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by Mark Dornford-May & Charles Hazlewood, directed by Mark Dornford-May

Broomhill Opera, Elgin Theatre, Toronto

April 8-13, 2003

"A Joyous Evening"

"Yiimimangaliso: The Mysteries" is a joyous evening of theatre sure to dazzle the eyes and ears, lift the heart and warm the soul.  Presented as part of the du Maurier World Stage Festival 2003, "The Mysteries" is a retelling of the Chester cycles of medieval mystery plays though speech, song and dance in four of South Africa's official languages--English, Afrikaans, Xhosa and Zulu. 

The production is so theatrical the use of multiple languages poses no problem to understanding the action.  The medieval mystery cycles took the key episodes of the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, from Creation to the Last Judgement, to illustrate the mystery of the incarnation to the largely illiterate populations of various market towns in England.  The stories will be familiar to nearly everyone, Christian or not, whether from the Bible or from the numerous literary works based on it. 

Director Mark Dornford-May has had the brilliant idea of relocating the telling of these universal stories to a contemporary South African township.  Thus Herod becomes a tribal chieftain and his soldiers are clad in black military outfits with black berets and machine guns.  These are the troops who are sent out into native villages to kill all the children.  The woman taken in adultery is threatened not with stoning but "necklacing" as the community menacingly bounces tires her way.  When Pilate, played by one of the three white members of the cast, washes his hands after Jesus' trial the act takes racial and politic significance.  The new setting recreates the essence of the original cycles as a celebration of communion and community through a communal act of story-telling.

Dornford-May has added another level of interpretation beyond this.  The fall of Lucifer is the first play, but, unlike in the originals, this Lucifer despite his spectacular fall into hell, continues to appear through the other plays as an instigator of evil.  But while he may revel in what Eve, Cain, Herod or the Roman soldiers do, he is increasingly (and literally) thrust into the wings by every good deed until Christ's resurrection banishes him entirely.  At the sound of music or of any celebration he stops his ears.  As the spirit of divisiveness he is expelled by whatever brings the community together.

In a bold move the gospel that Jesus preaches is told in the form of a dance that Mary first teaches him.  Jesus teaches it to his disciples but after his resurrection when they gather to spread the word, they cannot exactly reproduce it, settle on a version and use that.  It is an exceedingly clever way to make a complex point about doctrine.

Simplicity is the hallmark of the whole production.  Dornford-May and Dan Watkins's set is merely a raked wooden platform with scaffolding on three sides.  Leigh Bishop and Jessica Dornford-May's costumes look like everyday modern clothing whether European or tribal.  Charles Hazlewood's rhythmically exuberant music is played entirely on found objects--plastic or metal trash cans, bottles, hubcaps, glasses of water.  Noah's ark is a piece of expanding lattice fence, a blue blanket that had just represented water become Mary's cloak, the incarnation is shown when God removes his tribal skirt to reveal blue jean cut-offs underneath.  The show contains one such brilliant stroke after the next.

Dornford-May auditioned almost 2000 South Africans to make up the troupe of 35.  While the work is truly an ensemble piece several performances do stand out.  Vumile Nomanyama is a virile Deus/ Jesus, who is demanding as a schoolmaster is because he wants humanity, his pupils, to learn.  Andries Mbali's Lucifer falls because of his pride and takes out the private hurt of his exile on humanity, never understanding why he has fallen or why his revenges always fail.  Sibusiso "Otto" Ziqubu is hilarious as Noah, who can't fully comprehend God's demands and who has such difficulties with his shrewish wife equally well played by Ruby Mthethwa.  The wonderfully expressive Pauline Malefane is radiant as Mary, signalling the conception with a subtle smile of surprise and pleasure or reacting to Jesus' crucifixion with a heartrending scream of agony.

"The Mysteries" is what theatre is all about: making something out of nothing, creating an energy that enlivens the whole community of players and observers.  At every moment the actors' immense vitality and utter engagement with their characters communicates its power directly to the audience.  When they break into song and dance the production soars.  The final "Gloria" is so uplifting a less staid group than a Canadian audience on an opening night would have been dancing in the aisles.  Certainly their hearts were dancing.

©Christopher Hoile

Note: A version of this review appeared in TheatreWorld (UK) 2003-04-11.

Photo: Pauline  Malefane as God with the Angels. ©2003 Ruphin Coudyzer.