adminall-local Hifa-Direct project which will see two Zimbabwean writers and two Zimbabwean directors pairing up to produce world premieres for the arts events.
One of the “classical” contributions will be a stage version of the film classic “Bonnie and Clyde”.
The notorious Bonnie and Clyde are brought back to life in a fresh and entertaining production by Proto-type Theatre. Founded in 1997 in New York, the company has made a reputation for themselves for innovative theatre and live art and they are coming to Hifa this year, courtesy of the British Council and British Embassy, with their latest production, “Third Person: Bonnie and Clyde Redux”, which will be presented in The Standard Theatre.
While the title suggests the production will be a narrative about the two outlaws, it instead focuses on “what it means to be on stage” according to writer and artistic director Peter Petralia.
The show is performed by two actors, Gillian Lees and Andrew Westerside, who, accompanied by an overhead projector, tell a fragmented tale of the two, making surprising connections between love, life, death and doughnuts! The two deliver the tale to their audience in third person, picking apart the particulars of this strange love affair, veering between the emotional, factual and fantastical. Lees and Westerside, who have their own onstage timid romance, attempt to redeem the two notorious murderers’ love for one another.
Failed heists, murder victims and near captures are captivatingly illustrated through a variety of lo-fi media, such as the projector, video and drawings.
The two slip seamlessly in and out of character as they tell the twisted Romeo and Juliet tale together with guns and a mounting body count.
Lees and Westerside shed a sparking and almost blinding light on the couple’s devotion to one another that in the end you’re almost convinced that the murder and robbery were collateral . . . almost.
This Hifa 2012 show takes an enthralling look into the lives of these two murderous lovers and is for adult audiences only.
Online Reporter