The journey of Unsatisfactory. (2024) doesn’t just unfold; it expands like the Big Bang. Written and directed by Cristino Luke Riego De Dios, the play begins in dense darkness before the titular characters – a man and a woman played by Antonio Van Lendt and Ziyanda Dandala – engage in a sequence of dance-like movements, searching for something. It is revealed that they possess an artificial light – torches, stage lights - and they are in search of genuine, authentic light, wherein they believe happiness, and purpose reside. In essence, they are "Two souls looking for light".
The premise appears sweet, right? Like an after-school special where you can project yourself onto characters learning feel-good lessons. If this premise leaves you feeling hopeful, you're in the same boat as us in the audience – deceived and prepped for an ascension into madness.
photography by Kwandokuhle Goba
The play’s narrative exposes self-indulgent and harmful cycles that can come from with the human condition. The titular characters repeatedly find something they believe is authentic light, only for them to be wrong, and quickly ascend into madness. They then move on to the next perceived source of light; sex, marriage, a child figure (played by Khanyisa Masondo), and the cycle repeats. The evolution and extensional questions this play raises mirrors typical absurdist madness, akin to Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot
photograph by Nokukhanya Sibanda
While the writing demonstrated a well-constructed plot and motifs, the characterisation and dialogue could’ve been developed more. I feel, the play missed some opportunities to highlight the dynamism, duality, and contrast between the titular characters. Although the repetition of cliché phrases and language were executed well & enhanced the absurdity in some instances, it became an excuse in others. For example, I felt the soliloquies were carried by the actors and stage direction. Their lines/voice were so similar that if they swapped soliloquies no one would’ve noticed. The visual elements and direction - stunning and well executed - carried most of the narrative weight.
Within each unsatisfactory experience in the pursuit of light, the actors' performances were so compelling that I found myself ignoring the cynical nature of absurdism and fully believing that they could find the authentic light and therefore show me how I could find it.
The actors excelled in portraying a sense of hopefulness, particularly Ziyanda Dandala’s bright-eyed eagerness for the light and Antonio Van Lendt’s capacity for shifting to darker demeanors. They showcased their ability to switch from poised individuals to frantic maniacs, making the ascent into madness more believable. Dandala, Van Lendt, and Masondo fed off each other and the audience, all displaying excellent line delivery, vocal range, and impressive movement. They embodied both victim and desirer of the unknown.
Further enhanced by the minimal stage design and skillful use of lighting, the metaphor of natural light versus artificial light stripped their characters to their primal essence, intensifying the mania. Scenes unfolded with animalistic, cynical intensity, demolishing any notion of comfort, only to see the actors switch back to their hopeful searching state before the cycle continued
photography by Kwandokuhle Goba
Through its meta execution, the play doesn't hold back. The characters consistently confront the audience with their voyeurism and hypocrisy – sitting in the dark, watching as they seek light. They point out the stage lights – impeccably timed, as an old sound and lighting expert myself – the props, and the significance insignificance of the child-like character's demise. There was no room for relaxation in that theatre, no comfort character for projection.
The production successfully achieved its intended goal. It consistently engaged the audience, leaving no room for complacency. As we exited the theatre, we were left with lingering questions about the existential pursuit of purpose and happiness, contemplating the meaning of life and the absurdity inherent in the constant quest for fulfilment. If Riegos De Dios ever decides to put the production on again, run to the ticket booth.
Written by Nokukhanya Sibanda
Photos from Kwandokuhle Goba , Nokukhanya Sibanda
Edited by Ashley Allard, Theodore Ghorbany
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