FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Gontse Ntshegang as Grace, Craig Jackson as the psychiatrist and Farai Chigudu as the bodyguard withThemba Ndaba as Robert Mugabe.
PICTURES: Ngoma KaMphahlele
BREAKFAST WITH MUGABE by FRASER GRACE
DIRECTOR: Calvin Ratladi
PLAYWRIGHT: Fraser Grace
SET DESIGNER: Wilhelm Disbergen
COSTUME DESIGNER: Sheli Masondo
LIGHTING DESIGNER: Denis Hutchinson
CULTURAL DRAMATURGE: Professor Samuel Ravengai
MUSIC: Matthew Macfarlane
ACCENT COACH: Louise-Saint Claire
CAST: Themba Ndaba as Mugabe, Gontse Ntshegang as Grace, Craig Jackson as Andrew Peric and Farai Chigudu as Gabriel
VENUE: Mannie Manim at the Market Theatre
DATES: until August 10
If you are intrigued by the title, this is a play you will want to see. With the name Robert Mugabe having special meaning in South Africa, neighbouring country to Zimbabwe, it was a packed buzzy audience in attendance, always a joy to behold in an industry that’s constantly in battle.
If you google the number of Zimbabweans living in South Africa, they are described as the largest group of foreign migrants in the country. “Some estimates suggest the number could be as high as 3 to 5 million.” And it goes on to say that the influx is primarily due to economic hardship and instability in Zimbabwe.
South Africans will all have some opinion of what occurred in Zimbabwe. Mugabe is still an enigma to many because he started as a saviour in the new democracy in 1980 in a country which was ravaged by civil war. The education system alone can attest to that.
Yet, because of the ambiguities, political perspectives and where you come from will come into play when watching this fierce production. If you are expecting answers to the many questions you might have, what you get is a view of the complications of a system which so clearly exposes the cliché, “you cannot please all of the people all of the time”.
What you have is a deeply troubled man haunted by his actions as a political leader of a country that lay in ruins yet full of hope for a new dawn. The action is heightened from the start as Grace Mugabe (his second wife) has summoned a white psychologist to see her husband. What unfolds all happens in hushed tones, with people looking over their shoulders waiting for some kind of menace.
A man who was born to intimidate, Mugabe’s bodyguard, is hovering and watching in constant attendance. A jittery wife at first seems worried about her distressed husband, yet as she almost pounces on her guest, it is clear that she is much more concerned with her own wellbeing as Shopper of the Nation (which is clearly and most deliciously displayed in her glitzy attire) and wants to make sure her own position isn’t threatened. She is after all a secretary, who switched to sycophantic wife.
What happens next is like a thriller unspooling in almost Shakespearean fashion. Present are Robert Mugabe, his wife Grace, an English psychiatrist and the ever present bodyguard. The tone is set by an obviously agitated and deeply paranoid leader who, even though haunted by the past, is intent on dissembling reality.
The cast is astounding, from Ndaba’s resolved Mugabe and Jackson’s bewildered yet embattled psychiatrist to the staunch bodyguard portrayed by Chigudu and the glorious Ntshegang, who masterfully displays Grace’s Machiavellian traits as she plays everyone differently.
The writing is a masterpiece. First written at the turn of the century, its relevance seems heightened in today’s world where unfettered power is displayed and celebrated with such candour and even pride. But it’s the way playwright Fraser Grace tackles all the issues, explores the ruthlessness of the regime and manages to stand aside from the writing that makes this hair-raising yet compulsive viewing.
Well done to Greg Homann and The Market for staging this work and for the passion of director Calvin Ratladi, Standard Bank Young Artist for Theatre who held onto his dream of directing this play one day and grabbed the opportunity when he had the chance.
He knew exactly how and with whom it should be told.
“What we love about music is not that it sounds good. What we love about music is that it sounds inevitable. It’s playing the thing that we all know is unfolding. Whether we want to accept it or not …”
Jon Batiste (American Symphony)
This is the quote artist Frieda van den Heever sent me when we started a conversation on email.
I became aware of her as a producer. She was mostly involved with poetry-driven productions, but what I noticed was the sensibility of what is a very tough stage production.
How do you get people to attend poetry productions at a festival where there is so much on the go? But she did and she knew how.
She describes herself as a novice who preaches, because she studied drama not theology. She explains that in Springbok, where she grew up, they called it people’s church when a normal person preached because the preacher couldn’t be there.
“I have been doing it for almost 14 years, and no one has ever asked for my credentials,” she says. Having encountered her on stage, I understand why.
She is part of InVia congregation in Cape Town and describes this community as a group of people who love music and people. Her father was a minister and while she spent most of her free hours as a child in his study rather than on her own, she never thought that she would either enter the church or become a musician like her mother. “I had spent enough time in churches with music in my ears for a lifetime,” was what she thought.
Still, when she read something impactful she always caught herself speaking rather than just reading that passage. She simply couldn’t escape and then there was a time when she didn’t want to any longer. It has always been a juggling game, because it wasn’t something she could practise fulltime. But she missed theatre.
She believes in the power of stories, fables, poetry and metaphors. “Both theology and theatre navigate a place beyond knowledge, something like mysticism, and tell stories that often hold warm truths rather than cold facts,” she explains.
The part of her work that she favours most is what she describes as “accompanying rituals”, including marriages, funerals, christenings and the like. She regards it as her calling to add to the honouring of these events. It’s not that she participates only in religious ceremonies; she is often involved when people aren’t particularly interested in a church but still have a need for some kind of ritual which they share with their loved ones.
She also presents talks and retreats for congregations or groups of people who approach her. These are creative workshops specifically for women, but she stresses, “it has nothing to do with pancakes, crochet and tea parties.”
