A marriage is hanging by less than a thread. Infidelity is on the throne and who suffers the most?
These are some of the questions that Tinopona Katsande asks and attempts to answer in ‘Hot Water Bottle’, a decade old theatrical play that she is giving a new face.
The whole story begins in the middle of the night. People are supposed to be sleeping at that time, but, as we are reminded, a lot happens around this time, especially in the innermost room of the house, the bedroom.
Mia, a character played by Tinopona Katsande, receives a worrying phone call with details of her husband, Douglas’ clandestine affair.
Mia, the ever loving and faithful wife, thinks it’s a prank and rudely drops the call. But then you can drop a phone call but you cannot drop the musings of the mind as easily.
Reality then sinks in and Mia cannot begin to imagine life without her precious Douglas.
Could it be true? Could it be? Has Christine, a family friend, stolen Douglas from her?
Alone she wonders. She goes through a series of emotions, worship songs and even prayers just to convince herself that this tip off she has gotten is not true.
“Mwari mubatsiri wedu, dakara na zvino (God is our helper, even now),” she sings, tears rolling down her cheeks, bible in hand and knees on the ground.
It’s a roller coaster of emotions for the audience. Laughter breaks out every so often. Then silence. Trepidation. Anxiety. Hope. Sadness. Reflection and emotions grab us like a cold winter breeze- because we know these things are happening under many roofs. It hits too close to home.
She cries and laughs emotionally and sarcastically to get her point across. And the crowd loves it. She has their minds and hearts in the palm of her hands. She makes sure they felt sad when she wants them to feel sad and smile or laugh when she wants them to laugh.
The acting is on point. This is Tinopona Katsande in case you have forgotten. In this particular version of the play, she is not only using her two decades of acting experience but also, her personal experience.
Then Douglas comes in.
In the wee hours of the morning. Mia has all the evidence pointing to the fact that he is indeed cheating.
Though it’s a solo act, tension rises in the room as she confronts her husband. He uses the dumbest excuse to cover up, saying a pack of condoms he had in his pockets were given to him by his friends for safekeeping. The things people say when they are caught, lol.
In the audience is the famous Joe Njagu, in his black golf cap. He is holding his phone up, filming the whole play, live streaming it on Facebook – the beauty of technology.
The play is about to end, but you still expect more, a lot of the questions have been asked and a lot more implied, but not asked. You are left wondering, trying to find the answers, not just for the situation with Mia and Douglas, but for the whole infidelity question.
What can be Mia’s solution to this Douglas and Christine problem? Can it be a ‘hot water bottle?’ Can Douglas be replaced?
