Fine, Fine Dirt
Dirt
It’s quite weird seeing James Cairns three times in a row on stage. I saw his last show The Sitting Man twice, and last night it was the opening night of Dirt, the second one man show he is performing at The Kalk Bay Theatre. Well, the guy is amazing. Amazing James. I am a bit in love with him for sure. You know when a performer just nails it for you? That’s him.
Dirt has similarities to The Sitting Man that can’t go unnoticed if you see them one after each other, like most of us in the audience did. I have to do a leetle comparison; I can’t help it. One man show, trip down to Cape Town, amazing typical South African characters, brilliant ideas, and everyone (and thing in this case because Tom the dog is vital!) played and made by James. The Sitting Man, however, was all James in that he wrote and directed it as well. Dirt is written by Nick Warren and directed by Jenine Collocot.
Dirt; a road trip with three guys and a dog on their way from Jozi to Cape Town to their poker buddy’s funeral. Soap actor, Jamie …. ag, Sam, who is an egomaniacal ‘me me me’ shagging machine, Grant, the new father who is fast going down that hole of his wife’s obsessive and post-natal depression behavior, and Wayne. Wayne’s name tells you exactly what kind of poor, unfortunate and typical fella he is. Just say “Wayne” with a bit of a whiny Jozi accent. And then there is Tom the dog. I swear, I felt like I knew everybody in this play (and I probably did!). James’ characterisation, timing, detail, and totally wacky observations are classic. I couldn’t take my eyes off him, and Big Friendly said he thought I was having an asthma attack I was laughing so hard.
Dirt is funnier than The Sitting Man, but it is a lot less weird and dark. It’s more ‘written’ than The Sitting Man so it has some razor sharp dialogue from each character, but it is also more complicated and a little less successful because these guys have to talk to each other, so there are times when James has to hop about to be each one of them. Dirt is gorgeously directed by Jenine. I loved the ladder of props that became chapter headings. Loved it.
Ok, ok, I admit it. James Cairns is my new best thing. The guy could do an award winning performance of telephone book reading. Might have to see this one twice too!
between you & me
Tara Louise Notcutt is the second recipient of the Emerging Director’s Bursary, given out by The Theatre Arts Admin Collective, The Baxter Theatre and GIPCA (yow that’s a lot to get right!). It’s a great initiative, giving resources, space, salaries and budgets to a young director and cast to mount a production. So, last night was the first performance of a short run of her play between you & me at the Methodist Church in Obz.
I am a huge Tara fan after …miskien became one of my favourite plays of last year and maybe even ever. Tara won her Fleur du Cap award because of it. So I was very excited to see between you & me.
It is the simple story of girl meets boy, pretty young love, getting comfortable, losing each other, and splitting up, performed by Jaco Nothnagel and Tarn de Villiers. It is told in bits and pieces of conversation, dance, movement and monologue.
My first teeny problem is a personal one. The audience was split, with half on one side of the hall and the other facing them. It is really hard for me not to watch the faces on the other side and I find it the most distracting way to watch stuff. The set is lovely, with its centrepiece of a huge old church table around, under and on top of which all the action takes place. I loved the weird upsidedown lino with dictionary pages stuck to it, and the strange canopy from which errant petals escaped.
The play, and performances, left me with constantly mixed, constantly up and down feelings. The story itself is very much one we have seen before. In fact Amy Jeftha, the first recipient of the award, directed a play she had written called Interiors at the beginning of the year which felt very, very similar. But that’s ok, it means we all have something to relate to; the ups and downs of the journey of a relationship. It’s just here the characters are just not specific enough. They are so average I guess, which makes it hard for me to care much for them. They don’t really seem to have ‘characters’. There are beautifully crafted moments of dialogue, beautiful moments of extended movement, beautiful positions created across the huge space of the table and even beautiful silences; it’s just that they aren’t all strung together and there is not beautiful stuff in between. Mainly the dancing, which I just don’t get. For me, singing and dancing must be done by singers and dancers, and I could get myself into big trouble here by saying that these two aren’t like professional dancers.
Both Jaco and Tarn have stuff that they do brilliantly. Jaco is particularly connected when he is looking for his English translations, and then his naturalism is spot on. Tarn has a super-intense gaze, and her little moments of irritation, hurt and sarcasm are excellent. My sense is that they need to bring more to the table (’scuse the pathetic pun-like reference) from a character point of view. And here is another hard thing; sexual tension and magic. I saw them try. Really hard. But there isn’t much of that going on between these two and the audience is so close. I don’t know how to solve that one; it really requires a special kind of magic to believe in the relationship.
Other things I had mixed feelings about. I loved the soundtrack but not the sound system. I found Tarn’s costume the costume from hell; totally cute and sexy, and constantly terrifying because it looked like it was going to reveal her, or break.
