Risky Business
Appropriately titled, Risky Business, the HIV/AIDS performance by UBOM! lives up to its name.
I am usually skeptical about watching HIV/AIDS plays having had numerous disappointing encounters but today I just thought I would take a chance as this company is from Grahamstown, home of one of the biggest Arts festival in Africa and I was not disappointed.
Instead of some moralistic, didactic presentation, the play is structured in such a way that it presents real life situations, dilemmas, poses pertinent questions and showcases individuals and society’s prejudices and misconceptions with regard to the deadly virus.
Nowhere within the play are answers provided, it asks you as an individual to consider different truths and ask yourself some searching questions. After all we are all unique and different and though we all affected, we are affected in different ways and there is neither a generic answer nor a correct and universal reaction to the pandemic.
In a very innovative and interesting way, the cast, made up of three women and two men employ a varied number of theatre modes in their presentation. The audience was treated to a combination of song, dance, mime, role play and acting in a single performance.
As if to highlight that they wanted to see more, the audience remained in their seats ten minutes after the show had ended and they had to be chased out of the auditorium because the venue was booked for another presentation.
In interaction with some of the audience members later on, they revealed that they felt cheated by the performance as they would have liked to engage with the performers on the issues raised and questions posed by the presentation.
Probably with time, UBOM! will consider opening the auditorium for some engagement with the audience at the end of the performance.
UBOM! will also be presenting another performance, The Swimming Lesson, on the August 24, 25 and 26 at the Wits Amphitheatre, all shows start at 19:30. My advice; book a seat early, it will be worth your while.