“A powerful exploration of colonisation through the frontier myth of the Wild West by South African company Fix & Foxy“
Fiona Hallenan-Barker
[ 3.5 ] Stars
Venue : Sydney Festival at Sydney Town Hall
Sydney Festival
Dates: 4th – 26th January
Dark Noon is a wild exploration of colonialism, violence, and the pervasive impact of the romanticised Wild West mythology. The show’s uncompromising style and brutal imagery leave a lasting impact, but the relentless pace and chaotic style may alienate some audience members. At its core, Dark Noon addresses the cultural obliteration wrought by colonialism. The production uses cinematic techniques in order to flip the paradigm of American Western movies of the 20th century. The performance is a filmic journey through the story of the Wild West, using a blend of humour, audience participation, rapid-fire physicality, videography and stage construction to examine the deep scars left by colonisation and reappraises cultural dominance in storytelling.
The story unfolds in a fictionalised Wild West, where settlers clash with “natives” in a comedic yet deeply disturbing gridiron football match. The crowd erupts in cheers when the “natives” win, but the mood quickly shifts as the settlers, armed with guns, shoot the winner without hesitation. The tension is palpable, and the audience reacts sharply—an intake of breath ripples through the room as the cycle of violence repeats. Each time the native character stands, he is shot down again and again. It’s a powerful, uncomfortable moment that shatters any illusion of entertainment and demands a reflection on the deeper themes at play.
The characters in Dark Noon are driven by the grind of work and toil, their lives dictated by greed, sexual appetites, and the occasional glimmer of spiritual enlightenment. The performers portray these desires with a raw intensity, each character seeming trapped in a cycle of insatiable need and fleeting moments of clarity. Their struggles with identity, survival, and moral compromise are palpable throughout the performance, and the relentless nature of their internal and external conflicts adds layers of meaning to the production.
The performers create a whirlwind of physicality that is both exhausting to watch and exhilarating in its intensity. Mandla Gaduka, Katlego Kaygee Letsholonyana, Lillian Malulyck, Bongani Bennedict Masango, Siyambonga Alfred Mdubeki, Joe Young and Thulani Zwane work tirelessly throughout the production. The stage is constantly being constructed and deconstructed, mirroring the destruction and creation of the mythic Wild West. Despite the relentless action, the quieter moments—such as monologues to the camera—become the most poignant. These monologues shift the focus from spectacle to personal narrative, providing insight into the characters’ experiences of violence, loss, and identity. The use of white face and blonde wigs reinforces the work’s critique of colonialism and the ways in which Western narratives have been imposed on other cultures. A key line from the very end of the play is spoken in a first language and then translated for the audience “If you want to kill an African story tell it in English”.
The stage design in Dark Noon evokes the minimalist, stripped-back aesthetic of a film set (and very reminiscent of Lars von Trier’s Dogville). The empty stage begins with bodies walking across the space and a man tumbling across as a tumbleweed. The blank, open space reflects the harshness of the world they inhabit, heightening the sense of vulnerability and instability. The stage evolves throughout the production from a bare landscape into a fully-fledged frontier town. Walls are constructed into huts, a bank, saloon, church, gaol and even a train line is built to run through the centre of the space. This design reinforces the fragility of the world the characters inhabit, where the narrative is constantly being built and destroyed around them.
Audience participation is key to the theatre making. Brechtian devices are employed from the get-go and we are roped into the action gleefully. From a rowdy country line dance that morphs into a market transaction where the crowd is sold at varying prices, to chaotic scenes of church gatherings and bank robberies, the performance draws the audience into its world. At one point, two adventurous women from the audience drink actual shots of whisky in a saloon, and by the end of the production a large portion of the audience finds themselves sitting onstage. The atmosphere becomes increasingly chaotic, with the environment constantly shifting around the audience, creating a sense of danger that feels both thrilling and uncomfortable.
The production barrels forward like a steam train, but at times, multiple scenes compete for the audience’s attention. The pacing is relentless, and the focus of the narrative often splinters, making it difficult to fully absorb the magnitude of what’s unfolding. By the end of the performance, the continuous sound and fury feel overwhelming, and the emotional impact risks being diluted by sheer overload.
The final moments of the show offer a crucial point of reflection, with performers speaking directly to the camera, inviting the audience to hear their lived experiences of growing up in apartheid South Africa. These monologues act as a necessary grounding moment, pulling us back from the spectacle and asking us to engage with the real-world implications of the themes explored. The performers’ cultural backgrounds are central to the understanding of the production, positioning Dark Noon as a commentary on how colonial history continues to shape our collective consciousness.
This is bold, challenging theatre that isn’t easy to digest. It draws on the violence and brutality of colonisation and places it under the lens of a Western mythos that has been romanticised for generations. It is a reminder of the damage done by these narratives and the deep scars they continue to leave behind. Watching it, there is an unsettling parallel to the relentless violence of shows like Westworld, where the spectators—both onstage and off—seem to revel in the destruction they witness. Ultimately, Dark Noon is a work of great ambition, attempting to unpack the effects of colonisation and challenge the audience to confront the uncomfortable legacies of history, while simultaneously forcing us to engage with our complicity in the systems that perpetuate such violence. See it if you dare.
Trigger warnings: Violence, death, sexual assault, racism, colonialism.
Fiona Hallenan-Barker , Theatre Now
