One black, one white, one mixed race - three actors, using minimum props and achieving maximum impact take us beyond shallow newspaper headlines and into the bleeding, embittered heart of Zimbabwe. The directors are Zane E. Lucas and Wiina Msamati, who are also part of the writing team responsible for crafting a polished, coherent text from the potentially anarchic improvisation and extensive use of flashback.
A compelling theme tune by another of the writers, Kevin Hanssen, as well as the mantra - "this is my story", "this is who I am" - help to bind the whole.
Apart from directing and writing, Msamati takes the part of Constance Muchetu, a black servant to the rich, white family - one of the three central characters.
If Constance tugs most at the heart strings, the other two leads - white master Matthew Johnstone, played by Adam Neill, and his wife beating, mixed race brother in law, the ironically named Nigel White (Craig Peter) - also win our understanding over the course of the play.
The acting is versatile and whole hearted as the three strong cast also takes on a wealth of minor parts. In particular, Neill throws himself into and array of female roles which provide comedy but never detract from the high seriousness.
His key speech, however, is delivered as Johnstone, returning to his mother's grave for a soliloquy about the dilemma - whether you are black, white, or mixed race - of being born African.
2). Metro (London): Kieran Meeke; 27/09/02 ****
Sometimes being a reviewer seems like such a dull job, compared to the fun being had on stage. So it was with Over The Edge’s production; three Zimbabweans exploring emotional boundaries, delving into the personal journeys of a wide canvas of African life. In turns belly-laugh funny, then tear jerkingly sad, the play brings out the deep talents of the male trio on stage as they transform into man and women of various ages and races, telling their disparate yet interconnected stories.
At times cringingly well observed, the stories tell their own tale and any weakness comes from the desire to impose some sort of structured ending or find a message. Blaming men for the ills of a society such as the present day Zimbabwe is an easy target but it is not necessarily a convincing one. That said, the astonishing central performance of Wiina Msamati (pictured) as an African housemaid and mother – oozing the ambiguous power of Mama Africa – is one of the best things you'll ever see on stage. This is drama in its purest form – connecting you as an urban Westerner to the soul of Zimbabwe’s misery.
3). TNT Magazine: Pierre de Villiers; 30/09/02
It is easy to see the current political problems in Zimbabwe as a black versus white issue. What with Robert Mugabe lashing out at imperialism on the one side and the British press standing firmly behind the African county's white farming community on the other.
But there is so much more to modern-day Zimbabwe than newspaper headlines, as this extra-ordinary play by the Over The Edge theatre group proves.
Showing us the three faces of Zimbabwe – a white lawyer, a coloured youth, and a black servant – Born African does reveal the truly horrific state of the country, but illustrates the complexity that lies behind it.
4). Time Out: Jane Yeh; 02/10/02
‘He looks at me as if I'm too black’, complains Constance, an African servant in a wealthy white household. The racism she refers to doesn't come from one of her employers, however, but from their daughter’s ‘coloured’ husband (or biracial) husband, Nigel. Such subtleties characterise Over The Edge TC’s self-penned production, a look at colour and class in contemporary Zimbabwe that's as fast paced and funny as it is impassioned.
Estranged from his white wife, Julie, Nigel (Craig Peter) torments himself for hitting her during an argument, especially since his hated father used to beat his mum. Julie’s well meaning brother, meanwhile, unwittingly patronises Constance and her son, Fungisayi. Frustrated by the county's iniquities (he considers Constance a ‘slave’ because she works for whites), Fungisayi stabs a posh African exec, who insults him at a nightclub: ‘black-on black violence’, as one character ironically comments.
Wearing identical clothing, three actors cover all the parts, instantly switching personas by changing their accents and donning caps or sarongs. They rearrange simple black cubes to suggest chairs, desks or gravestones in each scene. But directors Zane E Lucas and Wiina Msamatis most inspired choice is putting the multi racial cast in blackface makeup – an appropriation, half minstrel show, half Greek drama, that visibly demonstrates the way society labels people as ‘black’ to deny their ‘individuality’. For a group so keen to represent outsiders’ lives, though, the female characters are woefully underwritten (besides Constance), while Nigel seems too easily excused for punching his wife. Still, Peter and Msamati display astonishing range, with the latter’s Constance – eyes downcast, shoulders slumped in resignation – a true tour de force. Their artistry makes the political feel personal and what could be more compelling than that?
