THEATRE REVIEW: The Brothers Size at The Market Theatre Celebrates Black History Month - a cheering spirit of brotherhood
Black History Month occurs in February every year and it has become synonymous to a celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. Also known as African American History Month, the event grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild of noted historian Carter Woodson and other prominent African Americans. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating Black history The origins of the Black History Month dawned in 1915, half a century after the Thirteenth Amendment, act that abolished slavery in the United States.
Every year since his ascension to the position of artistic director of the Market Theatre in 2014, James Ngcobo has always made sure that he makes provision for a stage production that is related to the triumphs of Africans in the United States of America, popularly known as African Americans or Black American. His edition of 2022 Black History Month made a selection of the Grammy-award wining playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney's The Brothers Size production.
The production is as magical and mysterious as its Yoruba mythology-soaked script chronicles a story of a man straight from prison and on parole, fun-loving Oshoosi Size played by Katlego Chale, is living with his older brother Ogun played by Nhlakanipho Manqele, the latter named after the Yoruba god of hard work and the former named after the spirit of the forest and a wanderer. In the first act we see Ogun, a large-built of a man whose strong façade covers a caring heart of a big brother, and on the floor we see Oshoosi sleeping and seemingly dreaming. Enters Elegba played by Marlo Minnaar, whose name means the divine messenger, trickster god of chance, principle of indeterminacy, and essence of fate, Oshoosi’s Creole ex-prison mate, whom Ogun does not trust. The names, (which are in a Yoruba, one of the principal languages of Nigeria and spoken in a couple of countries in the West African coast) on their own right give the personality traits of the characters in the play which explains the power of African spirituality and heritage.
The style of the conversations on stage when Oshoosi and Ogun are in dialogue are that of little and big brothers. We can ascertain who is the eldest and who is youngest, just from their exchanges. Though Oshoosi is back to the society from prison, under the care of his big brother Ogun, to get back on his feet, he still is but a little brother. Their dialogue is richly nuanced, part-parable, about reunion and separation, excitability and their daily struggles at work or in the streets. Oshoosi be punctuating irritably from sleep "Nigga comin' in here turning on lights!" to which Ogun replies 'That's the sun" as he walks about the tiny space preparing to go to his mechanic car shop. As the actors announce their own stage directions such as 'Oshoosi enters' or 'Ogun leaves the shop' and occasionally break into song, the language treads the lines between poetry and prose, comedy and drama. Their command of the language and accent is convincingly American and this transports audience deeply into the black community in Louisiana.
The play resonates with an audience member long after you left your seat at the theatre with a mesmerizing memory where the three cast members play uniquely in ones' memory. You have portraitures of the eclectic and ambitious Oshoosi who's only dream is to live a fast plush life of driving to all the place and having a good time with fine beautiful women. On the other hand, Elegba who is an ex-prisoner and Oshoosi's friend on a mission to get Oshoosi in trouble disguising as a caring friend. The three actors through masterful choreography by award winning Lulu Mlangeni move so well together that the director might as well be a craftsman of great artistic license. The dreamy lighting by Simon King and the simple and minimalist set by Nadya Cohen with just a heap of tyres, all enhance the tension in the air, while cajoling and commanding your attention.
This is a piece everyone should watch before it concludes month end of February.
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Brothers size is an extremely fascinating piece of play. I wasn't expecting the American accent, but I got to learn later that it's based on an African American history.
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed watching it and kudos to the actors in the play; they're astonishingly talented.