Review: INVISIBLE SCARS at the Baxter Studio Is a Tragic Interrogation of the Wounds We Cannot See

INVISIBLE SCARS is another superb piece showing at the Baxter Theatre Centre, which has its roots in the annual Zabalaza Theatre Festival.  

Written and directed by Themba Baleni, the show garnered Zabalaza Awards for both Best Production and Best Direction earlier this year.

The story centres around Themba and Entle, a married couple whose lives are irrevocably altered in the wake of a life-altering event. Themba is a rising football star with a bright future ahead of him. However, these aspirations are dashed when a terrible car accident renders him a paraplegic. The accident has devastating mental, physical, emotional, psychological and financial consequences on both Themba and Entle, and the only thing that is certain is that nothing will ever be the same.

The breakdown of Entle and Themba’s relationship is at the forefront of the plot. We witness a fulfilling, happy and playful relationship turn toxic and abusive, ultimately escalating to tragedy. While the story is intense and sometimes difficult to watch, the production provides relevant commentary on issues like the epidemic of gender-based violence in South Africa and the stigma that often accompanies men’s mental-health struggles.

Abongile Ntshuca and Thando Mzembe are excellent in their roles as Entle and Themba respectively. Audience members are flies on the wall of the couple’s household, privy to the beautiful moments but also to the ugly ones. Ntshuca and Mzembe provide nuanced portrayals of two flawed individuals, both trying to come to grips with the adversity that has befallen them.

Both performers get really vulnerable onstage – this is perhaps the most rewarding element of the show. Indeed, some of the best moments in the show are those which are uncomfortable to watch. We witness Themba on the floor, wheelchair tipped over, struggling to pull himself up while his wife watches. We observe Themba engaging in vicious acts of violence towards Entle, feeling helpless as we look on. These moments for nuggets of gold – despite the disturbing subject matter.

Ntshuca displays great range – we see a compassionate, sympathetic woman; but we also see a character who reacts in a human way: sometimes unkind, self-serving, and unforgiving. Likewise, Mzembe presents a portrait of a man who descends into darkness and despair. In his vulnerable moments we pity him and we mourn with him: he grieves for a life he will never get to live. At other moments, however, we condemn him: tragedy is no excuse for abuse. It’s that simple.

I love how the production plays with time – to show the passing of days and months, Entle pushes Themba in his wheelchair in small circles. In words, this action sounds so simple but onstage it is so effective and so evocative of the characters’ predicaments. For, really, this play is about the couple’s unravelling – around and around they go, in the same circles with an outcome that seems almost predetermined.

Additionally, the use of sand (of all things!) in the production is phenomenal. In the centre of the stage is a mound of sand or dry earth. It serves various functions throughout the production but, to me, it represented unbridled desire in some way or another – what happens when we give into our impulses, in both negative and positive ways. It also lends a more symbolic and magical-realist tinge to the show, which only enhances the piece.

INVISIBLE SCARS is a powerful piece of theatre: complex, nuanced and chilling. Most importantly, it calls upon audience members to appreciate the  nuances and complexities of the human experience: we are all a set of contradictions.

Note that the production carries an age restriction of 16.

INVISIBLE SCARS runs from 9 to 19 October 2024 at 20:00 at the Baxter Studio, with matinee performances at 11:00 and 14:30, on 12, 15, 16 and 19 October. Tickets cost R100, with a discounted rate of R50 for students and group bookings of 10 or more, and are available via Webtickets. For discounted block or school bookings, charities, or fundraisers, contact Carmen Kearns on 021 680 3993 or at carmen.kearns@uct.ac.za or call Nontsikelelo Maboza on call 021 680 3984.

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