We open on the Eton educated Narrator searching the jungles of Zimbabwe for a genuine warrior to star in his folk tale. He has 24 hours to find a hero for his story. In the bush he stumbles across cinematic gold - loin-clothed Nhamo, searching for his alpha goat, Robert. Nhamo is just what the Narrator's sponsors have asked for - a potential Hollywood winner. The bushman is lured into acting out a story in which he meets and romances Chipo, the Chieftain's daughter.
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| Bush meet |
Chikura's play is so complex, it's simple. It is a story: narrator seeks characters, within a story: characters rehearse a story for Hollywood producers, within a story: the events mirror and become the characters' reality. The razor wit can leave you reeling - for every reference caught, two are missed. The visuals are terrific - with just a large trunk for a set, much is done with the use of a staff, a goat, eye-catching tribal beadwork, a set of weights and a machete. The four winning characters are winningly played. Tanya Fear is a feisty, feminist, Chipo. Nyasha Hatendi as her oiled and feathered suitor is posturing perfection. Ery Nzaramba brings charm to naive Nhamo, dazzled by Don Gilet's posh, mercenary and wily Narrator and his all-seeing god, Wikipedia.
In conclusion. Directed by Lucian Msamati of The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency, all four characters are on stage virtually all the time, and it works. The whole would benefit from a 15 minute cut, but you can't have it all. If you enjoy silliness, grab a ticket and head to Kilburn, you won't find more, or more inventive, silliness anywhere else in London this month.
References
Tricycle Theatre, Tickets
Tricycle Theatre, 269 Kilburn High Road, London NW6 7JR Production ends 17 August
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