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Time Out says
Going into Prima Facie, I was curious about how one actor could carry an entire play and still make every character feel different.
As this was my first experience with a one-woman play, I had high expectations going in, and Danica De La Rey Jones lived up to all of them.
Watching her switch between all the characters was one of the things I enjoyed most about the production. The play follows Tessa, a lawyer whose life changes when she becomes a victim of sexual assault and has to navigate the same legal system she has spent her career working in.
Jones plays Tessa and the other characters who appear throughout the story. I was most impressed by how quickly she could move from one to another. Her facial expressions are particularly effective. One second she's happy, the next she's angry, before narrating another character's actions and slipping into the role herself.
I used to act in high school, and watching Jones perform reminded me of what I enjoyed about being on stage. There were moments when I found myself missing being on stage and thinking about acting again.
One woman, an entire cast
Jones has to give each character their individuality while keeping the story easy to follow all on her own. The transitions between characters are never exaggerated. A change in her voice, expression or body language is enough to make it clear that she's now playing a different role. I found myself following each change easily without experiencing any confusion.
I was also impressed by how Jones narrates another character's actions before stepping into the role herself. Instead of taking me out of the story, it became part of the rhythm of the performance. By the end, I wasn't thinking about how Jones was carrying the play on her own. I was simply invested in the characters and where their stories were going.
A set that does more than you expect
When I first saw the set, I wasn't convinced it would work. I couldn't picture how the different scenes would play out around it, but I was quickly proven wrong. A single table does a surprising amount of work in the play, becoming an office desk in one scene before turning into a courtroom or interrogation table in another. It even becomes a hospital examination bed at one point. The rest of the stage is fairly simple, with a single chair, shelves filled with files and books, and clothes hanging nearby. I later discovered that this is called a minimalist set or poor theatre.
Jones moves the table herself between scenes, weaving the transition into the story. A microphone is also used during the courtroom scenes, adding to the feeling that we've moved into a courtroom even though the rest of the set stays the same.
The sound adds another layer to the production, with the music and effects helping shape the mood of each scene without distracting from Jones's performance.
When the play stopped being funny
The play starts on a light note, with moments that had me laughing along with the rest of the audience. As the story progresses, those lighter moments make way for something much more serious. The shift is clear, and it changes the way the rest of the play feels.
One scene that has stayed with me is the interrogation. I don't want to give too much away, but it left me feeling angry and uncomfortable as I watched it unfold. It left me thinking about what victims can face when they have to navigate the justice system after experiencing sexual violence in South Africa.
Why book?
For my first one-hander, Prima Facie was an experience I’m glad I had. It’s the kind of production that asks you to stay with it rather than simply sit back and watch, and I liked that it kept me curious about where the story was heading. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys theatre that can pull you into a story without needing a large cast or an elaborate production. If you’re curious about what a one-woman play can do, Prima Facie is a good introduction.
Details
- Running until Sunday 4 October
- Barney Simon, Market Theatre, Johannesburg
- R140 - R220 via Webtickets
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