Father and I

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Father and I 

Day 2 at the Market Theatre to watch this poignant and emotionally charged play "Father and I". A play that delves into interpersonal relationships between fathers and their offspring. It explores what it means to be a father. To have someone teach you the intracies of life, someone who inspires you and hones skills in you so you can live life with purpose and deliberately. To instill good values, to be dependable, honest and trustworthy. Care and support your family. Someone to teach you stick-fighting and being an honorable man. The stories are told in the first person, making them subjective and personal. The stories evoke nostalgia and have the performers reminiscing about simpler times. Tata taking us to Spur every month and buying me ice-cream after school. He used to be a good guy when he was younger but now we are estranged, yes, he has children all over but still. We see one of the performers regress to a childlike state recounting and reliving her memories swinging on a swing. One of the performers recounts his father's encouragement after he had a bad night at one of his show. He is distraught and inconsolable believing his dreams are over, he even cries on stage, lines are blurred, it doesn't feel like he is acting, it's too real. Nido baby formula, sunlight bar and R10 is a heavy fixture in the show, something the father's did for a while, then gone boys. 


'Father & I’ uses personal stories, dance, song and music to explore the relationships between South African fathers and their children. As an interdisciplinary work, it combines song, dance, music and personal testimony to create a theatrical experience aimed at acknowledging the complexity and beauty of fatherly relationships, with all its imperfections. 

Great show, meaningful, executed with care and attention. The performers inhabit the stories they tell, they have personality and charisma. They have hopes and dreams. They have an understanding for life. 

Sunnyboy Motau provides the choreography 
Music by Bongile Lecoge–Zulu and Matthew MacFarlane. 

The actors/performers 
Lesego Dihemo
Sbusiso Gumede
Wesley Hlongwane 
Afrikamabiyase Ziqubu
Lucracia Magoro
Lumka Dumezweni
Thabang Chauke
Sindisiwe Mjali
Xhamla Samsam
Wenziweyinkosi Myeni

Congratulations Greg Homann and the whole team for a great show and a deserved standing ovation. 

https://youtu.be/JIx3OdmtSpU?si=w6zh_R-6XqHz1EWe


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