Review: DINNER WITH THE 42S at Masambe Theatre is gritty, funny and sharp

I'm always excited to see something directed by Greg Karvellas and DINNER WITH THE 42S did not disappoint. From the stark detail in the set and lighting to the slightly offbeat characterisations created within the actors, every detail was considered and played with to create a world that was familiar but not. The design of the production done by Niall Griffin is spot on.

DINNER WITH THE 42S is set in the future. We're not sure how far in the future, but something major has clearly happened and the world as we know it is gone. The characters refer to things that we take for granted as ancient history. My favourite references were those to Eeyore and the other characters from Winnie the Pooh. Scott Sparrow's script works on these and other references to our current existence beautifully, poking fun at how odd our lives actually are when looked at from an outside perspective.

The story starts with Eva and Burn's - AKA the 42s - first meeting. It quickly becomes clear that they're in some sort of facility and are expected to breed. Eva is new to the facility, but Burn has been there for a very long time. These characters, played by Emily Child and Nicholas Pauling respectively, are so wonderfully awkward. What I loved was the slightly-off rhythm of speech that was injected into the characterisation. It othered them just enough so that you knew they weren't the same as us sitting in the audience, yet we could still connect to these poor people on stage.

As the pair get to know each other, there is a great flow between the actors and the laughs start to come in fast. Like I said, the references to modern day things such as dating and fictional characters such as Eeyore were very well played in the script.

The introduction of the third character to the piece, played by Brent Palmer, came quite abruptly I felt. Palmer plays an overseer of sorts, someone who is in charge at the facility and clearly gets his kicks by messing with those who are part of the breeding program. He was deliciously funny but I felt that the way the character was introduced broke the flow of the piece. Once the adjustment was made though, I carried on laughing to the end.

DINNER WITH THE 42S is definitely must-see theatre. It's always good to poke fun at and analyse the way we live our everyday lives, especially after a period of such dramatic change to the world.

Photo credit: Daniel Rutland Manners

DINNER WITH THE 42S is on at the Masambe Theatre at the Baxter until 19 November. Tickets are R180 and can be purchased from Webtickets. There is an age restriction of PG16 as the play contains sexual themes and violence.