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Saturday, November 15, 2014

Modern Drama: Team A vs. Team B


Courtesy of Pernod Ricard housemates were tasked to write a play with a message to stop alcohol abuse. The moment of truth was finally here and each team was ready to perform for a cause. The question was however, if their performances would be entertaining and believable enough to win the hearts of Africa.

With this being a different kind of week with Figgie ruling the roost, this extravaganza also took a slightly different direction. This week housemates were lucky enough to get immediate and comprehensive feedback from none other than Figgie herself.

Team A of course was first up and ready to perform their Hotshots hearts out. The performance leads us into Tom's Tavern somewhere in the township where members of a church choir gather for their regular practice. This, for lack of a holier place, has been their rehearsal space since they were saving up for a better place.

But these are church-goers with secrets. Thanks to alcohol and a blunderous waiter, who serves the pastor a spiked drink all their little vices surface. When Tayo, the pastor, passes out it seems the world might end so they all confess to their sins. Sipe – the treasurer with sticky fingers – goes back on her confession and so does judgemental hag old lady Goitse.

At the end of their performance Figgie told them that their overall performance was good but they could’ve done better. The way she saw things, they were lazy and failed to stretch themselves and should consider that going forward.

Next up was Team B who enacted a gathering of a bunch of addicts, some in denial, at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting at a Charlie's Cocktail Bar, of all the places… There was JJ, a divorcee and father of two who became disruptive when drunk. He tried to court Samantha, a woman who so far down the line she forgot her own degree. Then there were twin, brothers, or rivals (Nhlanhla and Idris) who couldn’t stand one another with one suffering a fear of heights.

Figgie figured the scripts was good but their world of the "AA meeting" was lacking in texture. They also, according to her, relied too heavily on improvisation which meant their performance went on for longer than needed. Samantha, she concluded, was a too safe a performer and she fell into JJ's shadow. Trezagah stood out for inhabiting the world of the play but needed to work on his accent. JJ and Idris did well all around while Nhlanhla  failed to impress.

Do you agree with Figgie's criticisms of the performances or do you think she was far too harsh? Click here to vote for your favourite team.
tangaz
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