|
Superior
mother
>>
Sheela Langeberg sings her mother’s praises in the riveting Maija
of Chaggaland
by
AMY BARRATT
 After a
series of near misses, Black Theatre Workshop has finally found the
one-person-show it has been looking for. Coming out of an African storytelling
tradition, Maija of Chaggaland is a riveting tale told by a captivating
performer, Sheela Langeberg.
We were informed only after a performance last week that Langeberg was
fighting a flu bug acquired since arriving in Quebec from Australia,
where she lives. I’m told by those who have seen the show before
that her energy was way down, but she still had more energy and intensity
than most actors give on their best night.
Maija of Chaggaland is Langeberg’s tribute to her mother, born
among the Chagga people of Tanzania. She portrays Maija as an exuberant
teenager, through tragedies and triumphs as a wife and mother, and finally
as she gathers her eight children around her and tells them she is dying
at the age of 49.
The play deals frankly with the issue of female genital mutilation without
becoming a public service announcement. Although Maija herself suffers
this fate, she refuses to let any of her children undergo it, risking
ostracism by her people, not for the first time. She had previously
rejected an arranged marriage and turned away from her Muslim faith
to marry a Catholic. Here is a woman who believes so strongly in herself
that others find themselves following her lead. It’s a quality
that the daughter also possesses. It’s not every performer who
can pull off a one-person-show, but Langeberg is made for it. I pity
any actor who would try to share focus with her, because it’s virtually
impossible to take your eyes off Langeberg when she’s on stage.
Langeberg designed her own minimal set and costumes, the latter consisting
mainly of large squares of brightly coloured fabric which she wraps
around her head and body to represent different characters. Each time
a character dies in the story, she folds up and puts away a piece of
cloth. The stage is bare except for three slender tree trunks, a few
clay pots and a basket. Otherwise, the settings are created by Langeberg’s
acting and Steve Schön’s beautiful lighting.
Langeberg’s text, which incorporates traditional and original songs
in Swahili and Chagga, is both funny and heartbreaking. It provides
a privileged glimpse into a disappearing tribal culture. Don’t
miss it.
Food for thought
Daliso Chaponda
has an idea so crazy it just might work. The stand-up comic has booked
Concordia’s D.B. Clarke theatre (what’s that, like, 400 seats?)
for two successive Saturday nights, in the hopes that that many people
will pay eight bucks a pop to see his act and thus, put food on his
table. The show is unapologetically titled Feed This Black Man, and
you can find out more about it by visiting Chaponda’s Web site
at http://feedthatblackman.tripod.com.
Or just go to the
show. Heck, it’s cheaper than a movie. :
Maija of
Chaggaland plays through Mar. 2 at MAI (3680 Jeanne-Mance), 8pm, $12–18,
932 -1104
The Feed
This Black Man Comedy Show plays March 2 at the D.B. Clarke Theatre
(1455 de Maisonneuve W.), 8pm, $8, 573-6810 or spiltink@hotmail.com
|
