ED2016 2/5 Reviews ED2016 Theatre Reviews

The South Afreakins (Impi Theatre Company Presents…)

By Oliver Jaques | Published on Sunday 28 August 2016

Feeling unsafe and unhappy in her native South Africa, Helene wants to emigrate to New Zealand, whether her husband Gordon wants to or not. Writer/performer Robyn Paterson plays both halves of the couple with good physicalisation, switching between the two characters with quick turns of the head. Unfortunately, that was the only quick thing about this show, as the story never really picks up momentum. With too much time spent on moments that don’t drive the plot, it soon becomes a character study of two not very interesting characters. Phone calls to characters we don’t see are overused, and these moments struggle to create an emotional response. A well performed piece but a story unsure of what is driving the action.

Spotlites, until 28 Aug
tw rating 2/5 | [Olly Jacques]