Abu Kawenjja, Abby Mukiibi and Kato Luwama in a scene from the play

Play: Gawuluguma
Group: The Presenters
Director: Abbey Mukiibi
Showing at: Bat Valley Theatre, this weekend
Reviewed by: E. Ssejjengo

THESE guys have brought Kalisoliso morning radio show live on stage,” one theatergoer comments. And indeed, this play is a profile of an artist’s unpredictable life, where the fall from grace to under the grass can happen in the blink of an eye.

The play was obviously inspired by the closure of a radio station and is sympathy-seeking.

We have artists who have been forced out of work and are now living a miserable life. Kato and Abu share an apartment, while Abbey, their former boss, takes up the house next door.

Their only business is running away from debtors or searching for hand-outs, meaning they fill most of their idle moments with sharing their hopes, dreams, fears and reminiscing on the past.

With that comes a lot of humour and commentary. The landlord, Henry, is tired of excuses for defaulting on rent payment.

His bitter remarks are quite inhuman, showing how dehumanising money and power turn us into animals.

This play is a historical record. And for that reason, there is little playwriting since improvisation comes naturally. The disadvantage with that is the incongruent action and plot.

When the landlord evicts Kato and Abu, they reappear from the same house with no viable explanation. Hopefully, this is a work in progress that can iron out such blatant errors.

It is right to use real names for characters taken out of real life, but why should the same rule apply to others created out of sheer imagination.

Henry Ssempijja and Ann Ssenyonjo should have other labels. This is a creative work of art based on a true story and not a mere re-production of events.

If all these FM stations were shut down and these guys went back to theatre that they were trained for, imagine the kind of spectacle a regular theatergoer would have! There is the silver lining on the dark cloud.