Category: People

and the things they do

Interview: BETWEEN MYTH AND MAYHEM

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THEATRE

By Diane de Beer
Pictures: Nardus Engelbrecht

Pay attention when internationally acclaimed director/author/designer Brett Bailey turns up at the Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees with two productions, The Stranger and FaustX. As one of South Africa’s most innovative directors and someone who pays attention to place and time, he was questioned by Diane de Beer about his choices.

With today’s easy access to almost anyone, interviews can sometimes become more enjoyable for the interviewer than for the artist being interviewed. But when your subject is Brett Bailey – racing between shows, juggling productions and somehow keeping it all together – you’re grateful for thoughtfully considered written answers that offer a glimpse into what he is trying to pull off. And, judging by his track record, probably will.

Starting with The Stranger, he came across the myth of Orpheus, the semi-divine poet-musician of Classical Greece whose “melodious music brings harmony to the natural world: olive trees inch towards him as he plays, fishes leave the streams to listen, birds and animals gather around him”.

“I was captivated by this image of a man singing in the wilderness, both bringing order to the world with his art, and revealing an underlying order in the cosmos,” he begins. “Then he goes even further by voyaging to the Underworld, where all the order is shown to be meaningless.”

For Brett, this is a myth that captures the beautiful fragility of life, of violence and of life’s ephemerality. The story haunted him for two decades, inspired him and pulled him in so many directions, throwing up so many images and confronting him with questions.

As a result, “in 2006 I created an outdoor promenade piece based on it called Orfeus, and another version a few years later which toured the EU. This is the third version, first performed at the National Arts Festival in 2024. Of all my works, The Stranger is the most meaningful to me.”

About the style of the production, he notes that ritualistic staging is something he has returned to periodically since his earlier days in the mid-1990s. “I find it particularly apt for works based in mythological content, where different realities intersect: the material and the dream worlds, the realms of people and gods.” 

This is a story of our time, of an immigrant who arrives in Stellenbosch bringing a gift of exquisite music that transforms all who hear it. And immediately there’s a connection for the audience. Three musicians accompany him, and a number of performers enact the drama, including the woman he falls in love with as well as Death.

Attending The Stranger, he advises, is like entering a ceremony in which a story is told in some remote village, or, even more enticingly, like entering someone else’s dream. How can one not accept that invitation?

The cast includes Nkosenathi Koela and others, and this is the second time this musician, who believes in the transformational power of African indigenous music, will be featured in this production, the first in 2024. “His music is truly deep and extraordinary,” explains Brett. “He was the natural choice for the role of Orpheus.”

They will be performing in what Brett describes as a gorgeous building almost ten minutes out of Stellenbosch, Die Boekklub.

“It is an old apple shed converted into a remarkable venue filled with antiques. Very special. The audience will lounge on vintage sofas on two sides of an intimate performance arena: an immersive sonic environment lit by candles and chandeliers.”

And he is delighted to report that audiences find the work very beautiful and moving.

No less exciting or challenging, FaustX was commissioned by Kunstfest Weimar in 2025 for the 250th anniversary of Goethe’s move to that city. “I was not aware then that there was a second part to Faust. It is a monster of a text, incredibly complex and full of poetic, philosophical, historical and mythological allusions: a full dramatisation would take over five hours,” the master reports.

“When I first encountered it, I had no idea what to do with it. Gradually, over a year, I cut it right down to around 90 minutes. It tells of a man who, in his drive to find meaning, opts for all possibilities of extreme experience in exchange for his soul.

“On my journey to find its contemporary relevance, I gravitated towards the tech barons who are currently steering our planet on a rapid course into the unknown, who are sacrificing the soul of the earth to Progress. Mr Musk, with all his glitches and complexities, became my primary focus…

“The work speaks of modern humanity’s insatiable drive to satisfy the self, to push beyond boundaries and limitations, to experience as much as possible, no matter what the cost. In our technologically rapacious era, the dangers of such an orientation resonate deeply. In a sense, it is a terrifying piece of theatre…

I’m a visual person, and my taste is very eclectic.

“Thematically I deal with European manipulation of African economies, the war in Gaza, Israeli settler occupation of the West Bank, Elon Musk’s fever dreams of technological domination and the colonisation of distant planets, the destruction of the planet’s ecosystem by out-of-control capitalism, and the rise of the far right in Europe.”

And if that doesn’t get you rushing out for tickets, it obviously is not your kind of theatre.

But that’s not the only thing that drives this piece. Who would not be intrigued by the fact that ChatGPT takes the honours as “dramaturg” in the festival guide?

Not unexpectedly, Brett would be one of the first to get the best from any new technology, even though he acknowledges the anxiety around the use of AI in the creative industries. “Many people feel threatened by it.”

But for this interrogating artist, it became yet another arrow in his quiver. He used it to bounce off ideas for several of his works and thus it has a thorough “sense of the network of threads that permeate my artistic vision”.

He insists that it doesn’t write his texts, yet it opens up avenues of exploration and helps him to make connections. Making his point twice over, he says: “In a work that looks at the dangers of technology run rampant, it feels conceptually appropriate to acknowledge ChatGPT as my dramaturg…”

And in short, Brett adds a lesson in AI for those interested.

Taking a closer look at FaustX, he views the work both as a visual artwork and a piece of theatre. “I’m a visual person, and my taste is very eclectic.”

Inspiration for FaustX comes from so many sources: Central African wood carvings and paintings, Japanese and East European films, Instagram, Tibetan Buddhist shrines, the colour palette of Mediterranean gardens, news channels and social media, rural European mask traditions, medieval Christian paintings, the work clothes of local farm labourers… it’s all in there, as in so many of his earlier works.

FaustX talks of the hubris of men who destroy anything in their path to satisfy their relentless need for more; The Stranger speaks of those who step in to attempt to heal what has been destroyed.

As he notes himself, Brett has worked with masks on and off for years, and now they feature prominently in the works he makes. “I love the sense of otherworldliness they bring to the stage, and the effect that they have on performers’ bodies. Using them allows several performers to play one character: four different performers play Faust, each bringing their own skill set to the role. I make the masks from cardboard and glue and paint: I love the rough, handmade quality.”

