A solder has unprotected sex with a prostitute - why bother with a condom when a bullet will get you first? A preacher seduces a 16-year-old in his congregation, justifying it by saying: "Why would God create pleasure and deny man to explore it?" A corrupt politician brutally rapes the prostitute who, broken but unbowed, declares: "The bottom line is that everyone is a whore."
There are many different kinds of corruption - moral, political and social - in this contemporary version of Arthur Schnitzler's La Ronde, set in a South African township. Like Mpumelelo Paul Grootboom's last work, the extraordinary Township Stories, it is not a pretty sight. A daisy chain of loveless sexual encounters suggest a society in search of instant gratification where violence and broken trust are as much part of everyday life as the Aids epidemic. This last is dealt with glancingly, perhaps symbolised in the constant chewing of gum and blowing of condom-like bubbles.
The work has some of Township Stories' energy, particularly in its brilliant use of music, its controlled messiness and the directness of the acting. There is an utter lack of sentimentality. But it's not an entirely satisfying theatrical experience: Schnitzler's original brilliant daisy chain structure is not adhered to, and the production doesn't have the necessary control of tone, resulting in an uncertain audience response to the daring mix of comedy, rape and violence.
