Playhouse, Sheffield, until September 20th 2025
Reviewed by Sharon Farley
5*****
Performer and writer, John Rwothomack, is present as the audience enters the Playhouse theatre, playfully inviting people to join him in spinning a wooden top. In this clowning, Rwothomack (On Missing, The Devil in Mary, The Lost Theatre) creates the secure, joyful atmosphere of child’s game, leaping around and adopting a high pitched voice as the central character, Okumu, a young child of about 7 or 8 years old playing with his brother in a north Ugandan village. But this fragile peace is shattered as the game is abruptly halted by an armed attack on their village, and we are introduced to the actions of the Commandant, a sadistic, pot-bellied, guerrilla leader.
In the 1980’s, the world became uncomfortably familiar with the name Joseph Kony, the real life leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) – represented here by the Commandant – who became known for his tactic of recruiting soldiers by kidnapping young children and forcing them to become killers. Rwothomack walks us through the horrifying steps of the dehumanisation of Okumu using a combination of mime and storytelling, supported by the concerted talent of the creative team providing the lighting, sound and set design that adds layers of drama and texture to this production. In addition, the decision made by director, Mojisola Elufowoju, to stage Far Gone in the round further draws the audience into “the world of the play.”
As Okumu’s journey becomes progressively darker, we are captivated by the ease with which Rwothomack slips from one character to another – the Commandant, the brother, the gunman, and Okumu, both as a child and a soldier – adjusting his voice and physicality to bring forth the various personalities. He does this so well we are never in any doubt as to who is being played. The audience become part of the performance, lending their voices to provide the chanting of the child soldiers.
As might be predicted, it is a disturbing tale with no happy ending, though we are provided a
lesson that should be shared far and wide; that in wars we are killing those who are exactly like ourselves, whether we recognise them as such or not. It is an important message that deserves to be shared far and wide. Fortunately, this is the beginning of a world tour for Far Gone, look out for your nearest opportunity to witness this highly energetic and deeply moving piece.
In addition to the teaching it provides, Far Gone also contributes to social factors. At the age of 8, John Rwothomack himself was nearly kidnapped by Kony’s LRA in Uganda, so now tells this story for all of those who were not fortunate enough to escape this fate. These performances also raise funds for the Women’s Advocacy Network of the Justice and Reconciliation Project, a forum where war affected women and men come together to advocate for accountability, justice and acknowledgments of the sexual and gender-based violations they suffered during the conflicts in northern Uganda.
Rwothomack uses his talent to deliver African stories, culture and history through the stage, either in the material of the performance, the artists involved, or by adapting classics to African contexts. He appears to be a performer and writer worth keeping an eye on.