FaustX, he says, is also saturated from beginning to end in deeply beautiful music – from works by Handel, Purcell and Mozart, to modern composers like Arvo Pärt and Biosphere.

He views the two works as companion pieces, two panels of a diptych, each painted in a different style.

“FaustX talks of the hubris of men who destroy anything in their path to satisfy their relentless need for more; The Stranger speaks of those who step in to attempt to heal what has been destroyed. Both face their mortality in the face of an inscrutable and indifferent universe…”

For those who will not be visiting Woordfees, let’s all hold thumbs that these two works travel widely throughout the country. 

The Stranger
9, 10 & 11 OCT 19:30
Die Boekklub, Johannesdal
R180 | R210 at the door

FaustX
Unfortunately we will have to wait for another showing PLEASE BRETT!

DANEEL DEINS NIE WEG VAN DIE DUBBELDOOR

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SPIER TONEEL

Produksies: ge-gebergtes en Grootmeisie
Deur: Diane de Beer
Foto’s: Nardus Engelbrecht, Gys Loubser, Hans van der Veen

Daneel van der Walt saal ’n wilde perd op en speel die vroulike hoofrol in twee belangrike stukke by vanjaar se Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees: Rachelle Greef se Grootmeisie wat met die Reinet Nagtegaal-teksprys bekroon is, en Saartjie Botha se ge-gebergtes. Gelukkig, het sy aan Diane de Beer gesê, is daar mense agter die skerms wat ’n mens mooi oppas.

Om in twee stukke deur twee uiteenlopende maar uitmuntende skrywers te speel – Rachelle Greef se Grootmeisie en Saartjie Botha se ge-gebergtes – kan uitdagend en selfs skrikwekkend wees, maar Daneel van der Walt sien vir baie kans.

Saartjie se manier van skryf is heeltemal anders as Rachelle s’n, sê sy. “Albei van hulle het om baie uiteenlopende redes hulle stukke geskryf. Saartjie het geskryf uit wat sy ervaar noudat haar ma in die ouetehuis is en die stories wat sy daar gehoor het, terwyl Rachelle sê die stuk gaan nie oor haar nie, maar dalk tog ’n bietjie oor haar verlede.

“Saartjie het dus meer uit haar hede geskryf en Rachelle uit haar verlede. Die stukke kom as’t ware uit verskillende plekke van jou lyf, hart en psige, en dit raak jou ook op verskillende maniere. Die feit dat albei vroue is, is net ’n bonus. Dis vir my baie mooi dat ek twee vroue se stemme verder kan vat op die verhoog.”

Grootmeisie met Lee-Ann van Rooi as regisseur en Jefferson J. Dirks-Korkee, Wian Taljaard en René Cloete in die rolverdeling is die nuwer stuk. Rachelle skryf nie so dikwels vir die verhoog nie, sê Daneel, maar wanneer sy ’n drama aanpak, weet ’n mens hier kom ’n ding.

Dis g’n verrassing dat sy met die teks van Grootmeisie haar tweede Reinet Nagtegaal-teksprys gewen het nie.

Daneel speel die rol van die vrou om wie die stuk draai, en jy kan maar weet die poppe gaan dans met Lee-Ann wat gereeld vir Daneel sê sy “kan maar gooi”. “Dit is net die aanmoediging wat ek wil hê. Ek is so bederf met hierdie voortreflike span en vergaap my aan die talent op die verhoog,” sê sy. “Ek het ook lanklaas met ’n teks gewerk wat vrá jy moet gooi – boonop met die ondersteuning van die regisseur.

“Baie mense sal sê menopouse gaan oor hot flushes en estrogeen, maar dit gaan ook nie net oor die gewig wat jy aansit of die veranderinge in jou liggaam nie, want die proses verloop anders vir elke vrou. Vir party is dit hormonaal, ander ervaar dit weer totaal anders. Die vroulike liggaam is baie meer kompleks as dié van mans op wie alles getoets word. Die mediese veld is so agter as dit by die vroulike liggaam kom, ons leer maar bymekaar.”

Wat in Grootmeisie gebeur, is dat Daneel Merwe, beter bekend as Danny, vanweë al die verskuiwings in haar liggaam terugduik in haar verlede, en met die terugblik val sy uitmekaar.

“Dit is ’n complete en utter undoing, maar in daai uitmekaarval, vind sy weer haarself en keer terug as ’n mens wat baie meer gegrond is. Sy begin soos ’n warrelwind en eindig soos ’n boom,” verduidelik Daneel.

Dit is ’n complete en utter undoing, maar in daai uitmekaarval, vind sy weer haarself en keer terug as ’n mens wat baie meer gegrond is. Sy begin soos ’n warrelwind en eindig soos ’n boom.

Vir haar is dit ’n “mooi en mal” stuk, presies soos sy daarvan hou. “Ons doen dit op Brechtiaanse manier van weer terugval na jouself, as dit sin maak? Maak ek sin? Dit is ’n lyn uit die stuk,” gesels sy voort.

“Dit is lekker om op die verhoog iets aan te spreek wat nie juis aangespreek word nie. Eintlik moet ons skaam kry hieroor, soos wat ons veronderstel is om skaam te kry vir ons maandstonde of moet stilbly oor die vroueliggaam. Die wêreld is vol falliese simbole, maar praat oor vrouegoed? O nee, ons kan nie daaroor praat nie, ook nie oor depressie nie, want dit maak mense ongemaklik. Depressie gebeur ook met vroue en dis nie ’n skande nie, dis die lewe.”

Daneel sê sy is mal oor toneelstukke waar sy aan die einde totaal pê voel. “Ek hou daarvan om fisiek en psigies kláár te wees aan die einde van ’n stuk – en dis presies wat Grootmeisie doen.”

Saartjie se ge-gebergtes met Wessel Pretorius as regisseur is weer iets gans anders. Dit gaan oor ’n man, prof. Herman Delport, wat ná die dood van sy dogter en die moeilikheid om haar lyk van oorsee af terug te bring, ’n kombinasie van eensaamheid, frustrasie en absolute hartseer ervaar.

