The luminous Sophie Joans in a solo performance of a play she has written.
Theatre review of ÎLE finishing this weekend at Sandton’s Theatre on the Square by DIANE DE BEER
PICTURES: PHILIP KUHN
ÎLE
WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY: Sophie Joans
DIRECTED BY: Rob van Vuuren
DATES: Today at 7.30pm; tomorrow at 5pm and 8pm
When you’ve been around in the arts for as long as I have, it’s always an unexpected thrill to discover a new talent.
Solo performances are obviously a handy talent to have in your bag of tricks because of the precarious nature of theatre and the performing arts. If you have to rely solely on managements, festivals and directors to keep your career going, it could be disastrous – and tough on your anxiety levels.
With the ability to write and perform, you can create your own work, pack a bag and travel from stage to stage or whatever entertainment platform you prefer. If you have presence, which is something that’s difficult to explain, (you either have it or you don’t), it’s a gift that should be cherished.
Sophie Joans has all of the above and more. It’s a powerful package. She’s also obviously smart to not go it completely alone but to have the skilled Rob van Vuuren on board, someone who has made the stage his home, as director.
She bounces on stage bubbling with energy and enthusiasm and launches into a travelogue with Mauritius and her mother as the main destinations – and right from the start, she holds your attention with a smart and hilarious script. She taps into the ever-fraught relationship between mothers and daughters, where the one is wise if weatherbeaten and the other knows all the answers and doesn’t want to be prompted on how to proceed in life.
We all recognise family foibles in some fashion, but this is where the writing is witty and wise. Yes, it sounds hellish and many of us will think of our mothers and their lesser indiscretions with relief, but the way Joans reflects on and rants about her family is so cleverly charged, even when it dangerously skirts the edges, that there’s always something to hold onto as the younger Joans finds a way to explore her mother’s sometimes ferocious guidance.
It’s all about family narratives, the way mothers and daughters pass on a specific legacy that never seems to change. We all know how damage is done by those who have experienced that same pain themselves. We just have to look at the world we live in today to find all the examples needed.
While all of this might seem way too serious for someone who started in stand-up comedy, with some tweaking she has turned her sights to a more specific stage. Having just come from an arts festival, I know how exposed the stand-up stages can be, so she obviously knows how to handle a critical crowd.
This is something quite different. She presents Île as quite a personal story, enters the stage with very little but two large boxes which she moves around, and is aided by the best weapons: her words and her warmth.
She’s a storyteller, someone who holds her audience with confidence, and with a generosity and a gentle yet gregarious approach to her performance. She aims straight for the heart. If you can possibly make it in the time left over (it only runs till Saturday), Joans is a winner.
And I can’t wait to see where and how she goes from here. We’re a rather small theatre community, so when someone with such obvious performance genes hits all the right notes, it’s a time to celebrate and embrace.
She has travelled this play from small beginnings to world stages so obviously she has made a huge splash, but for me she’s the new kid on the block. And I could not be more delighted!
Thanks Daphne Kuhn (producer and artistic director of Theatre on the Square), your theatre smarts are always appreciated.
De Beer Necessities 