SCENE IT: Heartbreaking DIE EEN WAT BLY / THE ONE WHO STAYS opens a window to an often frought relationship

Maria Kearns & James Kearns

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As we are reminded more than once during the hypnotic DIE EEN WAT BLY / THE ONE WHO STAYS at the Baxter Theatre, memory and truth are unhappy bedfellows.

Photo by Hans Van Den Veen.

In this Figure of 8 presented dance production, this is shown to be rather painfully true as we see the embodiment of different generations of one family move through the space in kaleidoscopic fashion and ricochet off one another unceasingly as a son does everything he can to make sense of his mother’s story —and his own.

Directed by Wessel Pretorius and written by Pretorius and the cast, DIE EEN WAT BLY / THE ONE WHO STAYS opens a window to an often frought relationship. As Grant van Ster, Shaun Oelf, and Daneel van der Walt move about in a tightly choreographed fever dream inspired by Greek myth, Catholic iconography, and late-20th century angst in the form of Angels in America, the audience is swept along on a rumination on mothers, children, and the splintered memories and half-truthsthat are passed down from one generation to the next.

The story travels backwards and forwards in time, one era coming up behind the other as the dancers shadow one another: one mimics the other’s movement, but a slight variation in the angle of an arm or the intensity of a gesturegives the subtle impression of an imperfect reflection. As echoed in the narrative’s non-linear telling, the one who stays behind has to make sense of the story —even if that means inventing parts of it.

And this story is a slippery thing, moving not only from one generation to the next and back again, but from Afrikaans to English in unpredictable ways. Dance and movement thus become a lingua franca, an expressive medium for all those painful things left unsaid between imperfect mother and imperfect son.

Photo by Clifford Roberts.

The evocative choreography (by Figure of 8 Dance Theatre and Natalie Fisher) is complemented by Gideon Lombard’s cleverly-designed set that allows for light, shadow, and colour to enter the space unobtrusively. Projections, designed by Nell van der Merwe, are used very effectively and organically to support the unfolding narrative.

Funny, enchanting, heartbreaking; this show certainly places demands on its audience (as all good theatre does). The opening sequence sees one of the actors perform a childlike balancing act on a wall, and this is surely what is asked of those watching the story unfold: whatever you do, don’t lose your bearings.

DIE EEN WAT BLY / THE ONE WHO STAYS presents a masterclass in ensemble storytelling and is a joy to experience. All three actors deliver sensitive, memorable performances. It’s clear from the first moment that there’s an abundance of trust and respect in their collaboration.

DIE EEN WAT BLY / THE ONE WHO STAYS opened at the Baxter Flipside Theatre on 28 October and will run until 1 November 2025. Tickets are available through Webtickets.