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Theatre Scene Cape Town
After a very successful run at the 2023 Woordfees, Elzabé Zietsman is taking the award nominated ROUTRIP to The Drama Factory and Die Boer this January.
ROUTRIP is a new one woman show penned by Johann Slabbert. Elzabé Zietsman takes one the role of Helena, a woman who has just stepped out of a psychiatric clinic following a failed suicide attempt. She takes to the road with one suitcase and some family memorabilia she has collected over the years. Her apparent one-way trip takes the audience on a tragicomedy journey that tackles the topic of suicide in a balanced manner without falling into any of the theatrical traps so often associated with the subject matter.
ROUTRIP is humour with an insightful and sensitive edge. Helena reveals that humour is her armour as she tries to ignore the despair, moving forward fearlessly, free and, on the face of it, without a care.
It is no surprise that Zietsman was nominated for Best Solo Performance at the 2023 Woordtrofees following ROUTRIP's steller Woordfees run. Seasoned theatre critic, Diane De Beer for INK gave the show a glowing review:
“Elzabé Zietsman is on a roll. Femme is Fatale is a hard act to follow, but in her new partnership with writer Johann Slabbert, they wisely went a very different route – yet sticking to a text that’s edgy and in this instance, funny. The approach is lighter and Zietsman has 90 minutes to play, to hold the audience close to her heart and to show her skills in full colour."
With Zietsman’s power to captivate, Slabbert’s text is further amplified under the direction of Maralin Vanrenen with a soundtrack by Coenie de Villiers. Together this creative team brings to the stage a theatre production that allows a glimmer of light to shine through in the dark corners of despair, while bringing to life very relatable characters.
Although the play has this generally relatable aspect to it, Slabbert reveals there is a true story behind his decision to pen ROUTRIP. He based the play on one of his best friends whom he describes as the warm-hearted centre of his social circle, someone who hid anxiety and depression underneath a jovial nature. Slabbert gives more insight into the inspiration for ROUTRIP in his own words:
“Die storie van Helena is gebaseer op een van my heel beste vriende en een van die interessantste, snaakste, slimste, gaafste en mooiste mense wat ek al ooit ontmoet het. Kom ons noem die person X.
Niemand was bewus van X se stryd met angs en depressie nie tot die eerste selfdood poging nie. X was altyd die hanswors wat almal laat lag het, ‘n toegewyde partytjiedier met breë skouers waarop ander kon troos soek, en ‘n groot hart en oop hande wat enigiets sou doen om ander te help. X het al ons vriende se lewens beter gemaak bloot deur net te bestaan.
X was ook die self-aangestelde bewaarder van die familie se memorabilia en het trommels vol van hierdie “onthougoed” versamel.
Eendag het X besluit om nie meer te lewe nie.
Na die mislukte selfdoodpoging en ‘n paar weke in ‘n psigiatriese kliniek het X ‘n datum met diepe persoonlike betekenis gekies as Die Laaste Dag, en op dieselfde wyse is daar op Die Laaste Plek en Die Laaste Aksie besluit. Om by daardie Laaste Drie Dinge uit te kom het X op ‘n road trip van etlike weke deur Suid-Afrika gegaan, met die doel om spesiale mense vir oulaas te groet, en om spesifieke items uit die familie versameling self in hulle sorg te plaas. ‘n Routrip.
Road trips is spesiaal. Jy sien nie net plekke en mense nie. Jy leer jy ook dinge van jouself en van ander. As jy gelukkig is leer jy dat die reis eintlik die bestemming is. Nie almal is so gelukkig nie.
Verlede jaar stap ek en Elzabé Zietsman in die Melville koppies met haar honde. Ek vertel haar van Routrip en wonder of dit dalk ‘n eenvrou toneelstuk kan wees. “Ja!” skree sy toe sy my sien nadat sy die eerste 9 bladsye wat ek geskryf het gelees het. En so kry X se storie ‘n nuwe lewe.
Maralin Vanrenen is ‘n veteraan in die teater wêreld en het na die einste 9 bladsye ingestem om die regie te doen. Routrip is gekeur vir die pas afgelope Toyota US Woordfees en ons was reeds aan die repeteer toe Coenie de Villiers vir Ziets die teks vra om te lees en daarna aanbied om op enige manier te help wat hy kan.
En so is Routrip gebore met Elzabe Zietsman in die rol van Helena, regie deur Maralin Vanrenen, die klankbaan deur Coenie de Villiers en die teks deur die uwe. Maar Die Storie, is deur X.”
ROUTRIP will be onstage at The Drama Factory in Somerset-West on 27 January 2024, before heading over to Die Boer in Durbanville from 30 to 31 January 2024. ROUTRIP is a not to be missed tour de force with Zietsman at her best.