| What: Love Me, Feed Me, Never Leave Me โ the modern dating show ย When: July 9-13, 2025 Performance times: Wed July 9 at 7pm, Sat July 12 at 7pm and Sunday July 13 at 6pm Bookings: https://theatrearts.co.za/ Written and directed by: Emma Amber Cast: Emma Amber, Anja Taljaard, Ethan Saunders and Siphe Sibiya ย Producer: Origen Productions |
Love Me, Feed Me, Never Leave Me – the modern dating show, written and directed by Emma Ferguson is on in Cape Town at Theatre Arts July 9-13, 2025. Ferguson also performs in the four โhander, with Anja Taljaard, Ethan Saunders and Siphe Sibiya. I loved, loved this clever, sharp delicious piece of theatre which traces the ups and downs of dating and love, with a range of very different characters and situations.
The Wonder Woman Ferguson, has just returned from 2025 National Arts Festival, Makhanda, where Love Me, Feed Me, Never Leave Me received an Ovation Award. Ferguson is 29 and the narrative – vignettes and sketches- reference the pivotal point of reaching the 3rd decade and perhaps having an existential crisis because everyone seems to be settling and nesting. The race is on to find a significant other. This comedic play delves into the vagaries of contemporary dating – laugh or cry or better – do both. Dating is messy. Love is complicated. Most of us donโt want to be alone.
One of the characters in the play has been in a relationship since she was 16 and 13 years later, at 29, she questions whether this is the โoneโ. Ferguson told me that the idea for play was sparked when her and her then boyfriend were getting married. They had been together since they were 16. People were chirping her: ย โHow do you know he is the one – what happens if he leaves – your lives are intertwinedโ. There was a backlash and that led her to write this smart, witty and poignant play, tracing dating scenarios. It is a rom-com – with benefits of excellent writing, staging, performance โ and outstanding direction.
There is one character, stunningly played by Anja Taljaard which had me in tears. The takeaway from this scene is that one should not be quick to condemn people for commitment issues. This scene, Ferguson told me has not been based on anyone she knows, unlike a lot of the material which has been inspired by her own life and experiences of her friends. The writing in this scene is heart stopping. Impressive script.
Feed Me, Never Leave Me premiered in 2023 and has been tweaked and updated. I donโt know how I missed it. Being on the boil for two years has given it time to brew and this evident in the effort put into the script and production
Excellent direction by Ferguson, who was nominated for a Fleur du Cap Award as best new director for The Marvelous Wonderettes. The modern dating game tends to be dominated by the screen is and apps such as the ubiquitous WhatsApp and the incessant ping of notifications. Flashing WhatsApp messages onto a screen would be an obvious way to go about for the design of a play about dating but Ferguson has not gone that route. She uses emojis as props which are positioned on an old school flip chart. The question for all of us to ponder: Who is driving it all? The heart, brain or hormones?
Together with costume changes (fabulous shoes and outfits), lighting and music, this is a theatrically layered production with articulated use of space as the protagonists move in and out of their bubbles and connect at certain junctures. The ensemble cast is terrific and they transition seamlessly from scene to scene, while shifting the props, choreographed beautifully by Ferguson. Adroit use of simple props โ to evoke for example a bathroom scene and a car which is playful and creative. I look forward to more plays by this talented writer/director/performer. Do not miss.
โณ Love Me, Feed Me, Never Leave Me โ the modern dating show – written and directed by Emma Amber. Pics supplied.