She knows these certainly have a place, but for her it is about togetherness, breathing, chanting, laughing and crying.
That’s just the beginning of all her activities. She is also involved in yoga and the transformation that ensues and has a deep fascination with people and how they struggle and survive. And while she would have loved to study psychology, a lack of time made her opt for an intensive 14-month course in integral coaching which will be incorporated in her other work.
And still, she keeps going. Once a week, she travels to Stellenbosch, her alma mater, and teaches cabaret facilitating the practical execution and texts of the honours students in the US Drama Department . As a student of the legendary Marthinus Basson, she is delighted that she can pass on her experience to a younger generation.
There’s also her radio work which started on small scale, but her talents were quickly recognized. And she still benefits from her innovative moves during Covid which resulted in her producing programmes in the basement of her home.
That led to her producing most of her radio and television work in her home. It means that she doesn’t have to spend too much time away from her children and allows her to do much of that work early in the morning. “It all happens before the children and the cars have to wake,” she says.
I’m breathless and haven’t yet come to her performance, which is really what I want to promote.
On Wednesday at 7pm, Frieda will be performing at the Fairtree Atterbury Theatre in Lynnwood, Pretoria for the first time in a magnificent production, Spoorsny (tracking) .
“I really went into grief. I sensed that I had to go in if I wanted to come out. I don’t mean that I’m perfect now, but I’ve been through the perfect storm and that moulds one to find more light because I was mining the darkness. I can sense, I almost want to say I can smell light and when I sense it I look for it everywhere. The material for my debut album came from a show I did on what would have been the night of Leon’s (Kruger) 50th birthday. (He had died very suddenly in 2021) I saw the Woordfees was during that time and I didn’t know on which date I was going to perform and then when they sent me the date, I went for it to really celebrate him with this work and this script. I could have gone to sit somewhere in the quiet and the dark which isn’t wrong, I have done it. But for that night I wanted to share what was left of me, so that it could multiply and I’m grateful for that.”
Her previous productions as director, Die Poet – Wie’s Hy?, Die Oerkluts Kwyt and Met Woorde Soos Kerse all shared a particular sensibility that made me aware of a rare director at work. She knows she didn’t have the technical experience, but her affinity with poetry and performance outweighed anything else. I didn’t notice any imperfections with any of those mind-blowing shows.
She works with love, a fine-tuned ear and excellent evalution. Also, part of the package was a childlike “unknowing”, an unwavering belief in the collective intelligence and the process, endless curiosity as well as an excellent production team and artists. Her motto was to always be present in the process. Whatever the requirements, it worked.
If you’re crying halt, there’s more. For 10 years she has been involved in a process with farm workers who boast magnificent voices. Each year she selects 10 of the best and offers them the opportunity to learn and to show off their talent. “I try to bring each individual something, give some of my experience, but I can’t teach them anything about singing. I have worked with voices that compare with the best in the world and it is a burning passion to create more platforms to showcase these voices.”
Her own musical talent, writing and composing songs and performing, has never been the only thing she wants to rely on to make a living. She wanted to be a free spirit when going on stage.
She is much more of a homebody than someone who wants to be out there but she also has a need to be challenged by the alchemy of a live performance. She obviously has a blueprint when she goes on stage, but she also reads the room and has the talent to shape her performance in different ways.
If she had a choice, she would write songs, play music, dance and jam with other voices and instruments all day long. “That feels like the best and most unvarnished version of myself,” she concedes.
To my mind, that is exactly who we watch and listen to during a performance of Spoorsny.
But let me give wordsmith Frieda van den Heever the last word: “The sudden death of my husband in 2021 and the impact of mortality and loss give perspective to everything I do and am. I am much more than a widow and single mom, but it gives context to my decisions and relationships, the spaces I find myself in and how I engage with people. The raw material which emerged in my debut album Skoonveld and formed the platform for the stage show Spoorsny as well as the anthology (published by NB) ‘n Asem Lank says everything about my search for meaning and light.”
In the programme notes online it says that this play is a masterclass in writing and performance – and that is exactly what it is. And the aspects that I found most intriguing as being a born South African, I have been dealing and watched others sharing their trauma in this country for many decades.
Some similarities especially in text will occur, but I am passionate about people creating theatre – especially solo theatre.
Having to travel from Pretoria for most of my theatre, I consider very carefully which plays I want to see whether good or bad, just work that will appeal to me. And this is where theatre sometimes becomes problematic. If you are going to see a play that is 70 minutes long, it becomes a money issue. It has to. Time and travel become a worry.
So I have started coming up with fresh solutions to make my choices easier. With this one, I had already booked for a new musical opening and I thought I could slip this short prodcution into the mix without any difficulty. I see many more plays on one day when attending a festival. And that is what I did and will do more of in the future when the problem rears its head.
Brincat, who is a first generation South African, is described in many different ways and with many accomplished skills from acting, juggling and magic artistry to fine art, chef, writing and producing one-man shows, it seems.
But this is my first encounter as far as I can tell with this versatile artist. As he’s based in Cape Town and visits the National Arts Festival, while I am based in Pretoria and cover the Afrikaans festivals around the country, his work is unfamiliar to me.
The Moon Looks Delicious from Here is a man’s struggle with identity and finding his own place in what should be his world but isn’t always that straightforward is what he shares and struggles with.
It is familiar territory stretching from the ‘60s tot ’94, but it’s always interesting to discoverhow other people deal with issues that come up for many of us in different ways. It is also fascinating to see how others approach their work, especially when at play, as solo shows can be limiting, depending on the content and how familiar you are with the subject.
