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Thoughtful
tale,
beautifully told
Solomon and Marion
Birmingham Rep Studio
*****
TAKE a good story, two assured actors and intelligent writing and you
have the ingredients for a rather special play. Lara Foot's touching
tale of a lonely soul finding a new and unexpected friendship is simply,
but beautifully told. Marion
lives alone in a remote suburb of Cape Town. With her husband gone and
her daughter settled in Australia, her sense of isolation is inevitable.
Though family have left her life, her strength of character certainly
hasn’t. She says what she thinks without bowing to political correctness
- all the more pertinent in a country dominated by political division. Self-pity is unthinkable in
Marion's generation of stoicism and 'make do and mend' thinking. Into this life comes another,
in the form of Solomon - a young, local man with a willingness to
listen. On the face of it, here are
two people who are poles apart. Solomon's innocent zest for life versus
Marions's declining appetite shouldn't bode well for any kind of lasting
friendship. Life, thank goodness, doesn't always follow the expected
path as they steadily grow closer. Good plays, of course, have
different layers and this is no exception. There is a reason for
Solomon's visit which is exposed towards the end of the play but in a
sense, though this serves to broaden the narrative that reason doesn't
necessarily matter. What shines through (and what an audience will
take from it) is the story of a genuinely blossoming friendship between
people from different sides of the tracks. Of course, there is a bigger
picture. It’s about the coming together of opposing cultures and looking
beyond the colour of a person' a skin. It's about the importance of care
and the need to move on from an outdated apartheid. On a much more
personal level, it's about two human beings finding a common ground. Janet Suzman, as Marion, is
impeccable throughout. Every thought is conveyed with truth and
sincerity. She takes her time - reacting and acting in equal measure,
contrasting beautifully to the youthful energy of her co-star.
It’s a joy to watch an actor at the top of her game in a piece of work
she is completely suited to. Newcomer Khayalethu Anthony
injects energy and charisma with every turn. His fast flowing speeches
contrast perfectly with Marion's measured observations. An unlikely
double act on the face of it, but a perfectly believable and, at times,
touching one. Patrick Curtis's set is
suitably stark and provides the perfect neutral canvass for a
beautifully woven story. Colour is not the priority here - a clever nod
to a wider theme. To 01-11-14 Tom Roberts
22-10-14
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