Marion is a woman, living alone in post-Apartheid South Africa, distraught and disconnected after the murder of her son. She is independent and hardened, with little to live for but a penchant for Marlboro Reds.
Then Solomon, a shy young black man, enters her world, apparently at the behest of his grandmother. While at first Marion suspects his motives, it could be just the thing to shake her from her solitude.
Solomon takes it upon himself to care for Marion, bringing her chicken feet and conversation, even taking on the task of repainting her house. Richard Robert’s intricate and interactive set shifts and changes with the characters. As Solomon paints his way around the room, a tentative and warm relationship builds, and Marion is gradually imbued with new life along with the lightening of the walls.
Eventually the two are forced to confront the death of Marion’s son, a victim of indiscriminate gang violence. Solomon must also reveal his own connection to the tragedy and the resulting conflict threatens to derail their new bond.
Though Jackie Weaver was initially cast in the role, Gillian Jones is faultless as Marion and it is difficult to imagine another actress embodying the character with as much credence. Pacharo Mzembe is excellent as the vulnerable and sweet Solomon, whose confidence grows in the comfort of the newfound codependency.
The play is both hilarious and heart wrenching. It addresses the conflicts and class tensions of modern South Africa with incredible subtlety, weaving it through the narrative in the interactions and anecdotes of the characters and despite its context the play is hopeful. Even as violence, poverty and tragedy threaten to overwhelm them, the characters are able to grow beyond grief and light and love is returned to them.
