Jobe’s contradictions brought to life in SA play

PETER FELDMAN

“He is a resoundingly upright BEE man in a cruel and corrupt world,” says Jobe Director Josias Dos Moleele. “The question is, will he become corrupt as well? Or will it be the old adage, ‘Why do bad things happen to good people?’ That’s for the audience to decide.”

Moleele joined forces with writer and actor Teboho Sengoai to bring their modern interpretation of this biblical tale to the stage. They were drawn to the story because they equate their own life experiences with the life of Jobe.

Jobe is a story about a man who endures great adversity and pain during his lifetime. He longs for explanation and counsel as to why his world has been turned upside down.

According to the Biblical tale, this counsel is revealed in a dramatic life-changing vision that strikes his beliefs to the core – and those of his wife and friends.

Sengoai, whose father was a pastor, said he chose this story because “it is by far one of the most artistic books in the Bible. It is a mixture of prose, poetry, monologue, and dialogue. As an artist, I love and appreciate the beauty of the inspired writing found in this book.

“However, after reading the book, G-d inspired me to write and share this story. Having been through a difficult season myself, I know many people can relate to Jobe’s story, and be inspired and encouraged just as I have been.”

Moleele believes this is an Everyman-type story. “The rise and the fall and the rise again of any human is worth telling in a world that is heaped with socio-political challenges. It’s necessary medicine for our current strata. It’s packed with a message of hope against all odds, and redemption.”

He was inspired to take on the production when he read about the different schools of thought on the book.

“In some Jewish literature, there is the belief that Jobe was a parable to teach people about good versus evil, while others believe that the character actually existed, and went through the hardest challenges of life.

“However, the catharsis is relevant to every human being. We all have the power to bounce back after an ordeal. I found that notion necessary in a society that needs edutainment as escapism.”

Sengoai says that by utilising styles such as realism, naturalism, and a touch of symbolism, they hope audiences will relate to the story. “There’s drama, tragedy, and comedy in the play, and no matter what the audience’s race or religious persuasions are, we believe they will enjoy it.”

Says Moleele, “The audience will be fed a familiar visual and compositional element. It will be a day in the lounge of a Hyde Park mansion, with the relatable challenges of husband and wife. It will portray how to sustain a wealthy lifestyle in an economically and politically challenged environment. This is a universal problem.”

Actor Simpho Mathenjwa, who plays the character of Jwaga (Zophah), one of Jobe’s friends, says his approach was to make his character an individual who judges everything from the prism of religion. I have set Jwaga in the contemporary charismatic context,” says Mathenjwa. “So, unlike Jobe, he is not a man of perfect integrity, but a man who has an appearance of righteous religion.”

• Jobe, which features TV and movie actor Muzi Mthabela as Jobe, Mogau Paulina Motlatswi, Titus Mekgwe, Mathenjwa, and Sengoai, will be on stage from 29 May to 15 June.