“ ’n Deel van die probleem is ook die moeilikheid wat ’n mens ervaar met tegnologie, wat ons almal uiteindelik ongelooflik isoleer. Oom Herman oorleef ’n selfdoodpoging en keer terug na die aftreeoord waar mense sukkel om dit te hanteer omdat hulle nie opgelei is om met psigo-sosiale stresfaktore te werk nie.”

Daneel speel die psigiater wat ’n bietjie moed verloor en afgetakel word deur die gebroke mense wat sy elke dag sien. Oom Herman se vermoë om sy verlatenheid te verwoord in sy gesprekke met die psigiater, maak haar ’n bietjie sagter.

Om nou teenoor ’n nuwe oom Herman te speel – Carel Trichardt het die rol by Nic de Jager oorgeneem – verander ook dinge. “Almal het hulle eie pas, ’n manier van doen en speel, en dis interessant om te sien hoe dit ook die ritme van die stuk beïnvloed,” verduidelik sy.

Dit is lekker om op die verhoog iets aan te spreek wat nie juis aangespreek word nie. Eintlik moet ons skaam kry hieroor, soos wat ons ons veronderstel is om skaam te kry vir ons maandstonde of moet stilbly oor die vroueliggaam.

By hulle laaste repetisie het hulle gesels oor hoe lekker dit is om deel te wees van ’n geselskap met mense wat so lief en wonderlik is soos Birrie le Roux (stel- en kostuumontwerper), Sylvaine Strike (choreograaf) en Charl-Johan Lingenvelder (komponis en musikale verwerker) wat so goed is met wat hulle doen.

“Dis ’n voorreg vir die spelers om vasgehou te word deur so ’n groot span wat Saartjie en Wessel Pretorius, die regisseur, insluit, en natuurlik Lulu Kieser, die verhoogbestuurder, wat altyd vir almal instaan en regstaan.

“Hoe gaan ek cope met twéé stukke? Wel, ek doen dit mos nie alleen nie. Ons akteurs word goed ondersteun deur die mense agter die skerms wat ons baie mooi oppas. Maar hoe ek gaan cope, sal ons moet sien!”

ge-gebergtes
3 & 4 OKT 10:00 | 5 OKT 19:30 | 6 OKT 10:30
Jammerlik reeds gespeel, maar hou dop vorentoe

Grootmeisie
9 OKT 20:00 | 10 OKT 13:00 & 16:00
Open Window-kampus
R210-R350 | R240-R380 by die deur
Geen 0.14

THE ROYAL COUNTESS ZINGARA WITH ALL HER GLAMOUR AND GLORIOUS SPECTACLE, IS BACK

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Jonny and Manual in full flight (picture by Spencer du Plessis).

SHOW: La Dolce Royal

DIRECTORS: Valentina and Craig Leo

CAST: A constantly moving spectacle is created with acts that keep changing with a show that is in its second month. To give you an idea:

Timekeeper- Andile Magxaki (SA/Joburg); Weeping Woman – Jenny le Roux (SA/Cape Town); Duo hoop – Jonny Grundy (UK)  Manuel Artino (Sicily); Contortionist – Lunga Buthelezi; (SA/Joburg) Feather balance act – Tatyana Babiy – (Russia); Rope act – Jenny le Roux; Axel Perez – rola bola (Mexico/Las Vegas); Bath act – Jonny & Manuel Havana; Aerial Cradle – Vicki Perez and Juan Pablo (Argentina)

CHOREOGRAPHY: Sam Kotze

VENUE: A glamorously dressed tent

Spectacular singer Megan Spencer(left) and the extravagant colourful Downtown Jonny (picture by Spencer du Plessis).

Get ready to party because that is what happens once you enter the amazing tent of the Royal Countess Zingara.

It doesn’t feel as if much has changed, even though it has been more than a decade since what feels like a travelling group of artists, has been to Gauteng – 2014, if my search is correct. And further reading shows that they first pitched their stylish tent in Cape Town in 2001.

That was why I was quite keen on a return visit. I had been a few times during their earlier seasons and, taking the passing years into account and the way the entertainment scene has evolved, I wanted to know how much they have had to adapt.

It was one of our coldest winter nights and we were wrapped up, but typically this organization doesn’t leave much to chance. The only time the cold got to you was during a trip to the restrooms or back to your car.

Everything inside the tent seemed perfect, and it didn’t feel as if they had changed much of the interiors or the concept. I recalled my initial excitement to what seemed like arty stained-glass windows and the clever composition of the food, with just enough variety and options to please even picky diners.

It is a long night, but they pace themselves, their performers and their guests. There’s never a dull moment. If you arrive early, there’s the fun of getting your face painted for a night of splendour – and no matter how dour your choice of couture, your face will light up the room.

You can also have your fortune read before the time, just in case you want to know about the millions in your future before you empty your pocket on the night.

But once seated inside with 380 guests scattered around the room, there’s more than enough to keep you intrigued. The serving staff, who are there to see that the night runs smoothly for each diner, are all dressed up as if having stepped back in time to ease your journey into this magical space.

The astounding contortionist Lunga Buthelezi

Breathtaking contortionist Lunga Buthelezi 

Think Berlin and the film version of Cabaret. Or perhaps our very own version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream staged with so much success at Maynardville a few years back that it even made a turn at The Market Theatre a few months later.

Some of the characters could also have escaped from the filmset of M*A*S*H or, if you want to go more recent, Harry Potter. And their attitude is as engaging as their attire.

The balance is perfect. While a four-course meal (Executive Chef: Emile Goliath) might sound extravagant, the portions are just right to keep you from wanting more and an exotic cocktail (alcoholic or not) is not excessive and lasts through the evening with a few glasses of water in between. (That is, when you drive rather than Uber).

But to get to the heart of the Zingara magic. It is the performers  – who, on the night, included Jonny Grundy and Manuel Artino, fantastic acrobats who have created a novel approach perfect for this particular venue; contortionist Lunga Buthelezi (from Joburg), who is probably the artist that impressed me most, because of the novelty and the artistry; the classy crooning throughout by The Clorettes, in solo and combination (from left to right, above) Edith Plaatjies, Andrea Anthony, Naz Leeman and Brandon Jonathan and Downtown Johnny (pictured credit Spencer du Plessis), whose name says it all. There are more and, during the run, certain acts are also changed but the style and spectacle is always there.