He had me from beginning to end; engaging with his audience wasn’t an issue for him even with a most unusual mix on a Sunday afternoon. Half of the 100-plus theatre audience (and I’m guessing numbers) were elderly white couples and the other half were young (between 20 and 35) Black men and women. And throughout there was laughter from different quarters. It was a journey of remembrance for oldies and probably one of illumination for youngsters.
It would have been fascinating to have an audience talk after the show in this instance. This is Brincat sticking his toe in the water and it feels good. Hopefully he will be back so that we can get to know more of his work and his content.
When you have one writer in the family, I would imagine you feel blessed. Two? Perhaps not so much but someone who makes a meal of this is ANTJIE KROG who in her latest memoir writes about the relationship between her and her mother, the author Dot Serfontein. DIANE DE BEER started out reading the English version, followed that with the one in Krog’s home language and then listened to her talk about the book:
It’s a personal thing, I know, but if I can read a writer in her home language, I do. And again I was proved right with Antjie Krog’s latest offerings, Blood’s Inner Rhyme or the Afrikaans version Binnerym van die Bloed, which she describes as an autobiographical novel.
Because I write in English, I thought it might be easier to read that version, but after hearing her speak, I knew I had to get my hands on the Afrikaans book. It’s the way she Krog uses the Afrikaans language which enriches the reading.
If I didn’t have the option, I would have given the English a similar review, it’s simply that the Afrikaans introduces a different heartbeat.
Even in the best pairings, mothers and daughters have complicated relationships. When you are competing with one another even if that’s not the intention, which I’m sure it wasn’t, it’s going to be tough. Add to that two headstrong women who arguably stand on opposite sides of the political spectrum, expect fireworks – and that’s what you get.
Women all have mothers, that’s obvious, and some have their own daughters. All of us know the intricacies of that relationship – and that is when it isn’t public. Writing for an English newspaper, I wasn’t part of the Afrikaans writers’ circles and even I, not your natural gossip girl, heard rumours. And that’s where I admire Krog for doing this extraordinary book.
Antjie Krog, author extraordinaire.
Both of these women are celebrated writers who lived their lives in the spotlight. To then delve even more publicly into that life must have been an excruciating decision. And then to travel the country as one does to promote the book – what extraordinary courage. It reminds me that artists sometimes don’t have a choice, it has to come out. And usually it is the reader who benefits.
Thanks goodness Krog decided to write about this often fraught, sometimes fragile but also intense relationship. I can only guess that while sometimes devastating it must also have been therapeutic and the way to mourn and celebrate what she once had. Death has a way of shining a new light on something that was just too overwhelming to observe as it was happening.
For those of us ageing ourselves who have also shared a close relationship with a mother in her last years, it is especially meaningful. My eldest sister booked my parents into a retirement home which was on the way home from my work and I could pop in as often as possible without any inconvenience. I coped with the sometimes-daily trauma of witnessing this ageing process by communicating with a third sister who could only get the news via whatsapp or email. It was a lifesaver.
I could appreciate the daily diary of Krog’s mother’s most basic needs. That is in fact what happens when people age as we are forced to focus on the brutal minutiae of their lives. For example:
Night report:
20.00 Medication. Pt (patient) didn’t want to drink half a sleeping pill. Wanted a whole one
22.45 PT said her toes hurt. Applied Turlington + gave another half sleeping pill
00.30 Pt wanted another half sleeping pill. She was uncomfortable. She wanted to get up, I had to hold her by the sides. Pt wanted to make food. Pt was angry that the freezer had no meat.
These diaries were kept day and night – every day and night. It constantly reminds one of the process that is unfolding. As Krog tells it, focussing on her mother’s “excrement which happens daily is to own that which is being rejected, that which is such a part of her waning existence, her body’s extremities.” Krog who tells things exactly how they are explains: “There’s actually a very profound thing about shit,” she says as she captures the importance of change as life starts running out.
In full flow.
Yet there’s so much more happening around the family. It is an especially fraught time for farmers and for Dot Serfontein the family farm represents who she is. It was her inheritance. For Krog, even though she has similar bonds to the farm, she also knows and is burdened by the privilege it represents – something in this country that was often at the cost of someone else.
It is fascinating to read and witness the lives of different generations, especially in that time when everyone in the country knew things were going to change dramatically. She acknowledges that the relationship between mother and daughter is complex. In this family and between this mother and daughter perhaps even more than most.
While Krog is at pains to write about this sometimes combative relationship, it is also a celebration of Dot Serfontein, who she was and what she achieved with her writing. This is where and how Krog first discovered her words and both she and her readers have benefited.
There are so many stories captured in what can be described as a memoir. Having lived through the ageing process of my parents, that is what drew me to the writing. One learns so much about your own mortality, growing old gracefully and celebrating life whatever your age.
And thus her mother concludes only a couple of chapters into the book: “I keep all your letters,” she writes to her daughter. “One day you can compile us in a plundered book like Audrey Blignault’s daughter. Initially I wondered whether the sudden revival of my oevre was thanks to you, but when I saw so many Dot Serfonteinisims in your work and some of our private family phantom(b)s, I thought we constitute each other.”
Having lived in each other’s shadow most of their lives, it couldn’t be any other way. That is what this astonishing writer captures so magnificently. Yes it is about a mother and daughter, but there is so much more. It’s insightful, entertaining, both sad and extremely funny, and even historical in many instances. But what captured my heart was Krog’s writing. She has a way with words that is unequaled.
It’s explosive, it’s engaging, it plays with your mind (stretching it this way and that), it’s mesmerising, it sweeps your whole being along and most of all, it’s original and creative in a way that heightens all the senses. And then it shows you everything theatre can be.
