Lamesha Ruddock
Strangers & Revelations is a gripping and chilling two-hander that affirms you should always say no to a Netflix and Chill.
In Strangers & Revelations, we watch two strangers share a bottle of wine unravelling secrets, superstitions and traumas that keep pulling them further into revelation. Chiedza Rwodzi’s writing never wasted a beat delivering an engaging and unpredictable performance.
Rooted in relationship issues causing intense trauma responses, Strangers & Revelations follows two people who really shouldn’t be dating, yet they open up to each other out of fear of meeting a Zimbo demon. The piece cleverly holds a mirror up to dating culture, intimacy and the baggage we all carry while weaving cultural mythology into the present-day navigation of romance.
Two people meet on a dating app and decide to have a drink at his house. A glass of her favourite red wine, a joint love for fishing on Lake Kariba and the coincidence that they are both Zimbabwean. What could be the chance? The brilliance of Strangers & Revelations lies in how it makes the familiar strange and the strange familiar.
Zodwa is opinionated, unapologetic, standoffish in a take-me-as-I-am kind of way while Malcolm is relaxed, flirty and spiritually grounded. Their characterisations are vivid and magnetic, clashing and complementing.
They use physicality to animate their shared love for fishing as Zodwa leans forward in glee and Malcolm wrestles with the fishing rod. Zodwa’s retelling of a demon expulsion from church comes alive with full-bodied theatrics as she praises her favourite hymn “Amazing Grace,” famously written by a slave ship captain.
Their religious disparities come to full focus when Zodwa spots Malcolm’s pendant of Nyami Nyami, the serpent-like River God. This moment lands with electricity, shifting the dynamics and opening the piece into religious confrontation.
Lighting and sound are masterfully woven to evoke memory and emotion. Rhythmic drumming bridges us into a red wash that floods the stage as the two circle each other, eyes transfixed. Then a light blue wash melts across the space as Zodwa recounts a loss she experienced at the Zambezi River, the sound of a cool breeze whistling away.
The crescendo of the performance left me gagged by the finale as I truly yearned for ambiguity or triumph. Strangers & Revelations refuses to give either easily. Strangers & Revelations is captivating, chilling and evocative theatre that pushes against the edges of love stories and horror tales alike.
You can catch Strangers & Revelations until Saturday 23rd at Theatre 3 at theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall from 12:05 (50mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
Jake Mace
Jasmine Silk