At the end of the night, I was ready to go home and yet again impressed by the creativity and the charm of this particular venture. It’s great to see something that has lasted through all kinds of fads and phases which has never lost any of its soul and lets you go into the night following an evening of revelry, the pace and passion determined by you.

They provide a venue that embraces, entertainment that holds you throughout, and a menu that works fantastically well while you set the tone.

I think it works especially well if you gather a group of like-minded friends to spend an enchanted African evening.

*The season runs Tuesdays to Sundays at the Melrose Arch Pavilion. Arrive early – gates open at 5pm – to explore the grounds, browse the Bijoux Boutique, get a tarot reading or have your face painted. The curtain rises on La Dolce Royal at 7:30pm and tickets costing from R1 360 per person include a welcome drink, a four-course dinner and the show. Booking is also open for end-of-year functions and special occasions. To book a VIP experience, email Vanessa@zingara.co.za

LOVE TAKES SOMETHING MORE THAN THE STARS

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REVIEW BY DIANE DE BEER

PICTURES: Daniel Rutland Manners

CONSTELLATIONS by Nick Payne

DIRECTOR: Jay Pather

CAST: Mark Elderkin and Mwenya Kabwe (pictured above)

VENUE: Sandton’s Theatre on the Square

DATES: Tonight, until Friday at 7.30pm and Saturday at 5 and 8pm

CONSTELLATIONS is an intriguing play about a couple and their relationship, told in a way that keeps the audience running around in circles.

How does one approach a story of love between two people in an original way without it becoming too forced or even trite? We have all witnessed many different relationships on stage and screen, and in literature, but the playwright’s sleight of hand is what adds the fizzle and pop to this one.

It’s all about time and different universes where the same scene unfolds over and over again with changes in tone, perspective and behaviour that flow flawlessly and without visible fuss.

It’s about small things that have a huge impact or slip by unnoticed when two people are involved. In Constellations, the playwright plays with ideas to tell a story that is as old as the hills yet finds angles and alleyways to add a different slant.

The key to unlocking the essence of the piece can be found in the interactions between the tiniest particles that turn every action into a seismic event between two people trying to forge a meaningful and possibly lasting relationship. It spotlights the fragility and the different ways people view their world and communicate their actions and feelings – or simply a single thought which can change the meaning of what they are trying to share?

It’s almost as if the writer is gambling with love. Is it even possible? How can they have such a tough time expressing their feelings to one another?

The concept is approached playfully, giving the actors a chance to play around with words and meanings, as would happen when rehearsing a play. Those of us watching will all be familiar with the wicked ways love can play with your heart, mind and sometimes hearing!

Yet even when you have a brilliant script, it is the actors who must breathe life into the words. And here, that is it, the actors and their words. That is what makes it all so enticing. The casting is both perfect and not obvious, but Kabwe (one of my favourite actors) and Elderkin (a new discovery) are the perfect fit with smart direction by Pather, who keeps it simple and to the point. It’s all in the script and how that is managed – and in this instance, magnificently.

It is the way the two actors switch demeanour in an instant, with every sentence making a difference and changing the temperature in the room smartly and swiftly time and again.

It is thought-provoking and charming, and keeps you on your toes. What more could you possibly wish for.

Well, for some, it’s also a compact 75 minutes long, the perfect breather in a long day.

REMEMBERING THE PAST TO HONOUR THE PRESENT

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Review by Diane de Beer

RISE ’76: THE STORY OF JUNE 16TH

WRITER/DIRECTOR: Tiisetso Mashifane wa Noni

CAST:  Deon Lotz (police commander), Sbuja Dywili (policeman) and Ben Albertyn (policeman), the three men at the back

With bottom row from left to right: Mfuneli Ntumbuka (teacher), Alex Sono (male pupil) Zilungile Mbombo (standing, female pupil), and Botlhale Mahlangu (headmaster)

With all of them playing many other smaller characters in the play

VENUE: Mannie Manim Theatre at Joburg’s Market

DATES: Until June 28

Can it be 50 years ago that our nation was confronted with one of its most devastating yet life-changing catastrophes?

In a country as diverse and divided (not only by law) as we were, everyone would have experienced that cataclysmic day differently and arguably, many older folk will think they remember it all too well.

And yet, because of the intimate setting, the small ensemble and the personal gaze of the historical retelling, it unfolds in waves of emotional information that often overwhelm you completely. For the audience, there’s no holding back, no place to hide. Whether you ‘witnessed’ the events or only heard about them many years or decades later, the full impact will catch you unawares.

That is what makes this such a masterpiece. So much has happened since the day the schoolchildren decided to take matters into their own hands. The focus has been dimmed and June 16 is a date remembered, but one that needs to be put out there in blazing colour and minute detail – not just the headlines.

Pupils Zilungile Mbombo (above) and Alex Sono (pupil), Sbuja Dywili (policeman) and Deon Lotz (police commander)

Because it had such an explosive impact and awakened the inevitable revolution, which was destined to follow, it is something that needs to be part of each generation’s psyche – and this certainly achieves that in a most courageous and daring fashion.

Whatever your political persuasion, you will be affected by this remarkable play and the choices made. Itis the full package that makes this work so magnificently, starting with the thoughtful and thought-provoking text.

This is then further cemented by the creative casting, with each member of the cast the perfect fit. And it shows in many different ways because most of them play many different characters, each one capturing the heart of the character they adopt. Ntumbuka’s teacher seems aghast at what she is expected to teach, for example. Imagine, she almost shrieks, that she is expected to teach maths in Afrikaans, a language completely foreign to her. And yet, when she appears as a mother, she’s calmness herself.

And the rest of the cast follow suit, slipping easily into whoever they’re expected to become next. The two youngster Zilungile Mbombo and Alex Sono, deserve special mention because they weren’t even born in ’76 and yet they capture the defiance and courage of that time with the energy required.

As you relive these traumatic times now almost a half-century ago, you cannot help but feel pride at the progress this country, which held such horror for such a large number of its citizens has already achieved. Much bigger countries (in fact, large chunks of the world) are suffering rough times and struggling with the animosity between citizens.