Khoza is a presence not only with the theatricality of their costumes but especially with the way they move, speak, sing, chant and engage their audience from start to finish. There’s no time for your mind to wander or wonder, you’re simply in the moment as you participate in this experience that for most of us would be completely unique.
It’s ritual and rhythm, it’s engaging your whole being. This isn’t something you‘re watching, you’re participating on a level that is here and now. It’s theatre-in-the round with the performer, the one who is leading the way on this exploration of the past where human zoos and exhibitions in Western societies, our societies, turned people into curiosities to be paraded and exploited for the delight of white fetish. That is even difficult to write after seeing this play.
Especially for those of us on the oppressors’ side, while we gasp in horror at the stories, we know what our race has done to people because of the colour of their skin, have seen many plays and read many books about those times, yet, sadly it remains just that. It’s not as though your body can viscerally experience what that must have been like. It’s something that white people to this day never experience. They simply don’t have to navigate a world that plays by rules made for them … still.
How many times have you as a white body thought about how anything that you do on a specific day will be determined by the colour of your skin? Think of Trump’s world in today’s context for example. People are being rounded up and deported even with citizenship because of the way they look.
Khoza suggests that it is a history that is not spoken about and which they are determined to address so that those affected can reclaim, reflect and confront themselves as people. Because it is something that continues to this day, for them it is about the need for spiritual healing and reclaiming violated dignities.
The one thing all of us have felt in our lives is humiliation. For many it is an occasional thing that can be quickly discarded as you move on with your life. For others it is an institutionalized part of their life and there’s no escaping. The only requisite to fall prey to this is the colour of your skin. Everything in our lives to this day is determined by this. Think Black Lives Matter.
It is described as an installation-based performance and for me personally, it was as though my whole body had suddenly been awakened. I felt alerted to the way the world works. Was there anything said that I hadn’t heard before or didn’t know? How many times have I not experienced the Saartjie Baartman story, a woman torn from her family, stripped of her identity as a human being, taken from Africa to Europe and displayed for the Western world to view in a human zoo? We know and sympathise about the atrocities of the past. And again we wonder about those happening all around us, because they’re still there.
What The Black Circus does is change the perspective; it inhabits your body and soul in a way that takes you the the heart of the atrocities. For Khozait is a place of collective healing where the shackles are discarded, and a spiritual connection established.
It’s a difficult experience to write about because it is one to experience rather than to analyse. You want to enter the space knowing just the title.
At the beginning I felt as though I was sitting in a glorious painting. A story of some kind was going to unfold and as with most theatre, I was excited. What I got was so much more. It was unexpected, challenging in the way theatre should be, explosive in performance and presentation, and something that has changed my life. And that is what theatre should be.
I will be looking at and facing the world diffently.
DIANE DE BEER reviews the latest Mike van Graan play
THE GOOD WHITE
DIRECTOR: Greg Homann
PLAYWRIGHT: Mike van Graan
CAST: Shonsani Masutha, Russel Savadier, Vusi Kunene and Renate Stuurman
SET DESIGNER: Patrick Curtis
LX DESIGNER: Themba Stewart
COSTUMES: Nadia Kruger
VENUE: Market Theatre
RUNNING TIME: Until June 1
Pictures: Ngoma Ka Mphahlele
Pair the title with the four characters on stage – Vusi Kunene (Black, pictured right), Russel Savadier (White), Renate Stuurman, (Coloured, pictured left) and Shonsani Masutha, (Black, centre front), — and, in the South African context, sparks will fly.
That is what Mike van Graan’s latest play leans into. He says in the programme notes that he hasn’t written anything but solo shows since 2018 and it feels as though this one has been bubbling under and then just exploded – in the best possible way. It’s an epic piece of writing which will have you gasping as he appeals to each one in the audience, whoever they are, to grapple with the issues – our inner core – of South Africa.
While Nelson Mandela did many things for this nation, coining the phrase Rainbow Nation was arguably not one of them. It is as though he constantly reminds us what we are not, but if you were part of the opening audience on what seemed to be a quiet Sunday afternoon in the theatre, you would have witnessed that we could be.
The perfect quartet: Vusi Kunene, Shonsani Masutha, Russel Savadier and Renate Stuurman.
The audience pretty much reflected the mixed bunch we are and from the deadly silence following the first poem of strength recited by the astonishing Masutha to the immediate participation during the rest of the play, it was as though there was another solo performer on that stage – the audience.
It captured the heartfelt emotions Van Graan has always been able to harness as he tackles the South African nation. And no one does gloves-off like this playwright. Setting the play in academia, he has chosen his boxing ring and then selected his characters to represent every foible in the human race, it felt like. And then he lets them rip.
As always, he doesn’t hold back, everyone and each weakness is held up for scrutiny and the constant audience gasping and finger clicks told you how he hit the mark throughout the play.
Through the years Van Graan has been honing his very own way of dealing with what he views as our fatal flaws and this time it feels as though he has unleashed it all in glorious colour.
It might sound like something you don’t want to hear or see but, because South Africans will all relate to everything, it’s like witnessing the full South African story from Once Upon A Time …Prejudices in all their pitiful hostility, power plays, colour bashing, gender gore, poor vs privilege and the list is endless. He plays all those cards to their fullest.
Those who know his work, also know that he can write and he has never been scared to speak his mind. He does it to the Department of Arts and Culture and he does it on stage. When he has a platform, he steps up and tells it like it is and believe me, he is one of the few who speaks his mind unabashedly whenever he can.
He has been maligned to the high heavens, but nothing has stopped him. And finally, to my mind, here is his magnus opus and it is flawless and delicious to witness. And when (not if) you go and see it, I hope you have the same audience we had; it added to the fun and spectacle of the drama.
