Accomplished Undone

Undone has deservedly won a Standard Bank Ovation Award. Wessel Pretorius wrote, directed, and excels in this beautifully forged work.

Pretorius takes us on the deeply personal journey of klein boet, now a young man, who reflects on his upbringing and defective family. His mother cares for him, verging on babying, and his father is cold and removed. Emotive scenes unfold in metaphorical stories: his mother’s loyalty to a marriage devoid of loving intimacy is described as a dog’s behaviour, klein pikkewyn loses his penguin mother to illness and he is left with no one to love him.

Although stirring, the script is hilarious, skreeusnaaks. Some shining scenes are the boy’s driving lesson witnessed from his palpably anxiety-drenched father’s perspective, and the boy’s first escapade to Cape Town after leaving home – his foray into club culture, drinking, and raunchy bathroom stall action.

The set and costuming is effectively simple. A leather jacket transforms Pretorius into klein boet’s father when it’s slipped on, and his mother when it’s gently placed over his shoulders. A pair of court shoes, the finishing touch for his mother.

A number of provocative issues are interrogated, but particularly, religion is handled with some disdain: “God knows nothing. God weet niks.” Ou boet (the boy’s older brother), a self-absorbed nihilist, holds God accountable for all disease, famine and death… yet, as he explains to klein boet, he would like to shed tears for his mother’s death but he’s saving them for himself. He has dismissed any form of empathy and connection with his family.

Pretorius’s movement is crisp and artful. His powerful stage presence and control make him a pleasure to watch. The text has him speaking for most of the 75 minutes and he doesn’t skip a beat. Rhythmically, the work is lyrical, enhanced by Afrikaans poetry and the language’s distinct lyricism. The opening poem about lammetjies (lambs) is excitingly expressive and immediately draws us into the sleek style that Undone delivers to the end.

Undone is captivating, unsentimental, poetic and profound. Don’t miss it.

— Sarah Roberson