Staff Writer
Zimbabwe’s foremost stage-actor Jasen Mphepo is staging his acclaimed one hander play called 1000 Miles at the prestigious Brighton Fringe Festival in the United Kingdom.
Brighton Fringe 2023 is one of the biggest festivals in the UK and it takes place from May 5 to June 4 with more than 700 events tailored for everyone.
And the 50-minute one-man play co-produced and re-directed by Paul Mushamani, an acclaimed and accomplished Director in the UK, stars Jasen Mphepo as Bernard, a Zimbabwean who has recently died aged 65.
While beginning his journey to meet his maker in the unknown, Bernard catches a glimpse of his own funeral and starts to reflect on his life.
The jokes and comical stories start to flow, seemingly serious events and relationships are turned upside down and inside out, as Bernard takes us on a journey of his life from the colonial era in Zimbabwe through to independence.
Mphepo takes audiences through an exciting insight into various issues affecting ghetto youths and the topical social theme of cheating and promiscuity.
The play is set at Bernard’s funeral where the ‘dead man’ recounts his life story and how he died in sad circumstances after his wife discovers he is Bernard brings the spiritual realm to the physical world and tells audiences about his upbringing, marriage and challenges that he faces in life.
He identifies relatives and friends at his funeral and narrates how they walked the journey of life together.
He narrates how he met his wife and how she trusted him in all situations until she caught him cheating.
He also tells how he grew up with his brother in the ‘Cherima’ area of Highfield and their shenanigans as young people.
Bernard narrates how they shared small rooms as families and the challenges they faced in such settings, especially during the night.
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