By Margaretta wa Gacheru
(posted October 11, 2017)
Heartstrings Entertainment
rarely fails when it comes to the issue of timing.
And by timing I’m not just
referring to the way everyone speaks their lines on time or the way, when
Victor Nyaata (as the younger Makandu brother) stands up for one woman ‘candidate’
that his older brother Boldrine (Nick Kwach) has wronged, the third brother Tobias
(Cyprian Osoro) chimes in to fight back, defending the other ‘candidate’ and
USIU graduate, Cynthia. Each is vying for something substantial from Nick.
I’m also talking about the
way the latest HE comedy ‘Return to Sender’ was devised and staged right when
Kenyans were also taking sides on which candidate to support in the up-coming
elections.
In Kenya’s case, the
choice (until last Tuesday) was between two presidential candidates. But in the
play, it’s the avowed bachelor-brother Nick who’s also being compelled to
choose between two women ‘candidates’, one of whom may theoretically become his
wife.
In fact, ‘Return to Sender’
is a perfect metaphor for Kenya’s current predicament—who to choose to become
the country’s next Big Man.
At first, one doesn’t necessarily
see the allegorical nature of the comedy. It’s just about three brother who
rarely meet other than during national elections when they return to their
rural home to vote.
The first brother to
arrive home is Tobias and his wife (Adelyne Wairimu). They are clearly
urbanites, although the hubby vows his family will move back to the land once
his wife ‘retires’.
But she is just as adamant
in refusing either to retire early or to return one day to rural areas.
Their bickering is
interrupted by the arrival of first, the youngest bro and shortly thereafter,
by the oldest who they’d all assumed was a happy bachelor up until his arrival
with his haughty non-Kenyan girlfriend (Faith Kibatha).
A bigger interruption
comes when Nick sets off an alarm and everyone assumes it’s a ‘terrorist’
attack either by rural ruffians out to cause havoc or hooligans using the
elections to stage robberies.
Whatever its nature, the
alarm sets off a frenzy of feverish flight for cover by family members. Their
impulsive angst seems to mirror what we often see when local people run for
cover once they see demonstrators running their way chanting for their candidate.
The plot thickens when the
‘terrorist’ turns out to be Nick’s former girlfriend (Mackrine Ardala) who
wants reparations (either cash, land or marriage) since he left her pregnant
and she’s now got a four-year old child.
The showdown then ensues.
Nick’s brothers each side with one woman and start campaigning on her behalf.
Ultimately, it’s Cyprian’s
[Ms1] wife
who intervenes, asking what they’re fighting for and why? And how would they
benefit either way?
Her question is the same
one that Heartstrings seems to want Kenyans to ask? They’re implicitly asking:
Why fight over a candidate when who’s bound to benefit apart from the winner
and his inner circle?
In the play, Nick leaves
us hanging but he promises to make his choice on October 26th, which
coincidentally is the country’s voting day. Or at least it was until one
candidate quit, leaving us wondering what will happen next.
Heartstrings must be
commended for seeing the comic element in Kenya’s current electoral season. We expect
to see more hilarity and drama coming out of latest political fiasco. I’m
informed HE director Sammy Mwangi is already working on it.
Meanwhile, Martin Kigondu
has also been busy. His Prevail Arts Company staged “What happens in the Night’
in Nanyuki last weekend and will give a repeat performance tomorrow from 5pm at
Daystar University Valley Road. His script also has a political edge and stars
Chichi Seii, Nick Ndeda, Salim Gitao, Mourad Sadat and Shivisi Shiviske.
Prevail Arts performed
another of Martin’s plays last weekend during the 3rd annual Somali
Heritage Week. The two-hander entitled ‘Matchstick Men’ didn’t quite fit the
Somali Heritage agenda as it was all about two men (Bilal Mwaura and Emmanuel
Mulili) who both seemed mentally imbalanced.
What made more sense on
the Kenya National Theatre stage was the Somali fashion show that featured
lovely youth dressed in local designer fashions.
What also appealed was the
informative and disturbing documentary film, “Water to Dust’, all about the plight
of Lake Turkana followed by a panel discussion on the impact of Climate Change
on the region.
Finally, tonight we’ll
hear who won the Smartphone Film competition at Alliance Francaise.
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