God is in daddy’s basement

Father, Father, Father. Photo credit: CuePix/ Mia van der Merwe
Father, Father, Father. Photo credit: CuePix/ Mia van der Merwe

Father, Father, Father is deliciously dark. It’s darkly delightful. It’s rambunctious and silly yet stabs stealthily at serious issues. Yep, it’s satire.

Oh how I laughed at the three insane (and tragically, damaged) sisters, played with comic expertise by Joni Barnard, Roberto Pombo and Rachael Neary. Whilst their father is away, Sonia (Pombo), the eldest sister looks after her two younger sisters, Lucy (Barnard) and Marcy (Neary). They amuse themselves with stories of when father left, of the gifts he’ll bring upon his return, and they record video messages for him filled with song and dance.

Father, Father, Father, like the cathedral’s bells on Sunday morning, resounds loudly with a deep critique on blind faith and religious indoctrination.

Sonia points to the video camera and says, “Father might be gone but he’s always watching.” The girls must follow the rules, the eight rules which sound suspiciously similar to the ten commandments. Why eight? Well, because any random number will do, won’t it? If the girls follow the rules, they’ll get lovely rewards, if they don’t, punishment. Sound familiar?

And what pray tell keeps the girls trapped inside, you ask? Why the fear of evil lurking all around… heaven forbid we know what exists outside of our safe lives!

Father, Father, Father speaks to religious hypocrisy, to the harmful psychological effects of living within a patriarchal society that we are nowhere near conquering. It is caustically satirical and a devilish pleasure to watch.

I won’t give anything more away… Father, Father, Father, directed by Toni Morkel, is on tonight (08/07) at 6pm at Masonic Front. Do yourself a favour.

– Sarah Roberson

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