Purgatorio

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YOURSOAPBOX OFFICIAL REVIEW: PURGATORIO

Ariel Dorfman’s Play Purgatorio at the Baxter Theatre is an absolute must see. Dawid Minnaar and Terry Norton have been brilliantly cast and directed in this intriguingly complex yet relatively simple play.

The simplicity of it all comes down to the following question: Is there such a thing as an unforgivable act? The Play is based off the Greek Myth of Medea and Jason where to oversimplify, Medea felt scorned by her husband Jason and killed his new younger bride and her children before fleeing the scene.

In the play we find two individuals A Man and A Woman in a place that is clinical and sterile, designed to make you realise it is a place of healing, or cleansing if you prefer. They end up being their own counsellors as they play out a Doctor-Patient relationship in an attempt to gain forgiveness and healing for their own deeds that lead them to be in this purgatory.

Norton plays her roles incredibly well, although at times I would have personally liked her to play the role of the Therapist as a little more reserved. Her emotional journeys and soul searching as well as the genuine feelings she brings to the performance were clearly evident at the end of the play where you could see that She was still processing a little of what had happened.

Minnar as the doctor was almost mechanical in a very powerful way and this played to the strength of the character as he found himself able to express his emotions much more as A Man when being counselled by Norton’s Doctor Character.

If I had anything negative about the play it was that the visual elements that played out behind the characters at times were completely unnecessary, they served no purpose in my opinion to drive or assist the story. In fact they were distracting. Without them the play would be as powerful if not more so.

This play was the first time I had been able to go to the Flipside venue at Baxter and it really is the perfect setting for this play. Its volume speaks to the size of the piece and yet its intimate nature helps you to relate to material that at times is overwhelming.

If you are a relative newcomer to the theatre scene, this is a great example of how good theatre can be when performed properly by two artists that have practiced their craft. If you have been around the Theatre Scene for a while and are looking for something of a very high standard, go see this.

It runs for 90 Minutes without an interval so turn OFF your phone and delve deep into a play that will leave you thinking and processing for a while afterwards

Note: This play is not suitable for Audience members younger than 1o according to the press information.

- LOGAN BLACKMAN

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