I didn’t know I needed to read Matigari until I watched Matigari ma Njirūūngi.
I went into the theatre knowing very little about the book behind the production. I came out wanting to find the Gĩkũyũ version and read it for myself. That, for me, says a lot about what the play managed to do.
I have spent an embarrassing amount of time trying to find something I didn’t like about this play. Nothing.
And I don’t mean that in the “everything was perfect because I loved it” way. I genuinely kept looking for the one thing that would give me a little criticism to balance this review out. I couldn’t find it.
There are some plays you watch and walk away thinking about the story. Then there are those where you find yourself thinking about how the hell did they do that?
For me, Matigari ma Njirūūngi was very much the latter. I loved it. Like, loved loved it.
There was something so satisfying about watching a stage that wasn’t just a stage. The set was constantly doing something. Technology wasn’t simply thrown in because it looks cool. It was actually incorporated into the world of the play, and that made the whole production feel incredibly immersive.
But the thing that genuinely blew my mind was the use of pre-shot video.
The way the footage was incorporated into the live performance was seamless. It didn’t feel like, “Okay, now we’re going to watch a video.” It felt like the video was part of the theatre itself. The transition between what was happening on stage and what we were seeing on screen was so well done that it became one of my favorite elements of the entire production.
And then there was the acting.
Ndungi Githuku as Matigari carried that character with so much ownership and presence. There was a confidence in the way he inhabited Matigari that made it very difficult to look away whenever he was on stage. He wasn’t simply playing the character. He owned him.
And Thuita Mwangi? That man is legit one of the most versatile actors I’ve watched on stage. The ability to move between emotions and completely shift his energy is something I really enjoyed watching.
And now, Kwa Ndego Creatives, I have one small request.
Do the rerun.
Because by the time you do, I intend to have read the book. And I want to come back and watch this production again with that context in my head.
Until then, I’ll be here trying to figure out what negative thing I was supposed to say about this play. Still haven’t found one.
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