Theatre plays especially in Uganda are characterized by a large ensemble, many costume changes, extensive props and detailed set, but Ugandan playwright Lloyd Lutara takes a different direction in his play Rope which premiered at the National theatre on March 21.
The play directed by performing arts veteran Kaaya Kagimu Mukasa follows Linda, the daughter of one of Kampala’s premier real estate moguls who doesn’t return to her marital home after a Wednesday evening fellowship, leading to a high-profile search for her.
As the clock ticks, the closest people to her are brought in for questioning, each person’s testimony leading to the questioning of the next. With these stories often contradicting each other, the audience are left to sift through the details of the various testimonies to determine who is lying and who is telling the truth.
Before the play, Lutara told the audience that his passion for writing stems from when he was just four years old when his mother (who was in the audience) would often read stories to him and by the time he was eight, he was already writing stories and trying to make sense of the world through those.
“With this play, I wanted to write something that showcases the wealth of talent that we have in this country. We are overwhelmed with so much talent and yet oftentimes they are not given the right material to show that off. I wanted to write something that allows them to be on stage; just them and the audience and show people what they can do,” Lutara told his audience.
Mukasa revealed that this was the first time she was directing a monologue, and had had such a lovely time doing it.
“The process was quite a discovery where the actors and I worked together to bring the characters to life. It has taken us two and half months and four generations of creative artistes to put this production together.”
After 45 minutes of remarks, the lights in the theatre were turned off, curtains raised and dim lights switched on revealing an office setting on stage and then Linda’s father walked on stage, sat at his desk wondering about the whereabouts of his daughter while offering a glimpse into his family’s life, businesses, political ambitions and his estranged son-in-law.
The play has a cast of only six; Linda’s father played by Dr Charles Mulekwa, Linda’s husband played by Allan Samuel Mwanja, Linda’s sister portrayed by Brenda Ibarah, Linda’s pimp played by Eronie Bazongere, Linda’s lover played by Michael Tamale and Linda herself portrayed by Esteri Tebandeke.
In monologue style, each of the actors appears solo on stage to narrate their version of Linda’s whereabouts, talking directly to the audience to try and justify their innocence. With a minimal cast, single costumes with no changes throughout, sparse props, dim lights and an almost bare stage, the play relies on the actors’ raw energy and audience’s imagination.
After two hours of the play, the audience gets to know what exactly had happened to Linda, who was responsible for her disappearance and why. The plot twist at the end sent shock waves through the auditorium.
For you to piece together the puzzles in the whodunit mystery, the play will have extra show dates on March 28, 29 and 30, all at the National theatre at 3pm and 7pm.
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