream theatre' by Director, Mandla Mbothwe. As Mbothwe explains, 'Often, what we think is real, may in fact not be so, but a dream lived and experienced. We wake up because of dreams. That is what I call my work, dream theatre.' Indeed, in emerging from the transcendental state in which I was placed by IKRELE LE CHIZA...THE SERMON, I felt as if I were awakening from a vivid dream, unsure if real or imagined.

This piece is part of ReTAGS: Reimagining Tragedy from Africa and the Global South, a six-year research project that is co-investigated by Mbothwe and Mark Fleishman. Mbothwe's aim with this play is 'to emphasise the juxtaposition of revenge and restoration', and is his 'reclamation and celebration of African aesthetics whilst undermining borders [across Africa]'.

The production centres around two young siblings, Luphawo and Mesuli, who are struggling with their parents' deaths and who, in confronting the trauma thereof, must also navigate ties to their family's ancestral world as well as incomplete family rituals, which seem to prevent their parents from resting peacefully and the protagonists from coping with their grief. Indeed, I quote the programme again: this play 'is like walking into an ancestral shrine in the heat of a long-awaited family ritual ceremony'.

Bonga Shabalala, as Luphawo, and Indalo Stofile, as Mesuli, are excellent. The contrast that they evoke in portraying the anguish of two mourners who are too young to be experiencing such a loss, peppered with moments of natural childhood playfulness is devastating. I was moved by both their performances. Just as impressive are the skills that the two protagonists, as well as the rest of the company, display in physical theatre. I was particularly enthralled by Shabalala and Stofile's ability to balance chairs, while perching on them, in a way that left only one chair leg on the ground - as though the children were entranced or possessed. The result is ethereal and all the more impressive because it takes place live onstage without any effects.

I was also blown away by Zimbini Makwetu who portrayed Luphawo and Mesuli's mother. She was haunting in her role and commanded the stage, dressed all in black. Her range as an actress shone through even just in her movement. Makwetu also took on the suitable role of musical director. The melodious harmonies of the company are at once beautiful and jarring, echoing refrains that lament the devastating and lingering impact of colonialism and Western influence on Africa. For example, 'We lack thousands and thousands of words' and: 'They are uprooted. They are hanging on by a spider's thread'.

Movement and choreography, as I have said above, are integral to this magical-realist piece. Mzokuthula Gasa and Jennie Reznek as Choreographer and Movement Director respectively, have really maximised the space and the bodies of their actors, who tell much of the story through song, dance, prayers and ritual. The music, all created onstage, and the singing, often a capella, and in multiple harmonies, add to the dream-like quality of this production. One of my favourite parts of the choreography involves the company's use of shoes and the laces thereof as props to achieve perfectly synced choreography, in conveying the journey to the ancestral realm.

This show is slick and the action onstage is plentiful; thus, I found myself constantly overwhelmed by where to look and where to focus. IKRELE LE CHIZA...THE SERMON takes place in the Flipside Theatre and uses the whole space (a surprisingly large area). It also makes use of different levels. Hence why I always felt like I was missing something by focusing on one part of the stage and not the rest of it. This feeling of not quite being able to grasp the entirety of what is occurring onstage is another way in which this production mimics the experience of a dream. The sensation is enhanced by soft, smoky light.

As a true ensemble piece, the conviction of each member of the company, as well as that of the individual characters reverberates throughout the theatre, much like the music, singing and chanting throughout the play. This piece of dream theatre is captivating, thought-provoking and deeply moving.

IKRELE LE CHIZA...THE SERMON runs from 23 March to 8 April at the Flipside in the Baxter Theatre Centre. Tickets range from R120 to R160 and can be purchased via Webtickets.

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