THEATRE REVIEW: Nine Lives by Zodwa Nyoni at The Market Theater

One-hander plays are often intimate, forthright and engaging. Great task of cast members efforts is usually concentrated on other performers with a focus directly towards the audience. They present an enormous challenge for the performer, who is tasked with carrying the whole show on his or her back using a mixture of skills such as narration, physical expression, character work, dialogue and even stand-up comedy. It’s acting without a safety net: there are no exits, no fellow actors to rely on, and often little in the way of set or props. Just you, the audience, and pages of text filed in your memory with which to weave some magic. Nine Lives at the Market Theatre in Johannesburg which officially opened last night of 17th Of November is a script of this kind. It is a stagepiece written by Zodwa Nyoni, directed by Diamond Mokoape and starred by Warren Masemola.

Warren Masemola, actor. Pic supplied

The play tackles issues around immigration and search for belonging. The story is conveyed by Ishmael who fled Zimbabwe because the spike of homophobia threatens his life. He finds himself in a foreign land in Leeds, England. He meets brothers from the continent of Africa who being total strangers, he doesn't trust them. He uses accent as a metaphor for these countries, including of course that of a British lady where they met in the park. His relationship with us the audience is so close by default. He takes the opportunity to make strong emotional connections and convey ideas that are unparalleled in all dramatic forms. 

The Nine Lives has got a great anchor in the person of Warren Masemola whose versatility grounded the script that I felt was all over the place. Masemola with his magical multifaceted voice was a great cast for this play in a sense that he intuitively grappled with complex lines and chiseled them into shape like a master sculptor, giving them lyrical and whimsical expressions to the lived experiences of Ishmael. In the end Ishmael experiences for the first time his truest sense of being and he dances to it with sparkling high heels.

Due to Covid 19 regulations tickets are limited and can be purchased here

The show concludes on the 12th of November.