“There is resilience, certainly, but this is a work that celebrates the soft underbelly rather than the armour.”
Veronica Hannon
4 stars
Venue QTOPIA
Sydney
Dates
I had never heard of Willis Chimano before last Wednesday — my loss. The Kenyan artist–singer–songwriter is something of a revelation.
A gorgeous baritone with a softly spoken yet deeply expressive speaking voice, Chimano has a rare ability to hold a room gently.
Perhaps it’s the ease with which they inhabit Qtopia’s tiny space that makes this 45-minute piece feel both intimate and assured.
This debut solo project, Heavy Is the Crown, is a powerful reflection on what it means to be both a successful performer and a gay African man. The show is dedicated to “those who have felt unseen”.
Chimano addresses the audience directly, recounting an “awkward childhood” before turning to music — and the extraordinary rise that followed as a member of Africa’s biggest boy band, Sauti Sol.
Sauti Sol, I’ve since learned, was formed in Nairobi almost 20 years ago and became known for blending Afropop, soul, R&B and traditional African sounds.
The stage work shares its name with Chimano’s 2022 EP, and many of its songs are woven through the show. Freedom becomes the emotional pivot, confronting identity, visibility and the price paid for choosing not to hide.
What emerges is both vulnerability and undeniable strength. There is resilience, certainly, but this is a work that celebrates the soft underbelly rather than the armour.
This is far too short a season, and for those of us who like our theatre with a mix of tabasco and tequila, we’re left begging for more.
Get to Qtopia — or regret it.
Veronica Hannon, Theatre Now
