HEARTSTRINGS DEALS WITH DEATH WITH A LIGHT TOUCH

By Margaretta wa Gacheru (composed June 4, posted June 13,2023) Heartstrings went all metaphysical this past weekend when they staged ‘Let sleeping wives lie’ at Alliance Francaise. It happened after mourners attended the funeral and memorial service for Gerald’s loving wife Hellen. It was also after friends and neighbors of Hellen’s family gathered at her home apparently to comfort Gerald (Timothy Ndisi) who was clearly broken up by the demise of his beautiful wife. His mental turning towards the metaphysical probably came after a succession of shocking discoveries about his seeming friends and neighbors. First came the stunning revelation that the Chairman of Hellen’s funeral committee hadn’t just been eating the funds raised to cover the funeral costs. Chairman Miyungu (Arnold Saviour) was doing that by flagrantly inflating the price tags of items required, like the catering and the cremation. Unapologetic about having no receipts to prove the costs that he was reporting were accurate and true, Miyungu also told Gerald and his friends that he’d deposited the remainder of funds raised into a fixed bank account that would only release those funds after 18 years! But if all that horrifically despicable news wasn’t enough to make your blood boil, what finally came out as the most excruciating moment was the news that all the mourners, including the Chairman, were giving themselves a seating allowance for attending Hellen’s funeral and serving on the committee. Seen as daylight robbery and speaking on Gerald’s behalf, his best friend Ephantus (Fischer Maina) could have clobbered the chairman for turning Hellen’s death into an opportunity for his own and his fellow ‘mourners’ personal gain. Their conduct resulted in Gerald’s burrowing himself into a sofa bed for days of sleep and depression. But his epiphany was coming soon. First, the would-be wives had to arrive in his life. It would be the onslaught of the women that would drive Gerald ‘mad’ (and metaphysical). All he’d wanted was to grieve over his loss, the love of his life. His friends would badger him to come out of his depression and move on with his life. The women were another story. Meanwhile, Gerald looked hopelessly helpless. First came the ‘house manager’ (formerly known as the ayah), Carol, who was the first to literally throw herself at him. She refused to listen to his protestations. She had been feeding him and maintaining his tidy home for years, so now she felt it was her turn. It is now that we have the first sightings of Hellen. Decked out in an elegant golden kimono and looking every bit of an angel, her arrival was initially silent. But then she begins speaking to him, telling her hubby that Ephantus and Carol are correct. He did need to move on. He continued protesting, but now speaking directly to his ‘dead’ wife who appeared to him like an angel who he could apparently hear and see. This is when I saw Heartstrings stray away from the rib-tickling business of making fun of contemporary hustler-crooks and conniving ‘do-gooders’. Taking the conversation beyond the grave was a glorious extension of Heartstrings’ powers of imagination. For now, we got to see and hear how Gerald really felt about himself and his wife. He confessed to his infidelities and she admitted she knew about all of his dalliances but chose to stay silent because she somehow ‘knew’ that he loved her and she loved him. So, angel Hellen was all for the maid sticking around. But then came Dee (Leitun Salat) the hoochy-koochy girlfriend who was also not intending to leave. She came with all her luggage, apparently feeling entitled in her mind, since she and Gerald seemed to have a side-chick sort of history that did not impress Hellen at all. Bernice was marvelous, moving around quietly and watching as even her own sister Amanda (Esther Kahuha) shows up to take over from her deceased sis. She too felt entitled, but this one didn’t impress Hellen either. All the while that the women are coming and claiming ruling status over Gerald’s house, Hellen is quietly observing and letting him know what she feels. Their conversations are touching, and one can’t know if Hellen is Gerald’s dream or if she is a genuine angel sent to assist him in his hour of need. Either way, it’s the men who ultimately help Gerald decide. The Chairman interviews all three women; their responses to his queries being what will determine what the men decide. It’s the hoochy-koochy side-chick who wins by their estimation. But in the end, there’s so much confusion that we can’t really know if anyone replaced Hellen. I don’t think so.