By BRUCE DENNILL
Barber Shop Chronicles / Directed by Sibusiso Mamba / John Kani Theatre, Market Theatre, Newtown, Johannesburg
Barber shops are generally places of intimacy – physically speaking, in that they are often smallish rooms containing just a handful of people – as well as in that most of the people there are spending much of their time in conversation, and where repeat clients get to know their barbers and each other, they often share at a relatively deep level. That conceit is at the heart of Nigerian-born British playwright Inua Ellams’ script, but to begin with, the scale of the piece rather undoes at least part of the idea. Featuring a cast of ten playing multiple characters, the play takes place in six different cities – London, Lagos, Accra, Johannesburg, Kampala and Harare – spreading the reach of the story far and wide.
The narrative builds slowly, in focused, concentrated scenes – a barber and a customer who doesn’t pay here; three barbers sharing a shop and a customer who’s not welcome inside there; a group of barbers and customers all distracted by a football match somewhere else – with the characters being slowly, episodically added to, layer by layer.
This aspect of the piece is fun and fascinating, with there likely being personal favourites among the many men – they’re all men, and all black men, which is important for the themes of the play – from their many different cultural and economic backgrounds. Each scene and set change is marked by delightful musical numbers featuring muscular (and sometimes amusing) choreography and multi-part harmonies. These add to the depiction of the various cultures, showcasing dance steps and more that are recognisably South African (Pantsula) or Nigerian or Ghanaian or whatever.
As the building of characters and stories continues, Barber Shop Chronicles begins to unpack its real value – revealing how men across Africa and in its diaspora communities deal with masculinity and its many subsidiary issues (everything from being comfortable with vulnerability to dealing with anger over racism and other forms of prejudice). As the characters, now more fully developed, begin to enter this level of complexity and profundity, other links in the play’s clever structure become evident, along with the reasons for the back and forth between different barber shops in far-flung communities (all within a limited timeframe). While it ultimately all comes together, at two hours without an interval (likely to keep the infectious energy at the same level throughout), it’s possible to argue that one or two of the piece’s shorter chapters could be trimmed or dropped without losing any of the story’s meaning or impact.
Of the fine ensemble cast, special mentions go to Anthony Oseyemi (gravitas and a mixture of warmth and steel), Vitus Dunu (larger than life stage presence and comic timing) and Abongile Matyutyu (comic relief and goofy charm). The vibrant sets and aforementioned music are also powerfully appealing elements. There’s a lot to take in in Barber Shop Chronicles, and much of it stays with you for some time after the lights come up.
