Theatre: Akrasia
5 October at 14:00
Bloemhof Girls’ High School Hall
Akrasia is awkward, but it never becomes cringe.
As you enter Bloemhof Girls’ High School Hall, you see Reuben Smith, played by Heinrich Wentzel, sitting on a chair, legs pacing up and down. Faint piano notes fill the room, and the tempo occasionally rises.
Reuben Smith, played by Heinrich Wentzel, in Akrasia is sitting in his exhibition, Rou Moeder. PHOTO: Supplied/Woordfees
Reuben’s leg-pacing becomes more intense.
The artistry is in the portrayal of Reuben, as Wentzel succeeds in showcasing emotion through bodily movements.
Looking at the stage design, you see Reuben sitting alone, constantly looking at his watch and a couch decorated with nipples, stares you right in the face.
Reuben is celebrating his mother’s life through an art exhibition. Instead of a full house of spectators, we see an empty room, mirroring his life, as he explains: He has no friends because of his deceased mother.
The exhibition is perfectly titled “Rou Moeder”, which translates to Mourn Mother, showcasing multiple meanings and his raw emotions trying to celebrate his mother’s life. The Afrikaans word “rou” has a double meaning: Mourning and raw. Reuben is mourning the loss of his mother and giving literal clues through the raw meat on display in the form of vienna sausages.
These moments of awkwardness intensify when his co-star, Candice, played by Ancois Bodenstein, enters the exhibition. There is an immediate spark between the two and the story becomes a classic romantic comedy, wherein the damsel locks eyes with her misunderstood prince. But still, their two worlds never truly align as Reuben builds up a high wall, never truly allowing Candice to gain access to him.
His late mother tries to help him get closer to Candice by teleporting vienna sausages under Candice’s rear as a sign of approval, but only results in pushing him further away.
The satirical moments morph into clumsy movements between the two characters; wine is spilt, viennas fly through the air, and nipples are touched, but it never feels forced.
Candice wants to find comfort in Reuben’s home, but he never lets her into his home. And sadly, their fairytale doesn’t have a happy ending – Reuben ends up where he began, alone.