Nothing comes easily, but the work done these past 30 years is obviously paying dividends. With the  introspection that Rise ’76 brings, it reminds us where we come from and how much we have to cherish 50 years down the road on a continent and in a country that not many gave much of a chance to succeed.

Our outrageous systems of the past, with fortunately the most unattainable expectations of disempowerment of most of the nation, should never be forgotten even though we achieved miracles against all odds.

Those of us who lived through it should never lose the sense of wonder as we witness the cohesion that is starting to rear its head all over the show.

Many laughed at the notion of a Rainbow Nation in the early days. And while nothing is ever perfect, from my point of view, if you have a mixed populace turning up to something called the Pretoria Boeremark in the capital city every Saturday, we are doing something right.

And while comparisons are odious, as a nation we have to smile if 50 years on with many countries battling stability, we seem to be going from strength to strength.

FROM THE CHARL DU PLESSIS TRIO – WITH LOVE

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DIANE DE BEER

Soloist/accompanist/lecturer Charl du Plessis is all about music. He is constantly travelling all over the world, but everything is about the performance – or occasionally catching one of his cherished artists either in the classical or jazz genres.

His annual classical festival at the Fairtree Atterbury Theatre has become legendary in a very short time because of its innovative programming as well as the acclaimed artists participating.

Where he finds the time for everything he packs into his life, we all wonder, but not for too long, because all of those who share his musical bent, benefit from his crazy schedules which are always varied and adventurous. Similarly, this year, it will be difficult to choose from excellent programming, but it doesn’t happen more than once a year, so be generous and treat yourself.

Here is a rundown of the perfectly planned programming with a fantastic performance celebrating the Fairtree Atterbury Theatre:

Atterbury Klassiek 2026 21-24 May (Presented by Atterbury Trust Fairtree Atterburyteater)

VOX CHAMBER CHOIR: GLASS MUSIC

The Vox Chamber Choir, founded in 2017 by Franco Prinsloo, is a Pretoria-based ensemble of 40 highly skilled singers dedicated to performing and recording Prinsloo’s compositions.

Prinsloo, an internationally acclaimed composer, has played a significant role in shaping South Africa’s contemporary classical music landscape. The choir serves as a professional platform to bring his innovative works to life.

Fairtree Atterbury Theatre Thursday, 21 May 19:30 seatme.co.za (R190, R250) (duration 60 min)

Charl du Plessis Trio & Friends need no introduction. The celebration of two decades on stage reaches its pinnacle in what should be a spectacular concert featuring the trio  alongside a remarkable lineup of guest artists. The programme consists of a curated selection of works drawn from the Trio’s 10 albums, as well as brand-new material performed live for the first time. On offer is both a retrospective and a glimpse into the future, capturing the Trio’s signature blend of classical refinement, jazz energy, and crossover innovation. Joining them on stage are guest artists: percussionist and marimba virtuoso Magda de Vries as well as guitarist and long-time collaborator Juan Oosthuizen and iconic vocalist Nataniël. This is a celebration of musical connection, creativity, and the enduring life force of music itself.

Fairtree Atterbury Theatre Friday, 22 May 19:00 seatme.co.za (R330, R280, R220) (duration 80 min)

Introduction to the Orchestra: A Magical, Interactive Concert Experience for Children at Atterbury Klassiek 2026

Step inside the world of the orchestra in this vibrant and engaging concert-lecture designed for curious minds of all ages. It’s a musical journey through the different sections of the ensemble, uncovering how each family of instruments contributes its own colour, character, and voice. From the shimmering strings to the bold brass, this interactive experience brings the orchestra to life through live demonstrations, familiar musical examples, and moments of audience participation. Discover how composers combine these sounds, explore the building blocks of orchestral music, and gain insight into the creative process behind the music. Conducted by Richard Cock, whose engaging and audience-friendly style has inspired music lovers, this concert promises to be as entertaining as it is enlightening.

Fairtree Atterbury Theatre Saturday, 23 May 11:30 seatme.co.za (R100 children R200 adults) (duration 60 min)

Mozart’s Three Pianos

Three Steinway Grand Pianos will share the stage in an historic Mozart celebration at the Fairtree Atterbury Theatre. The concert will feature the Phoenix Co Orchestra under the baton of maestro Richard Cock. The highlight will be Mozart’s rarely performed Concerto for 3 pianos in F major, K. 242, an exuberant work that showcases the brilliance and interplay of three soloists performing together: distinguished pianists Charl du Plessis, Megan-Geoffrey Prins and Tessa Rhoodie – all faculty members of the University of Pretoria.

The programme also includes Mozart’s sparkling Concerto for 2 pianos in E-flat major, K. 365. Du Plessis will be joined by rising star Hermanus Schmidt, winner of the 2025 Atterbury National Piano Competition and the Hennie Joubert Piano Competition. Originally from Stellenbosch, Schmidt is currently a student of renowned South African pianist Mario Nell.

Fairtree Atterbury Theatre Saturday, 23 May 18:00 Sunday, 24 May 15.00 seatme.co.za (R330, R280, R220) (duration 75 min)

And to top it all, not strictly speaking part of the festival, yet landing with a celebratory blast off:

     
Fairtree Atterbury Theatre’s 15th Birthday Celebration with  Charl du Plessis – My Favourite Things — a personal journey through classical and jazz piano.  18 May | 19:00 | R200       Moving seamlessly between classical piano repertoire and jazz-inflected reinterpretations, Du Plessis creates a musical journey that balances elegance, spontaneity and expressive depth. The programme features works by Brahms, Chopin and Rachmaninoff with imaginative crossover arrangements of Mozart and Beethoven.   Well-loved melodies such as Salut d’amour, Rustle of Spring and Bésame Mucho are reimagined through Du Plessis’ distinctive pianistic lens, where lyricism and rhythmic vitality coexist effortlessly.   Also included are an improvisation on Somewhere Over the Rainbow from The Wizard of Oz and a sensitive arrangement of the traditional South African song Ntyilo Ntyilo, underscoring Du Plessis’ longstanding engagement with improvisation and musical storytelling.  
BOOK TICKETS

ALBIE SACHS THE MAN, THE FATHER, THE SURVIVOR

~ debeernecessities

Review by Diane de Beer


Pictures: Philip Kuhn

ALBIE SACHS, FATHERS, SONS, AND SOFT VENGEANCE

Presented by Troupe Theatre Company in association with Daphne Kuhn
Playwright: Gail Louw
Actor: Graham Hopkins
Director: Fiona Ramsay

Venue: Theatre on the Square, Sandton

Dates: Until May 24

If you were witness to the birth of the South African democracy in 1994, Albie Sachs will be familiar to you.

