THEATRE REVIEW
The Suitcase packed with hope and creased dreams
The Suitcase is a gripping piece of theatre that demonstrates Es’kia Mphahlele’s firm handle on the economic, political and social issues of the day
Anyone who appreciates good theatre should see The Suitcase, a play based on short stories written in 1954 by the late Es’kia Mphahlele, adapted and directed by James Ngcobo, the artistic director of the Market Theatre. The production is now in Johannesburg after a sold-out five-week tour of the UK, where former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan and his wife were in one of the audiences. It is a gripping, multilayered piece of theatre that touches on various themes, including the hot subject of migration and how people have high hopes for the places to which they migrate, but in most cases these hopes are dashed. It is also a simple love story involving two people from the countryside who find themselves attracted to the big city where they believe they will enjoy their love without interference from their families, who are opposed to the relationship because the man is Zulu and the woman Xhosa. However, the challenges of big-city life — including unemployment and the culture shock of...
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