Visiting the theatre regularly one gets used to a certain standard of acting, and every time I am in awe of the talent out there. Excellent performances have become the norm and one tends to remember the outstanding and the mediocre performances.
Let me get right to the point: Sillage, currently showing at the Alexander Theatre Café in Cape Town, falls into the category of standing out for all the right reasons.
Sillage is the moving story of a mother and daughter, and the battles of the different generations. As they pack up the family house they face tough issues: the benefits of apartheid, matriarchy and the role of tradition and ultimately the disconnection between a mother and daughter who yearns for a relationship, but the lenses through which they view the world, are often barriers. Mother and daughter have to fit themselves into the cardboard boxes they’ve been avoiding their whole lives.
Every moment of Rebecca Makin-Taylor’s performance as the worldly daughter battling with her mother’s past, nears perfection. She plays the subtext with a great amount of skill – not too much to overdo it, but just enough to give the audience a glimpse into her character’s psyche. Her voice, emotions and movement forms the perfect synergy to create theatre magic in its purest form.
Michele Belknap, as the mother who is struggling to understand the need to adapt, is a veteran actress and together the two women make a powerful combination.
Sillage is brave insofar as it is the story of strong women, being told by women, for both men and women. The play moves from the political to the personal space with ease. This is an eloquent production that will move and inspire you. If nothing else, the pure and raw craftsmanship will be something you remember for a long time.
Written By Joshua Carstens
Show details:
20 – 25 Feb: 7pm
R90 at the door, R80 Online
To book go to: alexanderbar.co.za/show/sillage
