Durban's theatre community packed three-quarters of the city's Stable Theatre to pay tribute to late protest theatre doyen Kessie Govender on Thurday evening.
The occasion was the staging of Govender's first play, Stablexpense, for the first time since his death in 2002.
Govender's immaculately dressed daughter, Kubeshni, had flown from Johannesburg for the show. The playwright's brother, Shan, was also present, as were co-directors Caroline Smart and Jayashree Govender, Kessie's widow.
Seasoned actor Satchu Annamalai's performance as the pious, alcohol-slugging rubbish collector Vadi was delightful and heartbreaking. His parody of an exotic dancer in one scene was executed with disturbing skill.
Samantha Govender aged herself like magic in the role of Vadi's wife by wearing a permanent scowl. Understanding the words through the heavy Indian accents - apparently common at the time of the play's setting - was the most demanding aspect for the audience.
Interesting to learn was that the soft-spoken and gentle-mannered Shan, who now has silver hair, played the angry young man Thiru in the show's first run in the 1970s.
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