Tourists usually manage to get themselves into a bit of bother but these two backpackers do better than most. In Rebecca Boey’s first play, Pippa (Boey) and Ben (John McKeever) arrive at Zoo Lodge, a guest house in Johannesburg after being mugged in the street.
Here they meet Albert (Abukar Osman), a general from Zimbabwe who has secretly taken refuge in South Africa. After a night of drinking, one of Albert’s colleagues reveals his secret putting his life in danger. Meanwhile, the owner of the guest house (Lizzie Sigrist) suspects that her husband is having an affair with the accountant.
The play is beautifully written and the story engaging. But it is perhaps because the characters speak so eloquently that it’s hard to believe they would ever get into such trouble. The actors seem tense with the exception of Sigrist who is an actress to keep your eye on.
Zoo Lodge opens tonight at the Pleasance 10 Dome (0131 556 6550), in Bristo Square and runs until the 31st of August.
