Cherry On Top[author-post-rating] 3/5 Stars

A South African Indian man is in a coma and dying. As his wife visits him in hospital, it becomes clear that the sexy surgeon tending to him in the room is actually his lover. With the two women tussling over the unconscious body of the man they love, this piece of new writing from the South African troupe Mustard Seed Productions sets out to explore an admirable range of issues.

Situating the Indian identities of the characters within the context of post-Apartheid South Africa, the scenes swiftly illustrate the complications of emotional and sexual relationships, and the burden of cultural expectation within close-knit communities.

However, at times it feels as if the piece moves a little too quickly, and the characters never have the chance to develop what they have to say. A conversation about adultery quickly shifts to a scene in which one of the protagonists is confronted with their actions in a broader cultural context. This jars because the minor characters aren’t always credible, and as a result there are moments when the dialogue falls flat.

Leeanda Reddy and Krijay Govender display a real versatility, slipping easily between the roles of wife, mother, hairdresser and lover. There are also some poignant moments, including an end-of-scene telephone call in which the lover repeatedly rings the dying man’s voicemail, just to hear his voice.

This is a thoughtful, generally well-constructed show that explores a variety of important issues relating to race, relationships and cultural expectation.

Cherry On Top is playing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival at C venues until 10th August. For more information and tickets, see the Edinburgh Fringe website.