Destiny: quick links
Destiny: insights into life in South Africa in 1974
A clear sky watches over Della Meth’s home in a township near Durban, South Africa, where she lives with her father and younger brother. Her mother’s portrait sits front and centre in the house, signalling the quiet tensions that have arisen in the Meth family’s relationship dynamics due to her untimely passing.
The family members offer distinct insights into life in South Africa in 1974, the year Destiny – a world premiere written by Kirsty Marillier, who also performs the role of Della – is set in. Cliff, the patriarch of the family, struggles to find joy or fulfilment after the death of his wife and under the constraints of Apartheid.
Then there’s Rocky, a young boy with an effeminate nature and sense of guilt about his mother dying during his birth, who’s pressured to prove himself to the men in his community. And Della, Marillier’s protagonist, struggles with the responsibility of taking care of both of them from a young age.
By the time we meet the Meths, Della is a well-oiled home-making machine who has failed dreams of attaining higher education. The arrival of her high school ex-boyfriend turned black liberation activist, Ezra Jones, played by Barry Conrad, sets her on edge. His presence promises trouble and the attention of the Security Branch of the South African Police, known for their violence and intimidation.
Destiny: abundance of laughter and love
Despite all the tension, there’s an abundance of laughter and love in this production. Gaz Dutlow as Rocky wrings out laughs with impeccable physical comedy and comic timing, supported by Marillier’s cheeky dialogue that nails the elder daughter-cum-mother and younger sibling dynamic within the 1970s South African context. Conrad as Ezra oozes charisma; his shows of virility, that are just shy of machismo, are irresistible. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree as Clare Chihambakwe, playing Ezra’s mother, mirrors his confidence and quick wit with an impressive synergy, especially given the two performers never appear on stage together.
The set, by Sophie Woodward, creates a subtle sense of confinement – an acknowledgement of the creation and maintenance of townships under Apartheid. The lighting design by Kelsey Lee, capturing balmy nights and stagnant days, uses nature to echo Della’s inability to move forward with her life.
Destiny: difficulty of maintaining African accent
The cast, like many actors before them, struggle to deliver the notoriously difficult South African accent with consistency, and they often lack the accent’s phrasing rhythm. This hampers one’s ability to fall into their world, each wide and twangy ‘o’ or ‘a’ jolting you back to the land of bogan vowels. But when they get it right, noting the work that goes into ensuring even inconsequential words like lychee are pronounced with the correct vowel (‘lee-chee’ rather than the Aussie ‘LIE-chee’), it’s a rare treat to hear on a stage.
Destiny could easily explore all three family members’ inner worlds, but Marillier focuses on Della to the play’s detriment. Life happens to Della, much to her chagrin and fear. By the end of the play, not much has changed. Destiny dives into the well of Della’s character and finds the bottom pretty quickly. What’s left for the audience is to exist with her, waiting, until someone else on stage chooses to do something. When they do, Della almost always pushes back.
Destiny: rushes through moments of tragedy and grief
This is an exploration of destiny to be sure, that change happens whether you like it or not and – in this context – that no one in South Africa could escape experiences of oppression. However, there are problems with pacing in this production; Marillier rushes through moments of tragedy and grief, not providing the audience time to sit with the characters’ pain, and continues the play 10 minutes past the moment that feels like the show’s natural end (due to its empowering message and powerful delivery). While Destiny doesn’t overstay its welcome, these choices ensure one feels each of the play’s 140 minutes.
Destiny: showcase of South African culture
The intrigue of Destiny comes from its showcase of South African culture and most particularly life under Apartheid: banned music, house raids, condensed milk, hiding people from the police, having a braai. While this could all be gleaned from numerous sources and mediums, stories like these being well documented by the now democratic Rainbow Nation, it’s an inspired choice by Melbourne Theatre Company Artistic Director Anne-Louise Sarks to prioritise a new work that brings South African culture and history to Australian audiences in a more engaging package.
Read: Artbank On Display review: 45 years worth celebrating
Destiny offers up a lovingly curated insight into the experiences of black and coloured people during South Africa’s Apartheid, laden with grief, loss and anger, that’ll make you laugh but lacks the emotional oomph required to make you cry.
Destiny will be performed at MTC’s Southbank Theatre until 13 September 2025.
