NEFARIOUS: Pierre Malherbe and Brent Palmer scheme in The Kingmakers. Photo: Jesse Kramer NEFARIOUS: Pierre Malherbe and Brent Palmer scheme in The Kingmakers. Photo: Jesse Kramer
THE KINGMAKERS. Directed by Louis Viljoen, withg Pierre Malherbe, Brent Palmer and Rebecca Makin-Taylor. At the Fugard Studio Theatre, Tuesday to Saturday at 8pm, until March 19. STEYN DU TOIT reviews.
POLITICS would be funny if it wasn’t “so goddamn tragic”. These words, penned by Louis Viljoen as part of his writer and director’s note for The Kingmakers, perfectly sum up the play they refer to.
Repeat them as your mantra when sitting down for this acclaimed political thriller by one of the industry’s ‘ballsiest’ theatre auteurs.
Following its debut during 2014 at Alexander Upstairs, the production went on to win Viljoen the Best New South African Script award at last year’s Fleur du Cap ceremony.
Just like any proper political party worth its salt, this year’s Kingmakers‘campaign’ is glitzer, more determined and with its eyes firmer on the prize than ever before. And I’m not just referring to the shiny press pack I received during opening night.
Designed by Viljoen alongside long-time sidekick Greg Karvellas ( Bad Jews, Champ), the viewer is greeted by a nondescript set when entering the theatre - resembling a sleek, straight-from-the-catalogue boardroom.
Gone is the parmesan-coloured desk and computer gone chartreuse with age. This time the script’s mental and moral chess game is fought over a spotless boardroom table that’s overlooked by a series of prominent vertical windows that will remain covered throughout.
We learn that the blinds are drawn because there’s a storm brewing outside. However, as the plot unfolds, one begin to understand their metaphorical implications as well. There is a special place reserved in hell for those too cowardly to even look into the eyes of those they trample on their way to the top.
Opening to Sam Cooke’s Civil Rights anthem A Change Is Gonna Come, while thunder can be heard loudly issuing warnings in the distance, we meet opposition party strategists Arlow (Malherbe) and Daniel (Palmer) on the day a plan of theirs to place a neutral party member in contention for leadership goes pear shaped.
Licking their wounds, downing coffee and juggling their way through a series of outrageous verbal analogies to describe their current predicament, as the production’s title suggests they then set their eyes on finding another political puppet in whose shadow they can one day wring their hands and make him dance for their benefit.
Nefariously slithering back into his role as Arlow is Malherbe ( Sexual Perversity in Chicago). While he already “found” his character during the original staging, the formidable actor here impressively manages to bring a whole new level of depravity to his performance.
Having replaced Brendon Daniels as Daniel, it is in casting Palmer (Bench) where the production makes its most crucial tweak. As the closest character to a moral compass that the show has, one really has to see this fine performer in action to understand just how difficult it is to pull everything off convincingly.
Striking the right balance between incredulity, hunger and idealism, thanks to Palmer’s addition the overall impact of this high-stakes ensemble piece becomes all the more potent.
The third member of this unholy political alliance is spin doctor Amy (Makin-Taylor). Having been roped in to help polish their “man” and his public image, revelling in the utter ruthlessness with which Makin-Taylor tackles her role for a second time is another highlight in a piece with several already.
Under Viljoen’s confident direction, the three performers squirm and scheme and scream over the course of an hour. Kitted out in corporate wear designed by Lamees Albertus and sculpted by Benjamin du Plessis’ clinical lighting, by the end of it they’ll have you eating out of their hands.
As for the trio’s plan’s specifics and how it all plays out, well, for that one would have to go watch the play. But ultimately this isn’t even a story about an instigated mining strike or its consequences. Change a few words here and there, and the story could easily refer to a campus student protest or an informal service delivery demonstration.
Part of Viljoen’s gift as a writer, a narrator and a social commentator has always been his ability to create a specific milieu for his viewer, who, in turn, then gets to decide for him or herself how deep they want to jump down the rabbit hole. We need more playwrights to not patronise their audiences.
As The Fugard Theatre’s very first Writer in Residence, audiences can further look forward to a series of Viljoen’s plays staged there over the next four years. I, for one, am still praying for one called T hose Who Deserve to Be Punched in the Face.
“And it’s a hard, and it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard... And it’s a hard rain’s a-gonna fall…”, Bob Dylan croons out in that trademark drawn-out style of his on 1963’s The Freewheelin’.
We cannot ignore the thunder any longer. There is a storm brewing in SA – the chickens are coming home to roost. If you think what we’ve seen on campuses recently are bad, then you are in for a rude wake-up call. During these troubled times, however, we can all be sure of one thing, and one thing alone: If anyone can and will get through this alive – unscathed and richer than ever – you can bet it will be our beloved politicians. Do the right thing. Vote yes for The Kingmakers during the coming election.
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