WHO GOT HIT ‘BELOW
THE BELT’?
By
Margaretta wa Gacheru
The title
begs the question: ‘Below the Belt’ is a phrase normally associated with the
idiom—‘hitting below the belt.’ So who is hitting and who is getting hit?
In Heartstrings
Kenya’s latest production of the comedy ‘Below the Belt’, everyone seems to be
hitting or getting it.
The story is
all about present-day relationships in Nairobi and young peoples’ view of them.
Set in a
singles club, it starts with two young single women (Adeline Nimo as Monica and
Gindie Kahuha as Sandra) gossiping and fussing about boys, other girls and the
poor quality of service in the club.
Both have
had recent breakups, but only Sandra seems open to starting over afresh,
especially if the guy is a doctor like Charles (Victor Nyaata) claims his
friend Benson (Nick Quach) is.
Yet Ben is
just a humble hospital orderly who’s heartbroken as he’s been hit ‘below the
belt’ by his wife Flora who walked out on their marriage a while back for no
apparent reason.
Ben’s friend
Charlie has brought him to the club apparently to coax his pal out of his
doldrums. Charlie tries all manner of tricks, including singing karaoke style
(he calls it ‘Kariuki’) and getting Ben to dance with Sandra who’s keen to
catch herself a professional man.
It turns out
Charlie seems to have also been hitting below Ben’s belt because he’s secretly
got the hots for Flora. We’re left wondering at show’s end whether Charlie’s
motive all along was to get Ben involved with another woman so that he can
proceed with Flora!
But Charlie
doesn’t get off scout free. When he tried to get it on with Monica, this frosty
woman informs the club staff that he’s indecently dressed in the store room as
she’d promised to meet him there. In effect, she too hits below the belt.
But Charlie
also manages to hit Monica back by borrowing cash from her ex-boyfriend just as
she’s been trying to make her ‘ex’ jealous by letting him see her dancing and
having fun with another man. But then, that other man happens to be the same
guy who goes and borrows money from Mr. ‘ex’, showing him she had saddled
herself with a poor beggar man.
‘Below the Belt’
paints a sorry picture of the materialism, immorality and insensitivity of
young Kenyans today, or at least those who are looking more for money than true
love.
It
particularly paints an ugly picture of young women as being petty gossips
prepared to run with married men (preferably those with social status and wealth),
irrespective of how many kids they have at home or who’s bound to get hurt. It
also shows women to be hypocritical and mean to sisters who they perceive to be
‘beneath’ them socially. (I suspect the script was written or devised by men.)
But the show
can also serve as a cautionary tale, suggesting that it’s wise to beware of
matchmakers (like Charlie) who may have ulterior motives for setting you up
with the ‘perfect partner.’
Ultimately,
the show-stealer of ‘Below the Belt’ is Victor Nyaata who came on stage dancing
in fine funky form and clearly keen to cajole his friend Nick into having a
jolly good night. His seemingly spontaneous Karaoke song and dance routines are
hilarious and skillful simultaneously.
But Victor
and Nick are often paired as a gifted comedic team in Heartstring Kenya shows as
they play off each other really well.
The only
flaw in Below the Belt is the format this time round. The Emcee who came on in
between scenes needed a better script writer to give her wittier and snappier
lines. Otherwise, it was refreshing to see a poised female take on this
challenging role.
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