KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN. Director: Sylvaine Strike. Cast: Wessel Pretorius and Mbulelo Grootboom. Baxter Golden Arrow Studio
BEVERLEY BROMMERT reviews
Imprisonment, both physical and mental, is a key theme of this engrossing two-hander. Even before the protagonists have appeared, the audience is complicit in creating a sense of confinement due to the seating arrangement on three sides of the small, cluttered space in which the drama unfolds. Thus surrounded, the action becomes more intimate and intense, as the incarcerated characters’ loss of privacy and freedom is underscored.
A less likely couple of cell-mates than Molina and Valentin is hard to imagine: a dreamy, neurotic extrovert sharing cramped quarters with an earnest political activist given to study, the two of different sexual orientation, is bound to ignite abrasive interaction and taut dialogue. It does.
Pretorius and Grootboom navigate the challenges of situation and script with professional aplomb to keep the audience alert throughout the show’s two-hour duration. The absence of an interval conduces to this, since a break in concentration would diminish the impact – and the magic – of the play.
Full marks to Sylvaine Strike’s judicious direction, as the audience is steered seamlessly through multiple episodes in Puig’s complex work.
Recognition of shared humanity
A dark political agenda lurks behind the action, but is ultimately little more than a necessary justification for the characters’ imprisonment.
Far more significant is their gradual, often grudging, progress towards recognition of their shared humanity and emotional needs, warming finally into unabashed, rewarding physical affection.
Illness, discomfort, guilt and shame serially play their part in bringing Molina and Valentin to this end, which is why Kiss of the Spider Woman is paradoxically uplifting despite its moments of vulgarity and violence. Few would remain unmoved by the emotive image of these men united in love by a string of faux pearls, Molina’s signature piece of jewellery.
A piquant mix of whimsy and kitchen sink realism is another cornerstone of this production, since it conveys the power of imagination and narrative as effective antidotes to toxic squalor.
Rich and rewarding
Wolf Britz’s set and Mannie Manim’s lighting evoke the grossness of life lived behind bars, where improvisation can nonetheless give basic objects a different function and identity in the service of story-telling. Molina’s gift as a raconteur provides both inmates with the sole form of recreation available to them, and here we see Pretorius at his best. Grootboom’s more reserved persona acts as a splendid foil to these bouts of verbal fantasy, and we sense his dependence on them for escapism, even as his preoccupation with political science remains intact.
With the poignant dénouement comes an implicit invitation to the audience to reflect on gender politics, the human need to love and be loved, and in a broader context, the role of courage and self-knowledge in forging worthwhile relationships.
Rich and rewarding theatre.
What: Kiss of the Spider Woman
Where and when: The Baxter from 9 to 26 March 2022
Tickets: Webtickets
Pictures: Oscar O’Ryan
WS
