Fanta Orange

Synopsis

"Who do you think I am? Another clueless white woman turned up in Africa with her conscience-stricken hat on to save The African from famine, disease, earthquake, wind and fire whilst secretly revelling in her ability to retreat to the nearest luxury lodge when the going gets tough or the dysentery kicks in?" - "Yah. Pretty much." Inspired by a real-life Amnesty International report, Fanta Orange is a playful and unexpected tale that gets under the skin of modern Africa. Regina is a Kenyan house servant. Roger is her white farmer boss. The two share a curious bond. Enter Ronnie, a privileged young English girl whom Roger discovers holed up in the bush, studying the bizarre practice of dirt-eating among local tribes. Soon both women are pregnant by Roger and a saga unfolds which turns every racial and sexual preconception on its head.

Our Review:

4 November 2011

This is great theatre. Completely convincing interaction is stretched tautly over perfectly wound springs, the tense plot slowly unfurling in a way that disturbs and satisfies in equal measure. The pace is fast and the handling of complex ideas is deft and impressive.

Set in modern day Kenya, Fanta Orange is based on a real-life Amnesty report. When the privileged Ronnie (Jessica Ellerby) enters the lives of white African farmer Roger (Jay Villiers) and his house-girl Regina (Kehinde Fadipe), intricate power struggles and the truisms that determine western attitudes to Africa are beginning to implode.

Writer Sally Woodcock grew up in Kenya and now divides her time between there and the UK. Her nuanced and layered understanding of racial and sexual tensions is fascinating and her ability to tell a story that powerfully combines the particular with the universally resonant is a rare and exciting thing.

The cast deliver performances of depth and ...

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