Add the director and the cast to complete the perfect coming together. Homann allowed the Van Graan words to do the work, which was the best thing to do. It should be unfettered because you really have to engage and listen to get the full extent, which here you do.
The cast delivers magnificently. I didn’t know Masutha’s work but she made sure I would never forget her. What a performance! From start to finish she’s there with all her energy and might and that’s what her volatile character needs. Stuurman is an old favourite and to my mind, this is her best performance yet. Savadier and Kunene also fit the bill and, as seasoned actors, they never put a foot wrong.
It’s a play I will try to see again towards the end of the run, because there’s just too much to take in at one sitting. It’s something — even though it doesn’t sound like it — that gives hope. If, as Van Graan suggests, this is exactly who we are, at some stage togetherness will take hold. As for now, we are still that dysfunctional family who needs a stern word to set us on the right path – and this is it.
Diversity was the element that dominated this year’s fantastic KKNK Festival (in Oudtshoorn at the beginning of the month) – from the audiences to the artists, also including the plays and performances. DIANE DE BEER reports:
PICTURES: Hans van der Veen (unless otherwise stated.)
On one day you could see a solo show, a play with both words and movement, a translated modern classic and a new work that will outlast some of us watching.
Yet as is often the case at this festival, theatre was what really captured the imagination – and true to the diversity theme, it played out in many ways.
For me it started with a bang with a piece titled Die Een Wat Bly (which can also be seen at the upcoming Cape Town Suidooster) with a cast consisting of the two talented dancers from Figure of 8 Dance Theatre (Grant van Ster and Shaun Oelf) who in this instance combined their extraordinary movement with the insightful words of Wessel Pretorius who seems to deliver an endless stream of brilliance. And the third member of this inspired cast is Daneel van der Walt who is an actor who has emerged these past few years as someone to watch.
Everything seemed to combine beautifully, from the story, how it was written, the excellence of the casting and the way movement underlined and emphasized every emotion so magnificently. I couldn’t resist catching it a second time and it confirmed my initial instincts that all the elements just flowed together seamlessly to present perfect theatre. I could easily watch it again … and again… and again.
In a different guise, Pretorius performed in Yasmina Reza’s translated text Kuns (which had previously been performed by two of the actors, also directed by Marthinus Basson in the English version titled Art). Pretorius and Wilhelm van der Walt (part of the former cast) were joined by Ludwig Binge in a play that satirises the often achingly precious way people view and talk about art.
Because of the NOW, a time where an anti-wokeness and fake news seem to dominate everything, it worked even better than the first time I saw it and with these three adventurous actors (all three Basson graduates who have established exciting theatre careers), it was perfect for this festival which always celebrates.
Basson also delighted with a play which has been on the circuit for a while, and I was thrilled to finally experience. Who would not be intrigued by a play titled Kruispad, of die legende van die goue vis.
Picture: Nardus Engelbrecht.
Again the casting blew me away with Eben Genis giving one of his finest performances in the role of the eccentric recluse Oswald whose life is rudely interrupted by two lost and rain-drenched youngsters played by two of the best, Edwin van der Walt and Carla Smith, with a glorious copper-coloured wig which completely changed her character without her having to say a word.
Because it plays with temptation and loyalty, it reminded me of the film Indecent Proposal in which Robert Redford offers to buy Demi Moore for a million dollars for the night.
Masterfully written and performed with great gusto you are never sure what is real or not, whether something is fact or fiction, and in fact when someone is being honest or not. It’s like trying to solve a puzzle that tortures and teases with a few disruptive detours that keep you slightly unbalanced as an audience.
There was so much more in the theatrical realm with solid performances in the Hennie van Greunen translated and directed Annie+Helen with Cintaine Schutte as Annie, the governess/teacher in the Hellen Keller story and Judi Hattingh as the severely damaged teenager who cannot see, hear or talk.
A mighty struggle ensues and from beginning to end, the two actors battle, and sometimes, bruise one another in a fight for something so much more than survival.
I have always been a huge fan when some of our younger directors (and he might take exception to that description) take on the classics, and I was excited to see Speelgoed van Glas translated, directed and designed by Nico Scheepers.
Casting was a further incentive with Annamart van der Merwe, Carla Smith, Ben Albertyn and Mark Elderkin on board, and was also alerted by all the awards they had already received, all of them thoroughly deserved. Van der Merwe’s bravura performance as the brittle mother is bruising as she embodies a woman who is desperately fighting to hold on to the only power available to her, that of motherhood (and in this instance also victimhood).
Her children, especially her son, have no such illusions and their confrontation reminds one of how a home which should be a protected space for a family can become a warzone which holds only fear and a frantic will of those threatened, to flee and find emotional freedom.
It’s devastating writing, smartly translated and, set in the present with a cast who have had the time to hone their craft and honour the play.
Also Die Potplant: ‘n Tragedie written and played by Karli Heine who changed what had previously been part of something now called Blitsteater into a longer piece had an interesting effect on me. It’s a wonderful idea with a script that’s inventive with underlying pathos – and yet, while it still had the impact and was cleverly stretched into a more comprehensive play, I think I preferred the shorter version.
It might have had something to do with the impact it had the first time round as well as having lost my heart to that version, I was more aware of the padding. Yet Heine is worth watching. She is someone that thinks out of the box as well as having the courage to take chances. You need all of that in this challenging profession.
Another joy at a festival is discovering new talent as well as witnessing the creativity of artists and how they find ways to explore their craft in a world with no boundaries yet many obstacles. Bibi Slippers, who can only be described as a compulsive creative did two shows as part of the Blitsteater (a bit like fast food, fast theatre), but there’s nothing fast about what she does with her imagination.
