If Dark Noon fills you with shock and awe, it is because it is meant to. Taking its title from the 1952 Gary Cooper movie High Noon, the play uses the Hollywood western as a vehicle to take us through the travails and impact of migration as told by those who lost, the original inhabitants.
The work of Danish writer/director Tue Biering and South African co-director and choreographer Nhlanhla Mahlangu, this epic narrative is played out by a cast of seven South Africans; six Blacks and one white.
The production opens with a video caption of “Go West” and we see the cast in white face and wigs moving across a flat and pristine landscape.
This is a lawless land, ruled by the gun and without consequences, as the settlers keep moving to acquire more and more.
The chapters unfold until we come to an American rules football match “Settlers vs Natives” which the natives lose, even though they have won the game.
The scene where an American Native is shot dead, only to be shot over and over when he rises is a graphic and telling comment on the genocide of all indigenous cultures under colonialism and invasion.
Another chapter that hits home is when audience members are sold off to the highest bidders at a mock slave auction.
By the time we get to the end of the Old West we have covered the history of America, including the importation of Chinese workers for the railroad, and the greatest disruptor of the era, the Gold Rush.
By now the once clean stage is crowded with structures representing homes, churches, brothels and bars dissected by a railway track, thanks to the work of set designer Johan Kølkjær.
Throughout Dark Noon the cast impresses with dextrous vocal performances that range from R’n’B, hip hop and a brief burst of Soweto Township vocalisation.
Throughout the production many of the rough and ready guises that the actors adapt take on looks that many of us are also familiar with in popular culture.
One comment on the rise of capitalism is “a small-town problem needs as big town solution” ties it all together.
Co-directors Biering and Mahlangu have kept a tight rein on the set, keeping the dialogue and action flowing seamlessly over this chaotic and energetic 105 minutes performance.
The script has a few holes if you take Biering at his word when he states in interviews that he has sympathy for migrants, seeing how they are often driven by problems such as oppression and poverty. I suggest not to look too far to find these sentiments in the production.
The choice to have an epilogue in the show is also questionable as it breaks the impact of what we have just seen and diverts our focus to another range of topics, including the impact of westerns in culture, particularly that of the townships.
Westerns are nothing if not morality tales and do not generally have a youthful audience, while video games are far more violent and easily accessible.
For the staging of Dark Noon the Sydney Town Hall has been an inspired choice of location, allowing for three-sided seating around a bare stage while ensuring good sight-line from all seats.
The choice of venue also reminds us of how good the Town Hall acoustics are, as sound is an important element on this show and which sound designer Ditlev Brinth has used to its full potential.
The use of video throughout the production brings many points of view into close-up and is particularly used skilfully in the football match.
Dark Noon is one of the tent pole productions for the Sydney Festival which must be applauded for programming such a confronting and challenging but ultimately entertaining show that all has resonance with our own ongoing colonial history.
The actors are Mandla Gaduka, Katlego Kaygee Letsholonyana, Lillian Malulyck, Bongani Bennedict Masango, Siyambonga Alfred Mdubeki, Joe Young and Thulani Zwane.
Dark Noon
Sydney Town Hall 483 George Street Sydney
Season continues to 23 January 2025
Information and Bookings: www.sydneyfestival.org.au
Images: Dark Noon – all photos by Teddy Wolff
Review: John Moyle