There’s a small-but-important moment towards the end of the show – a silent gesture where in near unison Juicy (Amarantha Robinson), Hetty (Rufaro Zimbudzi), and Jabari (Alpha Cargo) remove and discard the cloths covering their heads, revealing their hair held and styled with intricate braiding.
Black hair has a vital history and significance – of affirming identity and being a symbol of resistance and survival. It’s one of many extraordinary moments during Ilarun: The Cutting Comb, written by Amarantha and directed by Effie Nkrumah.
Ilarun depicts the plight of Juicy, Hetty, and Jabari, kept in bondage on a slave farm run by Masa (David John Walton) and his Assistant (Will Hall). Their existence – Juicy’s particularly – is a brutal one, and any path to liberation will not be easy or gentle. To quote Alan Moore, “The one true path from Hell lies at its very heart, and that in order to escape we must go further in.”
It’s not only the characters who experience descent. Ilarun begins with a brief prelude of sorts in the gallery space above the theatre before migrating downstairs to the theatre proper. Admittedly, it’s the only misstep in an otherwise compelling presentation.
The acoustics in the gallery (making it very difficult at first to hear what the performers are saying) followed by a 10-15 minute pause in the action while we all carefully made our way down and into the bleachers added little to the viewing experience.
However, once the audience was settled, any bewilderment was quickly swept aside by immaculate storytelling and design. Amarantha’s writing is visceral, reaching back into history and mythology with modern dialogue and references woven in.
Her performance was equally strong and evocative, as were Rufaro and Jabari in their roles. At the vile corner of the moral compass were the characters of Masa and his Assistant, brought to effective and grotesque life by David John Walton and Will Hall.
With help from a team of passionate and talented artists on and back stage, director Effie Nkrumah has crafted a remarkable work of performance art that’s not to be missed.
ILARUN: The Cutting Comb
fortyfivedownstairs, 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
Performance: Friday 6 December 2024
Season continues to 15 December 2024
Information and Bookings: www.fortyfivedownstairs.com
Image: ILARUN: The Cutting Comb – photo by Dre Chez
Review: June Collins