Picture: Stephanie M. Gericke.
I have always been fascinated by this young woman who has carved her own career in a very individual way. She pops up all over the show and her strengths lie in her words. She knows how to use them and has two spectacular poetry books that run like a thread through her performances.
Everything she does has thought behind it, is usually novel and it works. If anyone wants to see how to be an artist in today’s world and be in command of your own life, this is it.
In similar vein Sandi Dlangalala and Ilana Cilliers combined style and swagger to present an interlude of theatrical magic with Smak. The way they told the story in very little time with their whole being and soul was quite extraordinary.
A regular festival contributor, Llandi Beeslaar, who with her partner has been running a series of short performances by various artists, in the above mentioned Blitsteater, decided it was her turn to shine individually. She was ready to test herself as a comic with her first stand-up piece.
She participates in the arts in different ways, but this is a chance to use her own voice – and that she does with a particular style. Most importantly she has something to say and should keep going while honing her craft. There aren’t enough women in this space and the only thing she lacks is confidence.
Picture: Mia Truter.
A solo performance that stood out was that of singer/songwriter Frieda van den Heever. I first noticed her as producer with a fine sensitivity as well as an imagination which seemed to be strongly independent.Picture
She has obviously decided it is her time and instead of producing others, she staged her own show. She’s got all the goods and probably if you start counting, has more talents than a triple threat. In this her first solo show (that I know of) at a festival, she did the performance as well as the production. She brought in Mauritz Lotz on guitar, but the rest was all done by this astonishing performer.
I’m more of a theatre girl than music, but she blew me away with her presentation, the way she put together her show, her music (on piano as well as singing and songwriting), her lyrics and her singing. I know I can find her album Ontspoor, onlineand that’s what I’ll do.
But to find new music so accessible and a performance that’s fresh, daring and quite darling. I’m a groupie. Once I checked her previous work (which I had seen, with her as producer rather than performer) I understood why I liked the show so much.
Karoo Kaarte is one of my favourite experiences every year at this festival. They pick their battles, how best to explore them and this year they joined forces with the District Six Museum and GALA queer archive and used the Kewpie: Daughter of District Six picture archive as a platform to develop this years’ experience.
It all culminated in a queer festival with a multi-disciplinary drama titled Kroon en Konfetti which incorporated three elements: Kewpie’s life and legacy as dancer and artist; the rich culture of Oudtshoorn’s beauty competitions called “models”; and 25 personal stories collected from Oudtshoorn’s queer community.
Dressed in all their finery, the “models” all gathered in a dressing room to start their show with the dialogue smart, sassy and with an edge. It was quite magnificent as are all the Karoo Kaarte productions and more than anything it’s the topics they choose to spotlight that’s so important.
Here is deals with a group of people who are already sidelined in a country where prejudice is still rife. With their queer status they are in search and hoping to find safe spaces in their community where they can celebrate their culture, yet behind all the glitz and glamour, the shadow of oppression is hard to ignore.
As always Neil Coppen, Vaughn Sadie and Tiffany Witbooi are the creative team responsible and my only regret – as happens every year – is that I couldn’t participate in all their offerings. It’s one of those projects that’s imaginative and innovative and even more importantly, they’re constantly working with elements that result in real change in a community that has always been neglected.
And then cleverly the festival ended with Nataniël and a company of 10 on the openair stage under the Oudtshoorn night skies. The elements aren’t his friends, but it was a glorious way to end the festival with a performance that showcased new voices and performers as well as the glorious artist himself with stories and songs that suited the occasion.
Tracy-Lee Oliver was the artist he chose to spotlight on the night, and she made full use of the occasion with spunk and singing that added spark to this final show. It was great to see someone step into the limelight with such poise. As usual, making sure he gave his audience all the hysterical stories and masterful songs they expected with his superb band and backup singers, he also paid it forward with this sassy introduction of new voices for this audience.
He first spotted her when she was a contestant on a television show he judged, and astute as he always is when it comes to producing for an occasion, this was where he decided to showcase her – for all the world to witness.
Rehearsal picture.
I haven’t even touched on the festival artist Henk Serfontein’s magnificent exhibition Die Stomme Aarde complimented by a performance piece by the artist and his collaborator Hannah Loewenthal as he made a painting to which she contributed while both of them participated in an expressive dance which further enhanced this particular emotional landscape of both the St Jude’s Church as well as the art displayed in this holy space .
It was the perfect example of how art and artists when working with an emotional intelligence can transport you in a way that seldomly happens in what has become quite a cranky world.
Similarly, Mareli Stolp, a pianist with a particular penchant for avant garde music invited animation artist Diek Grobler to illustrate her chosen compositions for a programme Die Gevlerktes. It was a stroke of genius.
The exquisite animation was imaginative in the way it enhanced the music and the listening experience which then also transformed into a visual feast.
I could go on, but this is simply one art lover’s experience …
See if you can catch any of these gems at other festivals and theatres in the year ahead.
Awards can mean nothing or EVERYTHING. It really depends on each individual and perhaps the most important ingredient is to witness especially the individual artists when they get over their surprise, gather their thoughts and express their wonderment at receiving such accolades.
Rocco Pool (Best Design), Christian Olwagen, (Best Festival Production), Rolanda Marais, (Best Actress) all for Hedda Gabler.
Astonished yet astonishing actress Rolanda Marais perhaps captured the moment best when she reflected on the 17-year-old schoolgirl she had been and how she would have experienced this achievement.
