FAUSTUS IN AFRICA! Directed by William Kentridge. Associate Director: Lara Foot. Puppet Directors: Adrian Kohler and Basil Jones (Handspring Puppet Company). Music: Warrick Sony and James Phillips. Cast: Atandwa Kani, Wessel Pretorius, Jennifer Steyn, Eben Genis, Mongi Mthombeni, Asanda Rilityana, Buhle T. Stephane. Baxter Flipside.
KAREN RUTTER reviews
It’s a bad thing to say, but this production of Faustus in Africa! couldn’t have come at a better moment. Currently, with greed as a global trope, closely followed by selfishness and insensitivity, the tale of a person who sells their soul in exchange for worldly pleasures is very much a theme for our times. Is it all that different from planning to turn a war zone into a profit-spinning rivieria? Or continuing to fiddle with fossil fuels while homes burn?
Remarkably, Faustus in Africa! was first performed 30 years ago, and it is testimony both to the durability of the play, and to the depressing reality that things don’t change all that much, that it endures. But it’s not to imply that sitting through the production is a pain. Or painful. Far from it – Faustus is impish, comedic and magical. The sheer diversity involved in its execution ensures one’s attention is always delighted, by a raggle-taggle marching band, a silver-tongued Lucifer, a Divine megaphone, and more, lots more. And the story itself, one which has been told in many different ways, from the printed page to the opera stage, is abidingly universal. The seduction of fleeting gain at the expense of wisdom, with short-term expedience eclipsing long-term survival, lies at the root of the climate crisis, of countless wars, of colonialism.
In this Faustus, he accepts a deal from the Devil to take a break from his scientific pursuits, and take a safari in Africa – which turns into an orgy of shooting and screwing.
Enormously energising
The 2025 production, lightly modified from the original, is a masterclass in many ways. The blending of puppets and people, as most of the main characters are represented, is seamless, from Atandwa Kani’s complex title role (perfectly supported by Eben Genis) to the lithe Hyena (mesmerisingly played by Jennifer Steyn, with Buhle T. Stephane). Meanwhile in a straightforward “human” role, Wessel Pretorius as the Devil has just the right kind of deadly smarm to make him riveting. The entire cast work together as tightly as a Springbok rugby team, with clever choreography by the Handspring Puppet Company making it all possible. The score, by James Phillips and Warrick Sony, is spectacular. And of course, those Kentridge visuals, projected on a screen above the stage, hold it all together in spectacular form.
The cumulative effect of these combinations of sound, visuals, acting and puppeteering is enormously energising, sustained by a dynamic range that moves from solo spots to ensemble jamborees. It is immaculately rendered – as perhaps one would expect from such directors as Kentridge, assisted by Lara Foot, but still. And despite the bleak overtones, this is still, very much, a joyous presentation.
We need this play, at this time. For your own self, and sanity, go and see Faustus in Africa!.
What: William Kentridge and Handspring Puppet Company Faustus in Africa!
Where: Baxter Flipside, Cape Town
When: 26 February to 22 March 2025 at 7.30pm, Saturday matinees 2.30pm
Tickets: Webtickets
WS
