Show times: Weekdays at 7:30pm and Saturdays at 5pm or 8pm
Dates: Until 14 July
A solo show is a difficult gig for any performer. It’s the actor and the script with no backup if things go wrong. They have to think on their feet.
But when it works, it’s usually a blast. They’re sometimes funny and often sad. But whatever the material, the performance is usually the determining factor.
That’s why I try to give solo artists at least one chance. If they’re good, you’re theirs for life and usually the progression is also special to witness.
When I saw that Craig Freimond was the director and the scriptwriter, I knew this would be a winner. His reputation is established and I was pretty sure the trip would not be wasted.
It’s always interesting to discover new actors and Aaron Mcilroy’s performance was hugely entertaining.
The title is pretty self-explanatory and in this time of extremes, vegan is a good topic through which to exploit that particular behaviour trait. Anyone who gives up anything with success can be very painful and annoying. Perhaps “sanctimonious” captures the essence more specifically.
And that’s exactly what happens here as this particular vegan convert decides he has to inspire the world. He has discovered the life and it is his responsibility to pass it on. Get the drift…
Especially braais – that sport of kings in the South African context – are not the place to start preaching a vegan lifestyle. But, of course, new disciples, have hardly learnt the finer nuances of taking things slowly. Trying to persuade someone to let go of their way of life because that’s what you have done is hardly a proven recipe.
And that’s exactly what happens. But without showing the play’s hand completely, rather discover it for yourself.
Mcilroy knows how to work a room, he has an abundance of tricks in his bag to layer his performance, and the script is coloured smartly with the sharpest South African shades, is extremely funny and very recognisable to anyone who has ever been in any relationship.
We all start out with good intentions and then the personalities and needs of the different parties come into play. How different individuals play their moves often determines the outcome.
Freimond and Mcilroy make a good team. It’s a sassy little play, a smart performance and, at 60 minutes long, perfect for a chilly Gauteng evening. Take some friends and have a relaxing time out.
This is the final call for this delightful play which has been doing the rounds for some time but, is as far as I know, this is its first visit to Gauteng.
Solo plays are festival standards and a wonderful way to discover new directors and actors. In this instance, Roberts, who according to the internet, is based in Durban, has been seen on local stages but also has a number of solo productions as part m of her repertoire.
That tells you about a performer who knows how to generate her own work, something they need when trying to survive in an industry hard hit in any troubled times. Survival is part of their normal game.
And for the character Roberts is portraying in this particular venture, a 10-year old boy, it is all about survival.
We don’t know too much about him except that he is living in a world of “broken things”, which dominate his life and the space in which we find him. If the world he was given is too difficult to navigate, it seems, his remarkably skilled solution is to create a space that can accommodate his wounded soul.
But that is how many young children react to a tough situation which they might not understand and in which the adults in their lives are sometimes the culprits who have created what seems to be a dark space.
And we all know that while communication is the best way to keep anyone’s world on track, it’s something that everyone seems to have a problem understanding. Just check around you and the problems you bump into – communication is such a handy tool if we would just go there.
Yet when your life seems to be dominated by pain, losing people you love and trying to find the reason for these tough times, you will find a way. You might not understand what is happening, but in this instance, the young child talks and creates his way to a better place.
It’s one of those plays that presents you with a moment in time, one that most of us encounter in some way, but he has found a way. If others can’t fix you, there are ways to make your dreams come true.
Roberts is an astonishing actor. Playing someone much younger is a tough ask, but with a smart script and a performer that throws herself at the role with just the right balance, it works.
It’s a charming hour and a play which I think especially teenagers should see. They would pick up a few life lessons and discover the way theatre can generate both wisdom and wit as The King of Broken Things leads them into a world of wonder where imagination is the ingredient that really matters. Shows tonight (7pm), tomorrow (3 and &pm) and Sunday (3pm). Bookings at https://www.webtickets.co.za/v2/Event.aspx?itemid=1537172754
CAST: David Dennis as Uncle; Michael Richard as Tim; Astrid Braaf as Journalist; Zane Meas as the Lawyer; Ziaphora Dakile as Tiger Claws; Melissa Haiden as Virginia
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Aalliyah Zama Matintela
SET AND COSTUME DESIGN: Lisa Younger
LIGHTING DESIGNER: Hlomohang ‘Spider’ Motheto
AV DESIGNER: Xolelwa ‘Ollie’Nhlabatsi
SOUND DESIGNER: Vagile Mpumlwana
VENUE: Mannie Manim Theatre at The Market
DATES: Until May 19
In the programme notes the playwright is described as a prominent political analyst, and a columnist for the Mail and Guardian newspaper as well as the author of a number of political books.
