Blooming love Under the Fig Tree

“Under the Fig Tree” is a new play to hit the arts scene. It stars Jody Abrahams and Diaan Lawrenson, actors you'd probably recognise from 7de Laan and Scandal. It's a dual love story about two lovers set in different eras facing different circumstances and yet both become intertwined.

The play begins with Jake (Abrahams) reading a love letter written by a woman from a time gone by called Anna (Lawrenson) to her forbidden lover, Peter (Abrahams). She's the daughter of an aristocratic family who's fallen in love with a servant. Anna and Peter become secret lovers as Jake narrates the beginning of their love story. They meet regularly under the cover of night to be together intimately under a fig tree.

Things go wrong when Anna's "holier-than-thou" sister, Maria finds out their secret. This plot runs simultaneously with the story of Jake and Beth (Lawrenson) who are complete opposites in personality who also fall hopelessly in love. Beth however, has commitment issues and their relationship has its fair share of ups and downs.

It is in the end that the revelation of the intertwined love affairs comes together and is revealed. I suspect however, that you might have it all figured out before then. It's a sweet, romantic play with a splash of comedy every now and again. While mildly entertaining, I found it lacked depth and the acting was pretty much mediocre. I'd advise a detour from this play if you're headed to the Baxter. Go check out something more worthwhile like Sister Breyani perhaps. This was certainly not my cup of tea.