Charl Blignaut On stage in Johannesburg
In the year 2013 AD, planet earth will witness that old nuclear havoc: the final, inevitable, apocalyptic spectacle of destruction. A blinding flash, pandemonium, rancid corpses twisting with the hot breeze . But all will not be lost. No siree.
Because way above the messy implosion there rests a superdyke called Princess Solo (Bridget McCarthy). Sure, she’s out of wine, out of rizlas, has lost her pipe, needs a smoke godammit, sure she’s miserable. But she’s safe; this chick knows how to astral-travel.
But it’s lonely up there. Just her and the ol’ UFO passing on its interplanetary circuit . Just her and the steady thump of juicy house beats; wall-to-wall soundwaves painting a backdrop to her plight.
Enter Rigel 12 (Rehana Abrahams), a trailerpark gypsy from outer Sirius, gorgeous and sensuous, kitted courtesy Gaultier a la Fifth Element: white bandages bound tight across the cutest nipples . Hell, it’s love at first sight . The dyke of the near future will be wired; will ritually test her imaginative powers like some sort of electronica shaman; will frequency surf the solar system; will boldly go where no dyke has gone before.
And indeed, as the pending matriarchal age shifts into place, Rigel 12 and Princess Solo will fall in love ‘twixt the stars; will roll about in lust among the moondust; will birth a constellation; will bring healing to a bruised planet .
This is the backdrop to 2013 AD, a new club performance by Sjambok Productions, described as “theatre in the mix”, carpeted by sound and fabulously performed. It’s a description that sounds like it fits an astonishing new production, modern and brave, shifting the performance to the people.
And it could have been. But, unfortunately, by opening night, 2013 AD hadn’t managed to live up to its press release. Despite their every effort, the players let things unravel. Lacking in a lighting design and lacking in direction, 2013 AD becomes just another one of those festival- friendly two-handers that used to run at the old Black Sun.
Oozing with potential, the piece lapses instead into sodden clichs of the near future – territory so masterfully handled by the likes of JG Ballard, Pat Califia, Jeff Noon, Luc Besson, William Gibson, et al, that you’d be a brave babe just to dip your big toe in it.
And brave babes they are, but if they’re hoping to grasp the short attention span of a club crowd then they’re going to have to cut a good 20 minutes and invest in an extra light or two. Even so, 2013 AD will be one of those productions that eases into place as the run continues.
I reckon by Saturday night it should make for a damn fine evening out.
2013 AD will run until July 24 at 206 nightclub in Orange Grove; at Carfax in Newtown on July 25 and then again at 206 from July 27 until August 1. All performances start at 8pm. Tickets R30 at the door.