Ubuntu will touch your soul
Go see Ubuntu: The Cape Town Project.
Frankly, there is no more succinct way to review this Western Canada Theatre presentation than with those few words.
Go see it.
You will be amazed, inspired and challenged.
You will laugh, cry and leave Sagebrush Theatre in awe of the 95 minutes of theatre you have just sat through.
You may even wonder if WCT will ever present another play as impressive as Ubuntu.
When the play begins, you may find yourself wondering what you have gotten into, as it starts in South Africa, with actors speaking in their native language and engaged in what, for purposes of not revealing the plot, is part of their culture.
Later in the play, when the actors are again speaking in Afrikaans and Xhosa, it will seem simply natural as the story unfolds.
A collaboration between South African and Canadian actors, Ubuntu is, in its essence, a cross-generational story about family.
But, it is so much more.
It's a love story and a ghost story.
It's a reminder that, despite cultural differences, people are still people.
It's a story of a father's love and a child's need.
There is no one standout in the five-person cast.
Tracey Power is the emotional core as Sarah, the student who meets South African Philani in the university library and falls in love. There is one scene in which she will simply break your heart.
Andile Nebulane is the engine, the torque that propels the story and he is outstanding.
I loved Stacie Steadman as Libby, Sarah's angry daughter. She firmly anchors her generation's part of the story.
Eric Goulem — wow. Bring him back to WCT more often. He is amazing.
Mbulelo Grootboom, as Philani, however, quite simply owns Ubuntu. Your eye is drawn to him whenever he is on the stage. He can be merely sitting in a chair and you know in that simple act exactly what he is telling you.
This is theatre at its best. Go see it.
Ubuntu continues its run until April 7. Tickets are available at the Kamloops Live Box Office, 1025 Lorne St., 250-374-5483, kamloopslive.ca.
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