Not only was he part of the drafting of a charter for the new non-racial South Africa, but he also fought for the inclusion of a Bill of Rights and an independent judiciary in the new constitution.

On a more visible front, he was involved with the development of the new Constitutional Court building, and it is widely acknowledged that he was the instigator of the magnificent artistic heritage so marvellously displayed all over Constitution Hill.

As the title suggests, that’s not the story told in Albie Sachs: Father, Sons and Soft Vengeance; many of those facts will be familiar to South Africans.

It is Albie the man, the father, the survivor who tells this personal story of a young boy whose life was shaped and politically driven by parents who were both part of the Communist Party while his father, Solly, was also the leader of South Africa’s Garment Workers Union.

He grew up seeing white and black adults interacting as equals. That’s the background.

But here is a man who was also a father and a freedom fighter, somebody who lost an arm in a car bomb in Mozambique, where the South African secret service was actively trying to obliterate their antagonistic fellow South Africans.

And this is where the play is focused. Albie, instead of being crushed by the apartheid regime, viewed his scarred limb as a symbol of strength. It also pushed him onto a world stage where he became an icon of the liberation.

These musings of a man whose life was determined by the laws of the country of his birth, come to life in especially conversations with his son Oliver and that is how the story unfolds. It’s fascinating stuff which is magnificently explored by Graham Hopkins, who allows Sachs to emerge as a full-blooded human being.

It’s in the clothes, the way he moves and takes on the persona with a subtle touch. Seamlessly, he acquires the accents he uses for particular characters with astounding Hopkins flair. He moves through the 90-minute monologue in the blink of an eye without losing his audience as he tells the story of a man and a country fighting for their life.

It’s not an easy play to stage, but with the experienced Ramsay both as director and as actor, found imaginative ways to approach what could have been clumsy rather than crafty. Solo productions can easily fall into the trap of trying to add movement into a too static production, which then detracts from rather than embraces the text.

And then the play. Telling an Albie Sachs story could have been many different things. He is such a remarkable individual, a South African we were lucky to have during a momentous time in our nation’s future development as a democracy.

There were so many ways to swing with this one, but opting for the personal, the impact on his life of events he had no control over, is where the focus lies. That and the bridging of the gap between father and son, sharing the story in a way that explains how and why he was influenced in a specific way and how he hoped to have an impact on the future he wished for his children.

It also feels as though it is Sachs speaking, as though he has opened his heart and his mind to those who care to listen. It’s an extraordinary life and one that fellow South Africans can celebrate with pride.

He has been actively part of living and shaping the history of this country. It is individuals like him with strong belief systems who have turned this country into a beacon of hope in a world that seems to have lost its way.

Who would have thought?

THE VISION, THE MENU AND THE GUIDANCE OF DOOLSHE IS ALL LIENTJIE WESSELS

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Doolshe Restaurant and Winebar is a new venue out of town, between Joburg and Pretoria, with food genius Lientjie Denton in charge of the menues. DIANE DE BEER was keen to check this latest venture:

Chef/artist/fashion activist Lientjie Denton is a woman who lives life to the full. Meeting her a few decades ago when she opened her first interior shop, Lemon Lounge, in the always-sassy Brooklyn Mall, I knew this woman had exceptional style. That feeling has exploded over the years.

She always seems to make the right move at the right time, usually driven by personal passion and when life runs ahead, she finds a new pad for one of her passions and gets down and dirty.

It was at Lemon Lounge that I first lost my heart to this larger-than-life woman. She knows what she likes, and you knew immediately whether it was your kind of place.

After the shop, which moved and changed over the years, she spent a stint as a magazine journalist focusing especially on arty interiors, and then she opened a restaurant in Cullinan, which has had quite a few revivals and changes. Mainly it’s about moving about. She started in one of those classic mining houses so much a  part of the Cullinan charm, but then decided to be less permanent, left the regular premises and moved her food events around.

A few years ago, her yearning for change reared its head again. Lientjie and her partner Marius discovered the Karoo and, more specifically, Richmond, which is fast becoming a foodie destination and so much more.

So it is all about moving between these two different landscapes, each with its own challenges.

Last week the two of us went on a particular journey where food was the passion that would feature – to my delight. I have always loved her food and as she is constantly experimentingand dreaming about new combinations and flavours (her cookbook is titled Geure (Flavours), I’m always excited to see where and how her cuisine will manifest.

With her latest venture, she is behind the scenes, not necessarily even on the premises, but the vision, the menu and guidance is all Lientjie. The address,  when you Google is K40  on the 512 (Pelindaba Road) opposite the Lion & Safari Park, Broederstroom. From either Pretoria or Joburg it should take less than an hour – and it’s an easy drive.

She was contacted by two friends, who own the property and wanted her to design the menu and get the venue up and running. She quickly got hold of another- old friend, Mart Gresse, who she knew was perfect to run front-of-house, and three young chefs were appointed to do justice to the menu. For Lientjie, it is an ideal setup as these three young graduates are eager to learn.

The menu is seasonal, and even the one we sampled, will already be changed when this goes to print. But, taste rules. While the menu has Italian influences,  she steers clear of any staple items and when there are any, she adds her own interpretation and twists. Currently, she loves playing with fermented flavours, which introduces a strong contemporary slant – something she has always introduced to her menus.

It’s also what intrigues her followers, who don’t want the tried-and-tested but prefer to discover new tastes and ways to experience what could have been familiar recipes.

She describes her food as plant-forward, but world cuisine is the term she feels captures it best. Yet, she adds, and this is important, it is food from here. That’s truly what she does brilliantly. She is her own person, and her food reflects this.

Spending a day in her company also highlights her obsession with food. There’s not a moment that she doesn’t think of something she saw which reminds her of something else and voila, it results in a new recipe. “I make food in my head,” she says. And that’s true, it’s how she travels through her days.

