What snatched from them what they treasured most, also brought them together.
Son of Man Productions’ latest show was a heart-rendering piece, a deep dive into the essence of family in moments of despair.
Elphus Wangombe (Peter Saisi), a journalist, investigates the inadequacies surrounding cancer treatment in the country. In one of his excursions, he meets Diana (Leila Wangari), who lost her mother from pancreatic cancer, and she agrees to an interview but under two conditions; he should not mention her name in the report and he must help her sister Nancy (Naomi Wairimu) get a job at Mamboleo TV station, where he works.
Elphus keeps his word with regards to the job-hunt but not with respect to the request for anonymity, leading to an altercation between him, Diana and Nancy. To top it all, the controversy generated by the report gets him fired.
Still, Nancy thanks Elphus for helping her bag the job and apologises for the row, only for Elphus to open up about how his job helped him pay off college loans which he took to pay for his father’s pancreatic cancer medical bills in India. His father is set to fly back since he’s getting better and Mama is planning a grand homecoming party, which Elphus invites Nancy to.
Now unemployed, Elphus also gets a visit from his brother, Derrick (Derrick Omondi), who urges him to go back home after years in the city and being out of touch with folks. Upon arrival, showered with Mama’s (Michelle Tayars) exultation, a call from Adhiambo (Beryl Oondo), Elphus’ sister and Baba’s caregiver back in India discloses that Baba suffered a complication and wouldn’t be able to fly back. This will unfortunately later result in his death.
After persuasion from Nancy, Elphus agrees to a screening that reveals traces of early-stage cancer cells. Nancy decides to stand with Elphus and, since cupid works in mysterious ways, a union is made between them resulting in marriage.
A well-crafted script from director and playwright, Marvin Kibicho, In Sickness and in Health goes beyond cancer awareness, it backs the theme with a poignant soulful story, and fleshed-out characters who you can’t help but root for.
The performances steered its audience in a rollercoaster of emotions from the humorous duo of Mama and Derrick to the spellbinding love story of Elphus and Nancy.
Musical numbers from Ivy Gidget who also doubled as Sharleen set a light-hearted tone to the piece in line with its plot, emphasising the major theme of the season; love.
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Edited by @peterndoria