5). What’s On: Barbara Lewis; 02/10/02
In November 1994, Zimbabwean theatre company Over The Edge made its debut at the Avondale Summer Arts Festival in Harare. Apart from its humanity and talent, the troupe was remarkable in an intolerant society for being racially mixed. Transported via the Edinburgh Festival to the Blue Elephant community theatre in a Camberwell housing estate, its inter-racial team work remains extremely relevant, but most of all serves to communicate the depth of the dilemma, regardless of your colour, of being born into an Africa in transition.
Aesthetically as well as politically, the production succeeds against the odds. The cast of three – one black, one white, one mixed-race – wear black face paint, but it acts as a leveller, rather than being an expression of colonial prejudice (like a blacked up Othello). A team of writers, including directors, Zane E. Lucas and Wiina Msamati, ensure that the improvised text and potentially bewildering array of characters is coherent. The number of parts requires extensive doubling from the cast, but three central roles focus the drama.
As well as writing and directing, Msamati is Constance, the faithful black servant to a white family. Adam Neill takes the part of Matthew Johnston, who, following his mothers death, is head of that white family, while Craig Peter is the ironically named Nigel White, his mixed race brother-in-law. Constance has the greatest claim on our sympathy as the humiliated servant made to stand at the back during the mistress’s funeral, but Neill’s Johnstone and even Peter’s portrayal of the wife-beating White earn our understanding during the 75 minutes of the play.
Of the wealth of minor parts, some of the most entertaining are Neill’s coy renditions of various women. At the same time, they never detract from the high seriousness of living in a country which has been in crisis since pro-government militants, led by veterans of the 1970’s liberation war, began invading white-owned farms in early 2000.
Apart from providing light relief, Neill delivers with conviction the key-note speech, in which he flirts with the idea of leaving, but in the next breath acknowledges he cannot because he is born African.
BORN AFRICAN - EARLIER REVIEWS
6). edfringe.com: Thelma Good, 11/08/02 * * * *
"Blacking up isn't done these days but in Born African all three of the cast are made up like Al Jolson. The white lips and eye sockets make their faces much more strongly defined and a slight drop of the lips conveys deep sadness, where on a conventional made-up face we may not notice anything. It is played in an open, joyful style, where the actors come close, sing and connect with us. It doesn't need to be performed in a conventional theatre, indeed I kept on feeling I was in a hot, dusty African Market place, sitting on some steps watching the actors below. Arising from improvisation this play has some very short scenes so a sustained atmosphere of emotion never grows and builds, I would have liked just a degree more of intensity.
Three actors Wiina Msamati, Craig peter and Adam Neill, populate this play with the varied mix of white, black and assortment who call Africa their homeland. Taking 3 or 4 characters each they bring the heat, the challenges and the heartache of being not just african but also human today. Constance is the character who stayed with me the most, Wiina Msamati gives a strong dignity to the faithfull family maid who is always there, accepting life's knocks. Funny and troubling are the scenes from Matthews childhood where he and his two friends, one of each type try to relate in a world where everybody knows what shade you are and it matters. Who you are and do you belong are things that we humans worry about, it's good to see these worries from a different angle. Over The Edge Theatre Company lets you think whilst being entertained."
7). Scotsgay: 08/02
"Stunning performances from the all male cast and a script that contains real magic. Born African is the story of Zimbabwe today as through the eyes of many, portrayed by just three. We learn a great deal about poverty, imperialism and racism. Last year's production was a massive success. This year is selling out. Get a ticket if you can."
8). The Guardian Unlimited: Lyn Gardner 16/08/02 * * *
"There will allways be a white africa and a black africa," says one of the characters in this show produced by the Zimbabwean company Over The Edge. The play explores the identity and sense of people of all colours living in Africa today. It is a thoughtful piece, though its failure to deal with recent developments in Zimbabwe makes it like a jigsaw with a piece missing.
But there is a good argument that if we understand the people, we will understand the country. In the Johnston family, their loyal black servant Constance, and coloured Nigel, married to the Johnstons' daughter, Julie, we are given a snapshot of the shifting social relations in Zimbabwe today. It is a play suffused in African music and "the sorrows, joys and trials" of ordinary people.
Three actors use black-painted masks and direct, simple physical theatre to tell these entwining stories, and although the evening sometimes feels a little too linear, its examination of people caught up in the march of history cannot fail to move."
9). ThreeWeeks: wk3 2002 * * * * *
"An excellent, absorbing and deep look at modern day Zimbabwe, which is not only funny but poignantly moving. If you are looking for a show that challenges mindsets, but also takes a firm stand in its multicultrialism and equality, then see this show and witness the excellence and sincerity that each of the three actors provide in their representation of what mother Africa means to them. The stigma of colour, the new concept of black on black racism, the ending of imperialism, economics and relationship dilemmas, are but a few of the issues raised in a superbly solid and original piece of work from a country in the throws of uncertainty."