Zane Meas and David Dennis.
The following is also stated:
The Brothers, Number One and a Weekend Special is the story of the rise of State Capture, starting with the announcement of a new Minister of Finance in late-2015. The play, which tracks a two-year history, is written by astute political analyst, Richard Calland, who has been close to the frontline of South African politics since 1994 and a political columnist at the Mail & Guardian since 2001.
As the drama unfolds, an audience witness the high-stakes manoeuvres, clandestine dealings, and manipulation of public sentiment that fuelled further racial division across the nation. Calland weaves a narrative that connects the dots between government, media, and corrupt businessmen, laying bare the underbelly of a political landscape marked by noise, complexity, and a dangerous volatility.
This leaves you in no doubt about what is going to follow and my first thought was, this being the 30th celebration of what still feels like our young democracy, the play must be seen as a sign of our maturity as a country.
David Dennis and Astrid Braaf.In confrontsation Astrid Braaf, and Ziaphora Dakile.
This kind of play, with a representative audience all loudly involved from start to finish, has a lot to say about what we have gone through and, how we have emerged with much more political smarts and cynicism following the Zuma years. Even though we are still suffering many financial and ideological blows from that horrific time, we are not as easily duped, no longer the silent sacrificial lambs we were then.
And at the heart of what unfolds is the playwright who as a political analyst and journalist, has the information at his fingertips.
How can we forget how the iconic Brenda Fassie song title Weekend Special became something completely different in South African minds?
Michael Richard and Melissa Haiden.
This was perhaps the turning point of the whole Zuma fiasco – his Weekend Special. You can dupe a country as much as you want it seemed, but when you go for their money, that’s a completely different ball game – and when things started to unravel for the shameless Number One. Des van Rooyen was no match for the controversially fired Nhlanhla Nene – as the rand went into free fall.
Remember those heady days for the Gupta brothers, who are still hiding out (with South African billions, mind you) somewhere in the Middle East, Switzerland or India depending on which sources you trust.
Back to the play. We all know the facts; there were many newspaper reports as well as Thuli Madonsela and Zondo’s inquiries. With Homann smartly mixing his cast with stage veterans such as Zane Meas, Michael Richard and Dennis Becket and three young but also experienced female actors (more familiar I suspect to Cape audiences), we all had to think on our feet to work out the different characters.
David Dennis is Mac Maharaj whispered an audience member close by, but in the end it didn’t matter. You quickly gathered that the men were part of the corruption including the Guptas, as well as those handling all the shaky deals from government side, with Richard being the one watching and guiding his journalist.
David Dennis makes his point.
It was glorious to see these three in action on the same stage, masterfully matched by the young female energy in their particular roles of either ferreting out, or defying any corruption allegations, depending on their particular alliances.
It takes one back to those early days of discovery. Remember the Saxonwold shebeen? People carrying handbags stuffed with money, others denying visits to their overlords, those in command of State Capture. It feels a bit like a horror movie, but not with Calland orchestrating the manoeuvres and connecting the different dots.
And everyone was laughing. We have, after all, dodged a bullet and most of us are much less gullible than we were in those heady early days of our democracy.
The anguish is palpable.
It’s a fast-paced political thriller of sorts and it’s our own. What I would have liked is a bit more clarity in the staging. With seats on three sides, the projections were difficult to follow from the side. And some gave insight into the full affair which was unravelling at a speed.
Short and straightforward interactions would have added more punch (from both a script and staging perspective) and added a contemporary edge. The audience obviously loved it and were fully engaged, and so was I. But, especially as we all knew the details, it simply would have elevated it into a landmark play.
De Beer Necessities 