Being Single: The Spinster in Cape Town – Cultural Review

20130420_0905Making its Cape Town debut this month, THE SPINSTER is running at the Alexander Bar’s Upstairs Theatre Mondays to Wednesdays, 8-17 April. I was fortunate enough to be present at the opening night.

THE SPINSTER was originally written for the Drama of Life Sex Actually Festival and subsequently invited to the Musho International Theatre Festival in January 2013, from where it made its way to the Mother City. Written and performed by Kyla Davis, with direction by James Courns, this one woman play concerns a spinster in her old age, abandoned by friends and family, left with nothing but mementoes, memories and perhaps a regret or two. Yet, despite the sadness at being alone, the spinster warns us: Do not make yourself small to fit into a small life. Do all the things you always dreamed.

If the premise of the play sounds familiar, that’s because it is. Kyla Davis consciously drew inspiration from Jungian female archetypes, the political satire of Franca Rame and Lecoq’s Buffoon in order to offer the viewer an intellectual, but fiercely witty and humorous exploration of what it is to be a woman who has lived a sexually free and active life in her youth. Certainly, engaging with re-visited topics can be dangerous for an actor/writer. Theatre-goers may ask, What’s the point; I have seen this done before.  But with a script that offers sharp insights into womanhood, and debates with whether a woman who has lived a large life deserves to become an object of disregard, an item in a freak show to be pointed at, or simply a relic to pity, this play is both relevant and engaging.

For an evening at a charming venue, where all the tables have antique phones – just dial 9 to place your order – go to Alexander Bar’s Upstairs Theatre and enjoy a brilliantly realized performance.

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For More Information Visit:
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http://www.alexanderbar.co.za/show/spinster

 

Author: Karen Jennings