10). The Scotsman: Claire Smith 10/08/02 * * * *
"Vibrant, brilliantly performed and full of emotion, this astonishing piece of theatre puts the desperate state of modern day Zimbabwe vividly before our eyes.
In a country wracked by conflict and crippled by economic uncertainty, three characters - a black female servant, a white liberal and a repentant mixed race wife beater - struggle to maintain their dignity and self respect.
Woven together from real life stories, the play begins with the funeral of a liberal white woman. Caring, tolerant and humane, she represents the best of the old order. With her death the old world is gone - and the present generation must discover afresh what it means to be born African. Wearing identical black minstrel face paint, three superb actors - Adam Neill, Wiina Msamati and Craig Peter - share the principal characters adn take on a host of supporting roles.
As the story unfolds, the action takes a broad sweep of Zimbabwean society, from art dealers selling African heritage abroad to dirt poor single mothers trying to guide their children through life.
Brilliantly observed and bursting with humanity, this portait of a society in crisis s absorbing and stirring to watch. Each inventively staged episode is woven into a narrative leading each of the characters to their own personal redemption. There are no pantomime villians in this piece, and no political point scoring. Over The Edge are not in the business of apportioning blame or offering utopian solutions.
But the existence of this multi-racial theatre company with its roots in the real life of Africa is a very real cause for celebration and hope.
2001 Reviews
1). The Scotsman: Diane DuBois: 16/08/01 * * * *
"Three men arrive carrying cases, boxes and bags. Accompanied by wistful African song, their gait is ponderous and dignified. The actors turn to face us. One is white, one black, the other of mixed race. they perform a multitude of characters, male and female, young and old, of different races, classes and cultures. Each tells us that this is their story.
The play pulls together snapshots of contemporary Zimbabwe, a culture of division and friendship, love and hate, rendered here in all its complex diversity. One character insists that all are 'born African'. The Over the Edge Company provides a shrewd inquiry into what this might mean.
The horror of daily bigotry is vividly communicated. Adults teach children not to call each other racist names but they also teach them the language of division. A patronising Englishman impressed by the 'colourful and happy' Africans, snaps up souvenirs. His claim that the English have their problems too - namely refugees - is timely.
This information is thrown in the teeth of Constance, the aptly named domestic servant. Her sorrowful face is the very picture of a life of constant abuse and pain. Poor, black and female, through her, the play becomes a tribute to the overwhelming love of mothers. Defending their often violent men and repremanding their children, mothers are the repositories of all wisdom and strength.
The scenes range from the piteously moving through scorching satire to whimsical comedy. One thrilling episode evokes the horror of drowning, using only a sheet of polythene and a pounding soundtrack.
The three strong cast is superb. Whipping off the simplest of costumes, they transform themselves into multiple characters. the audience clapped at the end of every scene and gave a standing ovation. What more need I say?"
"Three lives, three people and three very different perceptions of modern-day Zimbabwe are intertwined in this funny, poignant aand utterly brilliant production.
Matthew is young, upper-middle class and white. Constance is an old black maid, struggling to get by and bring up her children, who works in his parents home. Nigel comes from a poor, mixed race background and is married to Matthew's sister, which could be the prescription for one of those dull, cliched and cloyingly politically correct productions. Worry not, however, for this comes from the Over The Edge company, whose thunderous version of Twelfth Night brought a smile to the face of everyone who saw it last year.
Turmoil.
With just three actors, the company conjures up another ten different characters besides the central trio. And while they have much to say about the situation in Zimbabwe today, the way in which they say it is so humorous that you never feel that you are being preached to. In a series of scetches, nearly every one of them very funny in their own way, the three actors build up a much bigger picture of a country in great turmoil which is having trouble facing up to its internal challenges.
Wiina Msamati plays Constance. And what a superb job he does of it. He might have the build to play a large, stooping woman, but everything, from his facial expression to his accent and the way he holds himself and walks, adds to your understanding of the character.
Towering Craig Peter and slender Kevin Hanssen also have the physical characteristics for their main roles, Nigel and Matthew respectively. And they too bring more than just their presence to the roles. But it is when they move into the other characters that the play really sets the bush on fire. Because while each character is denoted by a single item of clothing, such signposts are not needed to see the people they are portraying. In one memorable scene, Peter plays Nigel at the age of five while Msamati plays his father. Even though Peter towers over Msamati in real life, the way they both create the characters makes you see a little boy, scuttling after his father as he trudges home from work.
This is powerful stuff. And the company have brought back Twelfth Night to play on alternate days. Do yourself a favour and see both."
