Bret Kamwi’s ‘Three Sisters’

Interrogating the foundations and fundamentals modern-day churches are built on is often frowned upon by devout followers and believers in modern-day prophets.

Newcomer director Bret Kamwi was not afraid to cross-question the intention of churches that often prey on their congregation’s weaknesses and desperation for miraculous change.

‘Three Sisters’ asked some significant questions at the National Theatre of Namibia’s Backstage last week. The play intertwined different themes around the topic to bring to light the seedy side of capitalist institutions such as big-money churches.

A simple set that was parted in two and directed with just lighting was a refreshing take as opposed to a traditional setting, depicting the prophet Jedidiah’s (Melgisedek Nehemia) home, where he lives with his three wives, Mary 1, 2 and 3 portrayed by Diana Master, Penny Heelu and Kaarina Nambinga respectively.

A curtain which separates the audience from the home drops to be the prophet’s church where he performs miracles from time to time, supposedly through the power of God. The play kicks off with a powerful opening scene, immediately introducing the true nature of the prophet and his three wives. Accompanied by ecclesiastical keyboard tunes by Mutsa Abel for dramatic effect, was a humorous yet honest depiction of what sometimes overly dramatic churches are like. Nehemia had a firm grasp on the audience from this moment onwards as he fitted naturally in the role, channelling his inner Bushiri while healing the blind.

The story diverts from the church to what actually goes on behind the scenes, following Xavierie M’s character, Chaze, who infiltrates the home under the guise of being an orphan along with the unknowing Mona (Vaja Tjipueja), who later become romantically involved with each other. Taylo Mannetti portrayed an unsuspecting Suzan, a fourth love interest of the prophet and soon-to-be Mary 4, until she succumbs to an unfortunate end under the other three wives.

The lighting cues and scene movements were harmonious owing to a competent technical team headed by stage manager Zindri Swarts. Unfortunately, where I was positioned, backdrops didn’t fully hide the backstage from view and actors could be seen changing clothes, which was distracting throughout the play.

Speaking of clothes, designer Hafeni Frans assembled impeccable costumes that were cohesive throughout the play and represented the characters’ personalities well. Master, Heelu and Nambinga did an extraordinary job as the three wives – with their energies constantly feeding off one another and them remaining consistent for most of the play. Xavierie as Chaze was superb as expected of the performer. The rest of the cast was made up of Michael Beukes and Albertina Musilika with small roles as sickly congregation members, while Melinda Gowases made sure everyone was dolled up for their scenes as the make-up artist.

Although an entertaining play, some of the writing missed the mark with plot jumps that were not necessary and deviated too much from the original aim of the story, leading to confusion and plot holes.

Some elements such as the introduction of the lesbian themes had no place in the story as it added little to no essence to the play apart from revealing Chaze and Mona’s sexual orientation.

Themes of demonic worship and sacrifice were a good twist in the play, however, could’ve done with just a reference instead of a dragged out scene with overplayed sound effects.

‘Three Sisters’ lasted approximately an avoidable two hours and the ending provided no satisfaction regarding the motivation of the characters, the initial investigation and the prophet’s true intention and stance in the theatre piece.

Kamwi’s writing garnered laughs throughout, however, I would have loved it if the mysterious element of the play was more explored leading to decoding of puzzles and secrets of the prophet’s church and his motivation as a ‘man of God’.

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