It’s one of the most vulnerable yet vibrant careers to choose, as your whole life is always dependent on the vision of others. If a director selects you, if the play is one that shows you at your best, if the audiences come, if they like the play and the cast and the list is endless.
Aardklop Fiësta winners: Joshwin Dyson (Laaitie mettie biscuits for Best Upcoming Artist and Best Actor), Artistic Director Alexa Strachan, Conroy Cupido, (Best Achievement in Classical Music for Die groot Finalé) and Philip Rademeyer (Stinkhout for Best Text ).
And yet, time and again, the actors put themselves on the line and out there to hopefully change the world for some in the audience. They probably do it more than they give themselves credit for and I have often been in awe of what they manage to achieve with too many obstacles for anyone to deal with, let alone create magic.
The Fiëstas panel attended every debut production at seven arts festivals (KKNK, Suidoosterfees, Innibos, Vrystaat Kunstefees, Klein-Karoo Klassique, Momentum Beleggings Aardklop and Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees) last year. Following an extensive voting process audited by auditors, the winners in 14 categories were determined and announced at the end of last month at a glamorous awards ceremony held at the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in Cape Town.
kykNET also announced that the kykNET Fiëstas will have a new home. After 15 years of management by kykNET, the Tribuo Trust will now coordinate the Fiëstas, with kykNET taking on the role of naming sponsor.
“The decision was made so that the kykNET Fiëstas can continue and flourish as a vibrant celebration of the arts in Afrikaans. kykNET remains the main sponsor and naming sponsor of the Fiëstas,” said Waldimar Pelser, M-Net Channel Director of Premium Channels.
“In discussions with the festival directors, kykNET emphasised that we will strengthen our support for the arts festivals in a way that we hope will also make the festivals more sustainable. We look forward to reimagining the new kykNET Fiëstas together with Tribuo and are excited about the road ahead.”
Karen Meiring, Executive Chairperson of Tribuo, said: “It is an important objective of Tribuo to invest in the future and the sustainability of the entertainment industry’s ecosystem. The kykNET Fiëstas seamlessly align with this goal as the awards recognise and celebrate excellent work. They also encourage crucial audience engagement and honour the people who carry the performing and creative arts. Tribuo looks forward to continuing this project together with kykNET, who remains the naming sponsor.”
The winners are:
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN CLASSICAL MUSIC
Die groot finale (Momentum Beleggings Aardklop)
BEST CONTEMPORARY MUSIC PRODUCTION
kykNET-konsert (Innibos)
BEST MUSIC-DRIVEN THEATRE
Ontban (Suidoosterfees)
BEST ADAPTATION OR TRANSLATION OF A TEXT
Naòmi Morgan – Ons wag vir Godot (Vrystaat Kunstefees)
BEST NEW TEXT
Philip Rademeyer – Stinkhout (Momentum Beleggings Aardklop)
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL ARTS
Marlene Steyn – Between my i’s: tussen my oë (Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees)
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN DESIGN
Rocco Pool – Hedda Gabler (Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees)
BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Gerben Kamper – Ons wag vir Godot (Vrystaat Kunstefees)
BEST DIRECTION
Dion van Niekerk – Ons wag vir Godot (Vrystaat Kunstefees)
Joshwin Dyson (right) with his playwright/director Christo Davids
The winner of the Blou Fiësta, awarded for commendable work that does not fall into any of the other categories, is the Suidoosterfees project 21. In celebration of the festival’s 21st anniversary, 21 productions were staged, each lasting 21 minutes with a ticket price of R21.
Amanda Strydom and Frank Opperman were honoured for their contributions to the arts.
CAST: Stuart Brown, Léa Blerk, Charlie Bouguenon, Keely Crocker. Kent Jeycocke, Shelley Lothian, Ntshikeng Matooane, Arno Meyer, Sharon Spiegel Wagner, Michael Stray, Justin Swartz, Lucy Tops
SET AND LIGHTING: Niall Griffin
MUSICAL SUPERVISOR: Charl Johan Lingenvelder
CHOREOGRAPHER: Louisa Talbot
SOUND DESIGNER: David Classen
RESIDENT DIRECTOR: Shelley Lothian
DIRECTOR: Greg Karvellas
Producers: Showtime Management and How Now Productions
VENUE: Montecasino Teatro
DATES: Until 13 April
PICTURES: Daniel Manners
Charlie Bouguenon (Charlie Murphy), Stuart Brown (Evan Hansen),Sharon Spiegel Wagner (Cynthia Murphy) and Keely Crocker (Zoe murphy).
WHAT struck me instantly while watching this musical was that being young a few decades ago was much easier.
No social media, less scrutiny, much less peer pressure because it had to be done person to person rather than through technical means or phones – it was just a much simpler and less stressful life.
What young adults have to contend with at that vulnerable age when you start transitioning into adulthood is quite monstrous. One would think that the huge physical upheaval would be enough to deal with, but now there’s so much more.
It’s a musical with an intimate if weighty story as it deals with depression and hiding from the world at a time when you should reach out rather than go into hibernation, yet it has huge heart.
It’s not often that musicals deal with mental health issues especially targeting teen and young adult audiences, who are particularly vulnerable. These aren’t issues readily discussed and this offers an amazing opportunity to ignite sensitive conversations.
Griffin, who is known for his ingenious designs, has hit the brief spectacularly. It’s all high-tech and could be quite alienating and overwhelming but also allows for the cast to flow in and out of the grand and gleaming structure (above) quite seamlessly.
It also allows the high tech environment we live in to dominate and underlines the world we cannot escape – even if that is exactly what Evan Hansen is trying to do.
