Moffie – Riverside Studios, London

Adaptor: Philip Rademeyer after the novel by André Carl van der Merwe

Director: Greg Karvellas

Kai Luke Brümmer is incredible in this one-man adaptation of André Carl van der Merwe’s autobiographical 2006 novel, which was also turned into a highly-praised feature film. Brümmer played the lead in the movie so it’s a clever casting move to have him perform this newest version of the story of a gay man in the South African Army in the 1980s on stage. Surprisingly, this theatrical account is even more brutal and violent than the movie.

Struggling to come to terms with his sexuality, Nick is conscripted into the army to fight Communist insurgents on the Angolan border. While homosexuality isn’t illegal per se, it isn’t tolerated at all in the armed forces. His terrifying sergeant is astute when it comes to identifying any queerness in his new recruits. Any ‘suspects’ are removed and taken to the ominous Ward 22, where, Sergeant Creer declares, medics banish homosexuality through torture and chemical castration.

So, Nick decides to keep his mouth shut despite sensing that a few of his comrades could also be gay. One of these men is Ethan, and Nick can’t take his eyes off him, Nick marches behind him, studying and marvelling at the suntanned skin on the back of his neck. But you’d be hard-pressed to call Moffie a love story. Instead, the play is about how the state attempts to extinguish queer love in any way it can.

Hardly taking a breath for 85 minutes, Brümmer paints a vivid picture of South Africa and army life. Philip Rademeyer’s script is full of details; we can almost see the egg yolk running down the chin of Nick’s homophobic father and the bloody entrails of an animal the father kills while hunting. Nick’s other friends in the army – Malcolm and Dylan – may be thinly drawn but they both still have contours and enough depth.

There are an awful lot of words that Brümmer has to remember, but the performance at times is a little static. With only a heap of sandbags – or as the play progresses, perhaps they are body bags – on stage, Brümmer’s monologue is delivered while standing next to them or occasionally sitting upon them. Still, too much movement from Brümmer may divert from his narrative. The simple light design is effective, with only the actor and the sandbags visible. We never see the back of the stage which accentuates Nick’s isolation where he is afraid to voice his true feelings.

The word ‘moffie’ in South Africa is as offensive as ‘faggot’ and as Brümmer lists other insults – ‘pansy’, ‘fairy,’ ‘sissy’ – Moffie is a play that seeks to reclaim this term. Director Greg Karvellas pulls no punches here and the result is electrifying.

Runs until 30 June 2024