Raisin pickle and Karoo dolmades made with venison are mentioned … and her mind races  off.

The current menu starts with a Doolshe farmhouse breakfast (herby pork sausage, bacon, eggs, fried tomato with parmesan granola, apricot chutney toast and white Miso butter) at R165; smoked trout and scrambled eggs with sour cream chives and dill (R190) or if you want something different ricotta flapjacks, homemade berry compote and whipped cream (R120).

Salads include different varieties, familiar and yet, there’s always a twist. You could share one at the table with a main or have it as a meal. The beef fillet strip and fried caper panzanella with crunchy vegetables and a balsamic dressing is perfect for a hot day.

You also have the option of sandwiches (pastrami with fennel pickle or roast chicken with parmesan granola, and,herb pesto with vegetable chips, all finger-licking good) or perhaps two starters (a sour cream and onion tortilla with white bean paté, parmesan and boerewors with a bite of chilli crumbs and short rib croquettes and blueberry chutney).

Lamb skewers with olive salsa verde and fresh sardine rillettes bruschetta with fennel also caught my fancy.

Mains include from smoked snoek gratin and apricot chutney (R220), pork neck and apple on creamy parmesan mash (R250,) chicken feta and parmesan roulade in saffron, honey and hazelnut sauce served with cous-cous (R250), or lamb chops with Za’atar, roast vegetables, cous-cous and rose harissa yogurt (R310) and a more manageable mushroom and cognac pasta with parmesan. And I need to read no further than the brown-butter spiced blondie and double chocolate ice-cream, priced between R80 and R125, to conclude on a sweet note.

It’s an unusually expansive venue with many different options. You could start with a Sunday morning hike and have a late brunch; you could come for a sunset and cocktails lookabout; or you could have a dinner-a-deux on the verandah on a moonlit night. It’s about the surroundings, the interiors and the ambience, take your pick.

Her new menu is ready to go and includes many new versions in her inimitable style. Sandwiches include for example beef fillet, Japanese barbeque and chlli mayo or a herb and garlic chicken breasts and lemon, black pepper mayo, parmesan and basil sandwich. On the salad platter, there’s the choice of a fragrant chicken and veg salad with a lime, coconut and chilli dressing or a Mediterranean lentil, chickpea, olive And artichoke salad with lemon and garlic mayo.

Mains include bobotie meatballs with brown basmati rice and traditional chutney or an artichoke and spinach  with tomato pesto gnocchi or if fish is your particular favourite brown butter and soy salmon, creamy mash and green beans and fermented carrots.

The name Doolshe already transports you to a different world. Pronounced dool-she, it is a loanword from Italian, meaning sweet. Italy colonized East and North Africa from the late 19th century into the middle of the last one. During that period, locals borrowed words from their colonisers and adopted them with their own pronunciation – hence Doolshe. And this particular abode with its verandah-styled dining spaces as windows are flung open wide allowing the inside out or closed in chillier times for a more cosy space, certainly embraces its name.

There’s nothing more apt for the ambience, the people, the drink and the food. It’s the sweetest.

Times: Thursdays and Fridays, lunch and dinner; Saturdaya breakfast, lunch and dinner; and Sundays breakfast and lunch.

AUTHOR GERDA TALJAARD CAPTURES REALITY IN HER MESMERISING FAIRYTALE DIE GRAFDIGTER

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In her latest book, Die Grafdigter (Tomb poet), author Gerda Taljaard plays imaginatively with language and story and it is the unusual title that gets your  mind racing. DIANE DE BEER speaks to the author about this remarkable novel:

Author Gerda Taljaard with her dog Iggy Pop.

It is the fairytale quality of the story meshed with a realism that keeps you questioning from beginning to end. That, as well as the double destination of motherlands with Russia and South Africa as the main focus, hooks you from the start.

I’m writing about Pretoria author Gerda Taljaard’s latest book Die Grafdigter, which has those in the know in the Afrikaans literature world talking.

She writes, she says, for the same reason she reads: to escape harsh reality. With this one, she wanted to explore a completely different universe from her own. And what she picked was the world of Chekhov, Tolstoy and Dostoevsky with snow-covered landscapes, lakes and forests.

She remembers an uncle who could tune in to Radio Moscow during the apartheid years, a time when Russia and its people were referred to as the rooi gevaar. “I think he and my father were keen to find out what was behind the Iron Curtain,” she says.

During one of these radio adventures, she heard a most evocative piece of music, which she tracked down many years later. “It is an original Ukrainian song titled Ukrainian Poem written by O. Kolichev and performed by the orchestra of the Russian army. “It immediately captured my imagination,” she explains. “I could see the steppe, mountains and frozen lakes in my mind’s eye. That was the original spark!”

She also points to a time when she was very young and had to share a bedroom with her grandmother for six months. “Naturally against my will,” she hastily adds.

It was only much later that she realized what an impact it had and how richly she was rewarded by a woman who had a wonderful way with rhymes and riddles as well as macabre fairytales like the Baba Jaga stories.

“With her facial expressions and voice maneuvers she conjured up a magical world for me. These included tales from the subconscious, emotional, irrational and primitive streams of thought. It means you could capture people’s deepest fears and desires in an authentic way.

“Jung said it best when noting that myths show life more accurately than the sciences can.”

And then there’s another plus, Taljaard’s language. As a South African who speaks Afrikaans but writes in English, I was mesmerized. It’s the flow of the story being told in a language that’s familiar and accessible, yet completely novel. “Afrikaans is part of my being,” is how she explains the astonishing use of her home language. “It’s the language that formed me and in which I am driven to write.”

She loves buying old dictionaries in which she finds many unfamiliar Afrikaans words. “I am astonished by how many words I discover and how many simply disappear from our vocabulary. And these are exactly the words I need to give new life,” she says.

“Afrikaans, like Zulu, is a very poetic language, which is the aspect I want to elevate to aesthetically tell my stories.” And she does this with great gusto and success, resulting in an extraordinarily pleasurable reading experience. I had huge fun discovering all these novel words and phrases I had never heard before.

