Johannesburg - Daniel Newton stars in Shadow Boxing, a heavy-hitting one-man show coming to Johannesburg for a limited run in May.
Newton has just been awarded a coveted Fleur Du Cap Theatre Award for Best Performance in a Revue, Cabaret or One-Person Show, and anyone who has seen this Shadow Boxing understands why.
Alone on a stage adorned with nothing but a metal bucket, a punching bag, a worn pair of boxing gloves and a suit jacket, the character Flynn tells us his story, weaving his gut-wrenching narrative through his cruel childhood, his rise to boxing stardom, and his tragic fall from grace.
Audiences find themselves in the role of the second actor, spoken to as a confidant, holding their breath as Newton pushes himself to the edge both physically and emotionally. In just an hour, Newton, a UCT Drama School graduate, single-handedly relays Flynn’s story of his father’s failed boxing career, his own burden to prove himself where his father couldn’t, and the secret that underpins it all: his hidden sexuality in a hyper-masculine space where tenderness is seen as weakness.
A heavyweight fighter burdened by the shadow of his father’s past and bigotry and his own internalised perceptions of masculinity, Flynn throws himself at the punch-bag with the abandon of a man who has nothing left to lose as he fights desperately to save himself from confronting his shadows. Intimate audiences of only 50 are swept along as he navigates homophobia, his burgeoning sexuality and his inherited beliefs of what a man can be. While rage and frustration come easily to Flynn, it’s his moments of fear and vulnerability that hold your heart.
Newton holds nothing back, skilfully combining moments of chaotically gruelling physical exertion with quiet reflection, insight and compassion as he reluctantly embraces who he is – with devastating consequences.
“The play is very special to me,” says Newton. “Despite it being written in the 80s, the story is timeless. A deep exploration of masculinity and coming of age will always transcend time. The feeling of being an outsider is something, at some point, every person has felt.”
Proudly produced by the Redhill Arts Festival (#RedFest) and directed by Naledi-award-winning Mdu Kweyama (with accolades including Most Honest Man, Missing, Woza Albert and The Goat, or who is Sylvia?), this show is unmissable.
Hosted in Redhill’s Film Studio, it’s essential viewing for Drama students as a master class in theatre, physicality and carrying a show single-handedly, but any theatre-lover seeking an exhilarating hour of theatre will find their time (and emotions) well-spent with this memorable production.
Shadow Boxing runs from May 10 to 19 from 6.30pm to 7.30pm and a matinee Saturday show available from 4pm to 5pm at Redhill Film Studio, 20 Summit Rd, Morningside in Sandton
Tickets available at Quicket.