Worst of Both Worlds: Not the Best
I really wanted to like Worst of Both Worlds. Having written theatre marketing blurbs for a living for five years, I’ve developed a knack for predicting a good or bad show (mostly). I went against my better judgement and saw this show.
There are some good ideas and good sections, the actors pull out wonderfully energetic performances… but there were too many other problems which affected it on the whole.
Most of the first half was great. It’s fast-paced. With only their physicality, actors Thando Tsuselo and Lubabalo Nontwana transform into a sweet child, a terrifying gangster, a slimy teacher, a distraught mother, a crack-addicted prostitute. I began to invest in the story.
And the story is important. A young child is kidnapped and sold to sex trade traffickers, shipped overseas. She grows up as a prostitute. Drugs become her only escape. A tragic ending, inevitable.
Unfortunately, the production is too long and lands up being rushed. Scenes are repeated, in order, I suppose, to strengthen impact. However, the repetition should not be done in entirety – you cannot replay scenes exactly, for minutes on end. Fleeting flashes, or a contrasting mood, or merely an image sans text should be employed to remind the audience of important messages and moments. Otherwise we’re being underestimated.
What I’d initially thought were purposefully exaggerated ‘characters’ for satirical purposes, remain one-dimensional stereotypes. I can’t sympathise with a character that’s being ‘shown’ not ‘lived’. To be fair, the actors were good performers, perhaps just misdirected. Brief shots of deep characterisation flashed in amongst it all, but the two-hander required actors Thando Tsuselo and Lubabalo Nontwana to race after the plot, switching between child Pinky, Teacher Mkhulu, both parents, detectives, newscasters, Bra Joe, Walter, adult Pinky, Ada, an aunty, and more… there just wasn’t a moment to allow the work to breathe. And take effect.
Perhaps it’s a stylistic choice, to bombard us with bold, aggressive images and an ever-shifting busy stage. Perhaps the intention is to evoke for the audience the unreal, chaotic world that Pinky is forced to suffer. Although I think that would be reaching…
As mentioned, there are some good moments and important topics – the prostitutes’ anger at being enslaved, their stolen childhoods, the near impossibility of finding a job, the resultant desperation. With some serious editing, decent crafting, and all the preachy parts cut right out, Worst of Both Worlds could find a better version of itself. – Sarah Roberson