That is the genius of the musical. It all feels quite overwhelming, almost as though you have to fight your way to the heart of the story, yet this is where the magic lies. At that centre is a timid and rather terrified young boy who can hardly get out from under the covers.
His way of communicating is to write letters to himself, hence the Dear Evan Hansen title. Many people, young and old, could identify at some stage in their lives with his struggle of dealing with life. His is the universal struggle to be seen.
His mother, a single parent, is so stretched to keep them afloat that she hardly notices her son or witnesses any of his anguish. He feels he has no one to turn to until an incident allows him to find a different persona and a family to hook onto.
This particular production has been gifted the perfect package in Stuart Brown, who engages with the audience and embraces his persona in the title role of Evan Hansen. The way he commands the stage and fills the auditorium with an emotional sensitivity that’s quite astonishing in such a huge space is extraordinary.
There’s nothing showy or superfluous in his approach to the role, he simply is Evan Hansen, which draws even those few souls – including myself – who don’t instinctively engage into the angst-ridden universe of a teenager whose whole being is fearful of the outside world.
Justin Swartz (Jared Kleinman), Keely Crocker (Zoe Murphy) and Stuart Brown (Evan Hansen) in conversation.
That and the music written by an experienced team of songwriters, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who are best known for their Oscar, Grammy and Tony-winning work on La La Land, The Greatest Showman and now this, each of which spawned albums that landed in the Top 10 on the Billboard 200. That’s hard to beat and you could pick up from the audience that many of them knew the music and the lyrics, which would really add to a fuller experience.
There really isn’t much to fault in this production guided by the genius musical instincts of Karvellas supported by Lingenvelder’s music know-how, with a marvellously clever ensemble cast, all with voices that carry the music, it is a story well told.
It’s not just teens but also families that would benefit from the show. Communication, real person-to-person contact and, in this instance parents and children, is the other issue that is explored. These are not traditional topics for musicals and that is what makes this one so intriguing.
It also one of the finest shows to target the teen audience. At their most susceptible to be groomed as future theatre fans, this one ticks all the boxes. There’s a hero who explores and explodes, a story that ventures into almost forbidden territory and a production that unfolds beautifully with many different characters who find what they are looking for, a variety of issues to mine, and for those who want a softer landing, a story of romance.
But more than anything, there’s the glorious music and the explosive performances by an exciting ensemble who push the energy with joyful enthusiasm. You simply have to let go and engage.
Musicians Leon Ecroignard (contra bass, bass and handpans) and Luke van der Merwe(guitars, mandolin and oud)
February 2 at Pretoria’s Fairtree Atterbury Theatre
Karin has always been a performer rather than a singer. She throws herself into the performance with her whole body and soul and manages to sweep her audience along from start to finish.
She is a dramatic entertainer, larger than life in both stories and song – in the best sense of the word.
Personally, I feel as though she has grown into her performances with a confidence and wisdom that result in an extraordinary experience. She embraces the content and substance of the show, turning every song as well as the binding text into something personal and quite unique.
Sometimes the intervals between songs are an introduction to the song, sometimes it’s like a quiet meditation or a poem. It’s all-encompassing and deals with love, sadness, longing, alienation (which is probably due to her extended stay in the US), craving, being a woman and sensuality, something that she expresses with every movement.
This is a performer who explores her heart with exuberance and complete honesty. For her it’s all about authenticity.
Her selection of music is spectacular. Her English songs include You Don’t Own Me, the popular Dolly Parton’s Always Love You in a unique adaptation, the haunting Uninvited by Alanis Morissette, a combo of Baghdad Café’sCalling You and Salmon Berries’ Barefoot (pointing to her choice of title and the way she performs, KAALVOET), a personal favourite, both dealing with her particular status as an outsider.
Those familiar with her self-written music, including Muse, Sterrereën, Daar’s Ek , Stilbly en Daar’s Ek as well as the well known Heimwee and Summertime combined with Thula, will know it’s equally emotionally rich in song and presence. She and the iconic Dutch artist Herman Van Veen have a strong connection, she will be recording a duet of her song By My with him on his upcoming album, as well as perform as a guest artist on his 80th birthday celebration concert.
She also paid tribute to his songwriting with the Van Veen song Anders Anders and their dual composition Bij Mij.
While the cover adaptations are exquisite and felt to me almost Janis Joplin (lite) inspired, the Afrikaans/Dutch songs have a more poetic and dramatic approach.
Her binding texts are as much part of the message as the choice of her songs. There’s nothing that’s not carefully choreographed and chosen to complete the full circle including her two marvellous musicians, Leon Ecroignard and Luke .
From beginning to end, you’re engaged and committed. If you do the work, the rewards are extraordinary.
One of the glorious results of being part of the arts for such a long time is being able to follow an artist’s career from the early days to their maturity. It’s such a privilege to see them grow and blossom and then reach a stage where they open their wings as wide as possible and fly.
That’s exactly what’s been happening to Karin these past few years. And it’s truly something to admire and for audiences a true gift. This is what she can do and how she nourishes her soul and ours.
She has returned to the US for a time, but her plans are to return to South Africa permanently in the foreseeable future. She says that she has been singing less and less, scaling down, she calls it. “
Her performances have been in Holland more often than here locally and she chooses very carefully where to perform. She is intent on doing only selected special shows which will mean something to her as performer and thus be passed on to her audiences.
And she prefers to sing in theatres where the lights go low, the world disappears and she believes she can make magic.
Indeed, that’s exactly what happened this past Sunday. It feels as though you are witnessing something holy and in the moment, and that is something miraculous.
Knowing that she is returning to our shores also means that we will hopefully see more of this exceptional performer. Don’t miss the next one. You won’t be sorry.
De Beer Necessities 