KARAMONK. Bianca Flanders directed by Jemma Kahn. Suideoosterfees
MEGAN CHORITZ reviews
You know that theatre is truly transformational when you head into a darkened space just before 9am, brush the sleep from the corner of your eyes, whisper with your morning coffee breath making you self-conscious, and then, when the lights go down you are somewhere else entirely, being changed, moment by moment, and you leave into the completely different Cape Town weather grateful, amazed and a little teary even. That is the power of this completely miscategorised one-woman show, because there are so many versions of Bianca, so many stories and songs and song stories, and images, and words. So many feelings, and laughs, and shocks and ‘rudenessess’ and breaths inhaled sharply.
What is Karamonk? It is all those things squeezed into the Kamishibai-style of storytelling that we have been exposed to by the extraordinary actor, artist, wordsmith and, here, director, artist, wordsmith Jemma Kahn, with songs and pure playfulness, emotion, horror, hilarity, and the quite insane words and pictures of some very talented writers and illustrators, performed by the magnificent, versatile, witty, kak funny, powerful, dramatic and gorgeous Bianca Flanders (pictured above).
Intense and transformative
It’s a lot. In an hour. It is intense. And it is totally transformative. Food, driving, accidents, a psychic cat, a trashed BnB, female fear, District Six memories, are just a handful of things you can expect in the most unexpected way.
Karamonk has one show left at the Suidoosterfees but I am sure it will pop up more and more. I already need to see it again.
What: Karamonk
Where and when: Artscape, Suidoosterfeesc on 1 May 2024
Tickets: Webtickets
WS
