Baulkham_Hills_African_Ladies_Troupe_-_by_Palak_G

Fatal Fury of Four Author – Palak Gupta Do you believe in equality' Well then “Baulkham hills African ladies troop” which I watched on the 14th of May at Riverside Theatre in the Black Box, Parramatta, is a play I propose you watch NOW! Ros Horin has directed this play screening the life of four African women titled Yarrie, Aminata, Yordi & Rosemary by respectively considering their and the audience emotional state to portray the extraordinary true stories of these women. Together they take the audience to their Africa, to its beauty and music and movement – as well as its horrors. The play encompasses major themes like humour, drama, action, and suspense. This core touching play has made a huge impact on my life. I believe that it would have the same impact on you. This play illustrates the variance in feminisms from the old ethics, where women did not have rights. These four women in the pay have been trampled, tortured and been taken for granted. Ros Horin has exhibited us the story of these women through a salient production. I don’t even think anyone in the audience would’ve smiled, laughed, sang or danced after such a disturbing past. Now - Yarrie grew up in a camp in Guinea. She is doing her HSC. Aminata is from Sierra Leone. She is an ambassador for Australia for UNHCR. Big Mama Rosemary is from Kenya. She is a community leader and she knows how to live. Yordy was a child soldier. Now she's the mother of four amazing kids. I applaud the bravery of Yordi, Amanita, Yarrie and Rosemary for having no ego and for sharing their journey with us. The set production was significant as it added mood and atmosphere to the play which allowed the audience to feel the pain and sorrow as well as the comedic scenes rhythmically embedded throughout the play. I have to say I have never perceived such a symbolic and natural looking stage and setting. A projector is constantly used throughout the play to provide a series of pictures, video recordings of each woman recounting the tragic moments of their lives and textual content to help the audience connect. It reflected the clash of Australian and African culture with a traditional vast woven cloth as the background which also makes the floor space with a Hills Hoist in the middle of the stage to enhance the Australian environment. Later it was used as the door of a hair dresser salon and then to hold up map of Africa during an engaging quiz and informative scene about the many different cities in Africa which broke the forth wall. This aspect of Australian culture highlights the importance of Australia in their identities, which is symbolically captured in the revealing projected image of each woman’s Australian passport at the beginning of the play. These women are from Africa but call Australia home. We as an audience are privileged to share their journey. Use of natural elements during the course of the play made it a genuine performance. It was a soul touching play, not heart touching, it was SOUL touching. This is a play that will stay with you long after you leave the theatre. Very subjective unswerving testimony, simply and sometimes heart-creakingly expressed, is intermingled with a variation of theatrical devices that are used to take the affliction of personal hurt and tragedy away from the story teller which is also Brechtian style. Photographs appear on inferior substitute screens and startling videos depict war and gunfire. Aminata’s exquisite voice introduces some scenes and unnervingly echoes others. Key moment that I would never forget was the scene when the dancer danced around on the empty, black stage as words with a white font encrusted the background and her body by the use of a projector. It metaphorically shed light on the idea that the words represent the women’s emotions, past and present. It also showed the juxtaposition of colours used on set, showed how black women were inferior in front of white men. The usage of water as the women ritually washed their faces in chorus with each other. They gave a sense of serenity and relief as they eroded away their dirt and became untainted once again. The use of fire in the background by the projection was auxiliary to all these effects. The stories and sensations of the play stimulated my emotional state. The comedy and tragedy is equally balanced out and aids to portray the message to the audience in a tranquil way. The only remarks that I felt about watching the play was the use of inappropriate sexual references with words such as ‘butts’ and ‘breasts’. From my point of view, I would have preferred suitable gags for my aged audience as they just made me feel prickly, especially when a male who was sitting two seats right from me was laughing hysterically. Some people would like these jokes and feel comfortable. But Maybe Ros Horin has used this technique to target all different types of audiences. However, out of these negatives the play has an inordinate story and as a whole it joins everything together satisfactorily. I will say it again, that this is a must watch play! This jovial culmination is an acknowledgment to the pliability and life-force of four astonishing women in just 40 minutes. Just as importantly, it lobs light on the obligation of sheltered sovereign states. As opposed to our lifestyle watching movies in front of a cinema screen, this play delivers a live experience show in front of our eyes. Isn’t that worth it'