There is no doubt that Tara is a going places young director and that this is a wonderful opportunity for her to explore her craft. Now Tara, you need to take it a step further and work on somebody else’s script or concept. You need the freedom to make bold, unselfconscious choices with other people’s ideas and words. I really look forward to more of your stuff, even though I didn’t absolutely love this one.
Super Trouper
What an absolute treat. Last night Big Friendly, my boet and I went to the huge opening of Mamma Mia! at Artscape. Now, I secretly watched (and loved) the movie on DVD, in spite of the fact that I a) hate musical movies b) don’t love ABBA, and c) think it’s all terribly silly.
With this live, local production though, there has been huge anticipation because my sister-in-law Gina Shmukler (boast boast boast boast) is the lead, Donna Sheridan. It was a bit of a problem for me actually, because every time Donna appeared on stage I started to cry, Big Friendly would squeeze my hand (normally in time to the music because he was just loving it), then Donna would start to sing and the tears would stream down my face, and then, in the second half, when Donna gets all emotional I wept my heart out, having to let go of Big Friendly’s hand to smear my face with my sleeve. Now I wasn’t crying because I know Gina, I was crying because she is so totally brilliant. Her performance is amazing. She gives the character of Donna amazing depth, she has a huge emotional range, and mostly, I have rarely seen anyone else radiate their performance out to a huge audience so strongly. And then there is her unbelievable voice. What a powerhouse of a voice.
The show is worth watching just for Gina’s performance, and she is definitely the anchor here, but almost everybody else is totally brilliant. Firstly, Carmen Pretorius, who plays Sophie Sheridan, Donna’s daughter, has the really tough job of playing the young female straight lead. These are the parts where you have to be pretty. Yet she adds so much more to the role by being sexy, feisty, and also very present. She grows on you. And the girl can sing her heart out.
Next up are the dream team of Kate Normington and Ilse Klink as Donna’s old friends, Tanya and Rosie. Who could ask for anything more? They are so, so, so good. They are delicious, outrageous, funny, super sexy and warm. And they too have kick ass voices. In fact, it must be said that I can’t believe how brilliantly everybody sings, because ABBA is so hard to do, and the audience know every single word.
I loved the possible dads, Harry, played by Neels Claasen who was warm and funny, Bill, by Murray Todd who, let’s face it, is an absolute scene stealer, he is that good, and Sam, by Anrich Herbst whose earnestness was too cute. Actually, I can’t write about them without making special mention of Murray Todd’s dancing, which is one of my fave moments in the show.
I loved everybody in the ensemble, who I thought were focused, fabbalous, great dancers, and a great team. I want to make a special mention of Stephen Jubber, who plays Sky, the young boyfriend. What a transformation. He has grown into a relaxed and natural performer (if you ever get past his six-pack). It feels like he has taken every moment of stage time to learn and get experience, and he is lovely. Bravo.
So, the performers absolutely make the show, but they are supported by an unbelievable team. Everything about this production meets the highest standards. The band is excellent. The sound and lights are amazing, the set is brilliant, and the costumes are just my best. This is the exact kind of show that everyone will love, and feel like they are getting their money’s worth.
One of the hard things about an international production with a local cast is that there is a blueprint of how everything must be done, to the last stitch of costuming. What is so fab about this production is that it allows the cast to make it their own, with natural South African accents and small references that make it local. It is a production that brings out the best in local talent, and proves beyond any doubt that South Africans are up there with the best in the world!
Now I have to see if I can shmugel to get tickets to see it again!
PS. I must warn you about the earworm. I cannot get Supe pipper troup pipper out of my head. Eish!
The Sitting Man, even better twice
I very rarely see anyone else’s work other than my own more than once, but I really wanted to take my brother to see James Cairns’ The Sitting Man, and so Big Friendly and I took him last night. I was so happy that the Kalk Bay Theatre was almost full. It was great to see folk at the theatre on a Saturday night.
Seeing The Sitting Man again, ten days after the first time, was a treat. James was obviously much more relaxed than he had been on opening night. I picked up a few things he had added, and one or two that he had left out. I was also sitting in a different place, which gives a whole different sense. The show was as engaging, as rewarding and, in places, more funny and moving this time. My brother was transfixed. He sees a lot of theatre and is very perceptive and insightful. He also lives and loves in Jozi, so those Jhb characters were deeply resonant and accurate for him. He was propelled to his feet at the end, and spoke about how brilliant James was all the way home.
There is a week of The Sitting Man left and then James’s new show Dirt opens. I can’t wait.