As far as the choice of countries in this tale, it is the many points of contact between Russia and South Africa which first caught her attention: the oppression of the majority by a privileged minority; the isolation by the rest of the world, followed by freedom and reform and the hope of a democracy; the disappointment caused by corruption; the stop and start between progress and decay; equality and inequality … and there’s more.

Because she uses a child to tell much of the story, the balance between reality and imagination is blurred, which adds to the glorious fairy-tale quality and also keeps the reader off balance throughout. It feels as though there is a constant battle between good and evil, which again locks strongly into the reality of what is happening internationally today.

She introduces two thoughts which illustrate what she is hoping to achieve with this wondrous book:

We should show life neither as it is, nor as it should be, but as we see it in our dreams. ― Anton Chekhov, The Seagull

While you are living, part of you has slipped away to the cemetery. ― Elizabeth Hardwick, Sleepless Nights

And then, of course, the title, Die Grafdigter (The Grave Poet) which immediately propels you into a far-away landscape.

Roughly translated, this is how it starts:

It is the beginning of an endless winter. A grandmother and her granddaughter find themselves in the heart of a forest.

They are desperately looking for food when they spot a reindeer. The grandmother, or Baboesja as her young charge Mila calls her, tells her that you should look a deer in the eye. If you then cannot find the courage to shoot it, you aren’t hungry enough.

These are life lessons for the young girl who will have to fend for herself someday. But her elder is so thorough that Milla’s world is filled with a richness that never absconds.

Nothing simply happens; it is as though you are there. For example, the twilight drapes itself across the house, grows like an ink smudge over the kitchen and sleeping quarters and stretches beyond the sideboard on which Baboesja places the reindeer’s head.

It is detailed yet subtle, never overwhelming – to find that balance with such rich language is a feat. It could so easily lapse into writing that is more about the language than the story and that is the quickest way to antagonize readers.

That’s what I found so astonishing and why this is a book that will be read again and again as the story keeps unfolding with rich meaning.

She doesn’t simply write that it rains; rather, the wind hurls sleet against the windows and without saying it directly, the names of the two characters, the ferocity of the storm, and the reindeer, all point to the place this story is set.

It’s sassy and smart, seemingly without much thought as it sweeps you along in an icy cold wilderness where a young girl is being fiercely protected by a cantankerous older woman, raised in a manner that is determined not to hide the harshness that might be waiting in her future.

And yet, because of the fairytale-enhanced dreamworld that constantly appears, the writing also evokes a visual quality that magnificently illustrates these characters we are accompanying and getting to know.

Taljaard is someone who has developed a unique voice that matches her storytelling qualities. I thoroughly enjoyed her last book Vier Susters, because I am one of three sisters and there was much to identify with.

This one knocked me sideways because it was so original and yet so relevant in a world where war is raging all around us and threatening a life’s order we have become accustomed to navigating.

It’s as though she not only read the zeitgeist smartly but also latched onto a future which feels more frightening every day.

FROM BEETHOVEN TO THE BEATLES, THIS TRIO ROCKS THE RHYTMS WITH THE CLASSICS AND JAZZ

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South Africa’s own Charl du Plessis Trio are celebrating 20 years with concerts throughout the year, as well as the launch of their 10th CD. DIANE DE BEER highlights their celebrations of what has been an extraordinary career for this musical trio:

Steinway Artist Charl du Plessis is joined by long-time collaborators Werner Spies (double bass) and Peter Auret (drums) for a reflective journey through two decades of crossover music-making –  both on stage and on their latest album.

As one of the most unique and recognizable musical ensembles in the country, they have built a special audience who enjoy their crossover of classical and jazz tunes with very unique Du Plessis orchestrations and a style that these three individual artists have created together.

Travelling wide, both locally and internationally, they have built a following from Zeerust to Zürich, Stellenbosch to Shanghai, and for those of us watching, follow a punishing schedule that few could imitate.

The way they have perfected their unusual operation, skillfully streamlined the way they rehearse, travel and perform, which allows each one of them to perform on different platforms, is phenomenal and something that budding artists could study.

The Trio was formed in 2006 with Charl and Werner on board while Peter, the latest member to join nine years ago, has worked with them for 18 years as a recording engineer. “Initially, I established the trio because I wanted to play ‘real jazz’,” explains Charl.

The crossover route came later, almost organically. “It was never the plan to mix classical and jazz music.” And that probably is the key to their success – the unique combo. As Peter points out, it isn’t as if there aren’t other musicians doing a similar thing, but it is the unique infusion of the three styles and their musicality that holds the key.

Their many years of working and travelling together has turned them into an unusually tight group, which is visible and audible in their music. That is their strength and as a bonus  their professionalism on and off stage. They have discovered a niche, which has been honed, growing an unusual brand all their own.

Just their instruments, how they choose on which one they play, (Charl, for example, travels with his piano, you have to see it to understand).

He first came to Pretoria as Nataniël’s accompanist and knew that he would have to create and work at his own career. The Charl du Plessis Trio was a result. Not only does he have a double doctorate (classical and jazz music), he also found two magnificent musicians with whom he could develop a specialist genre because of their different skills.

The programme for the anniversary features instrumental favourites, works by classical composers, and a selection of Charl’s original compositions. “Virtuoso improvisation and finely balanced ensemble playing offer an intimate listening experience and a tribute to highlights from their 20-year history.”

The latest CD, which was recorded in Joburg a month ago, is their 10th. Their previous one was recorded during Covid (can you believe, five years ago) titled It Takes Three.

This one offers the music they performed over the past five years, a little bit of Mozart and Beethoven with a jazzy edge and several Beatles songs. “That’s especially what we have been performing most recently, and the traction of the Beatles music was high; people really loved it!”

The title of the album is Take a Sad Song and Make It Better which Fab Four fans will immediately recognise. And that is the perfect representation of their music for these three musos: “We take sad classical music and jazz it up,” says Charl, who is thrilled with the balanced mix of music on this latest addition.

Performance schedule:

*Knysna February 22

* Fairtree Atterbury Theatre March 21/22 (with the launch of the CD on the first night)

* KKNK April 2

* Henley-on-Klip May 9

* Robertson Stadsaal June 5

*Baxter Theatre  June 6

* Hermanus Fynarts June 7

* Stilbaai   June 8

* Johannesburg Linder August 30.