Review: Original play SO… THAT HAPPENED is on at Milnerton Playhouse

It's always exciting when one of the Cape Town societies puts on original work. SO... THAT HAPPENED is made even more interesting in that it's a sequel or a follow-up from another original work. I really loved that director and writer Werner Asher Steffen and Milnerton Players were able to bring back the original cast as well.

At the core of the story are three long-time friends - Anne (Hannah Crafford), Bryan (Anton Schafer) and Fiona (Lizanne Peters). They've come together to help Fiona pack up a home, and they've brought along their significant others - Anne's husband David (Donovan Burger) and Bryan's boyfriend Collin (Shaun Saal). The scene that's set before the audience is clearly one of pain and trauma. Fiona is grieving. The friends are also slightly estranged but still have a deep connection from a shared history.

As the evening progresses and the alcohol flows for the characters, the cracks in all of the relationships begin to open up. There is a progression of small fights, leading to large explosions. The characters are seen reeling from the revelations, either thinking or saying out loud the play's catchphrase "so... that happened".

There are some beautiful emotional arcs within the story. Fiona's utter heartbreak in the second act is portrayed so sincerely by Peters and was a definite highlight for me. I also appreciated the painful conversations between husband and wife, David and Anne, about having a baby and the pressures around that. Not being able to conceive has really tested their relationship.

However, I found that the flow of the play was a little too episodic, full of small vignettes thanks to the way the characters moved about the stage. It sometimes felt like characters would move off stage simply to make way for the next pair to have their private conversation rather than like they were doing so as part of the natural flow of the evening.

This new script is full of potential and some very strong characters. This is the first run of it - hopefully not the last - but I think it could benefit from some refinements made to the overall flow. It could also use a bit more information in it about what happened in the first play - AND THEN WHAT? - if it's to act as a fully standalone play.

The set of this production is excellent. The painted view out of the back sliding door, coupled with lighting to go from day into night is beautiful. Well done to set designers Barry Altwig and Esmeralda Viljoen, and lighting designers Barry Strick and Grant Eglin.

All in all, SO... THAT HAPPENED is an enjoyable night out. It's also always great to support societies like Milnerton Players and the very important role they play in the Cape Town theatre world. I'm so glad they're still alive and producing after the last two years.

Photo credit: Supplied

SO... THAT HAPPENED is on until 17 September with performances on 9, 10, 15, 16 and 17 September, including matinees on 10 and 17 September. Tickets can be purchased on the Milnerton Players website.

To post a comment, you must register and login.