RESCUE REMEDY. Written and performed by Roland du Preez. Directed by Tailyn Ramsamy. At Theatre Arts in Cape Town.
MEGAN CHORITZ reviews
Remember the road from Lost Highway? David Lynch’s iconic night-time road sequence with the white lines? Rescue Remedy opens with the Cape Town N2 version of that, and a white-knuckled Liefie clutching the mimed steering wheel of a car. The effect is immediate and fierce and energetic, and quite surprising.
Liefie is the son character and Papa the father, both played by Roland in this extraordinary story of a complex relationship between a tough, action driven, trauma denying, old SADF white troepie father, and his queer, sensitive, complicated son. It is about their differences and similarities, their fights and their challenges, and mostly, it is about love. Fierce love. Overcoming love. Defiant, brave and crazy love.
The opening scene put me right in the mood. Roland captured the feeling of night driving and then running into car trouble and finally having to call dad, with such perfect timing and gesture it was both high anxiety and pure comedy. What flowed after was a scenic unfolding of the story of unconventional father-son love and I loved watching it.
Original, refreshing, inspiring
Roland’s writing is fresh and clever. His colour jokes are perfectly delivered. His fluid switching from English to Afrikaans works, and his switching from son to dad is also energetically seamless. I would have lost the costume changes, but hey, that’s just me, and it’s a teeny little thing.
There are great visuals on the screen that often end up playing over the performer. The doctored photos, particularly the army ones, are striking. And the music reminded me that I am probably the same age as Papa. The Joni Mitchell into the Meatloaf and Celine scene was an absolute treat. I lol’ed often. I also gasped, sighed and had a few internal ‘aws’.
As I left the theatre, I tried to understand why I felt buoyed up. It is the energy of the piece that makes it so satisfying and successful. It is not sentimental. Son and father are full of anger, for totally different reasons, but it is honest, and sweary and lovely. And I missed my own dad, and wondered what I would have been like as one.
Rescue Remedy is original, refreshing, and inspiring theatre, beautifully performed and directed.
What: Rescue Remedy
Where and when: Theatre Arts on 13, 14, 15 June 2025
Address: Methodist Church Hall, Cnr Milton Road and Wesley Street, Observatory, Cape Town
Tickets: Theatre Arts
WS