Hooked and Sitting Man – Two great reasons to be in Kalk Bay
It started with a beautiful drive from hot, sunny town straight into a wall of mist on Boyes Drive to get to Kalk Bay Books. Of course Big Friendly and I overshot the traffic by an hour and we got to Kalk Bay early enough to have cappuccinos in The Annex, a gorgeous restaurant behind Kalk Bay Books. Melinda Ferguson was also already there. It was the launch of her second book, Hooked, that we were attending. Melinda is one of my oldest and dearest friends so there was much love to go around. I am deeply proud of her and how she has actively and consciously made her life beautiful and meaningful. The bookshop was packed to the rafters and Melinda spoke straight from the hip and heart. She was entertaining, frank, outrageous in the most charming way, and she was patient with the many recovering and not so recovering addicts who had a million questions.
Armed with my very own, signed copy of Hooked, we marched down the road to what felt like home! The Kalk Bay Theatre. Man, I love that place. Honestly, I stomped up those stairs into the warm, loving embrace of some of my favourite people in my favourite spot. Now, I absolutely have been a bit theatre-phobic the last while, but I was amped for this show The Sitting Man, written, directed and performed by James Cairns. I saw and loved James in Brother Number, at the Kalk Bay Theatre a coupla years ago.
The Sitting Man is a fantastic one man show. With only a chair on stage to fill the brief of the title, James, by performing a series of characters who are linked by action, slides into a world of South Africans that are immediately identifiable, hilarious and tragic. He is so good at them it almost feels like he is channeling this weird bunch. His accents are spot on. His hands! They change subtly with every character. His face! Now, James has a distinct face, plus his head is totally clean shaven, but every character looked different. He is so adept at playing these human creations of his that he fills them with a rich emotional context, even though we spend so little time with each of them. The story, about a parcel that needs to get taken from Jo’burg to Cape Town, is a teeny bit convoluted, and there is a big, fat loose end that prompted Big Friendly to exclaim “It can’t be over! What happened? What was inside the parcel?” But it is a wonderful vehicle for stringing together these fringe, loser, weirdo men. My favourites were first, the drunk pool player, whose perfect Sotho accent was classic, second, the daggahead, a reminder of more than one smoker from my youth, and then, the poor farmer. James is brilliant, and I couldn’t take my eyes off him. I was sad when it was done! The Sitting Man has a three week run before James switches over to his other one man show Dirt. Do. Not. Miss. This.
Cutie Cosi
It looks like I am starting to get able to go and see theatre without breaking into hives. This is a good sign, people! I went with friends to The Little Theatre last night to watch The Mechanicals‘ (the only rep company in Cape Town) offering of Cosi. I didn’t read the programme very well, and I also forgot to bring one home so there might be horrible gaps in what I am about to write.
Cosi the play is the same story as Cosi the movie, where a young graduate gets his first job directing a ‘play’ as therapy for the inmates of a lunatic asylum. I adored the movie; a real feel good, silly, quirky Australian offering with both Rachel Griffiths and Toni Collette in it.
This version is also very cute and totally watchable, and funny and moving at times too. The action takes place in a dusty old theatre, and the story follows the rehearsal process of the totally unrealistic choice of the opera Cosi Van Tutte that one of the inmates is obsessed with. All the while we, the audience, find out more about the motley crew of inmates, and we watch the shift and growth of the young director Lewis, played rather sweetly by Andrew Laubscher. Scott Sparrow directs. I love watching Scott on stage and I missed him out front, but he did a bold, good job of directing this massive cast and all the traffic of this thing.
It is a huge cast, and therein lies its success and downfall. Guy de Lancey is brilliant. Deborah Vieyra, Emily Child, Tinarie van Wyk Loots and Kate Liquorish are fabulous. Everyone else varies from okay to hideous. The really good moments outshine the bad ones, but the bad ones make the production uneven and long. The thing that I love the most about the play though is how totally accessible it is. Yes, accents move in and out, styles clash and smash, pace is up and down, but this is the kind of play non-theatre goers would really love. The story is easy to follow, the characters are fun and quirky, and the dialogue moves mostly at a good pace. There are some really funny and delightfully rude moments too. So, on a Saturday night it should have been full. And there were about forty of us. Damn. I am coming out in hives again. This theatre business sucks!
The Girl in the Yellow Dress
Simon saw this in G’town and absolutely loved it. I went last night, remembering that I will probably get a chance to see most of what was on at the festival right here in Cape Town, if I haven’t seen it already! It is on at The Baxter, @The Flipside, where the main stage is turned around, with the audience on stage too, creating another small (and freezing) venue. The Girl in the Yellow Dress is written by Craig Higginson, directed by Malcolm Purkey, and is a collaboration between the Market Theatre in Johannesburg and two UK theatres. It is a two-hander performed by British actress Marianne Oldham and South African Nat Ramabulana.
Seeing this play was the first in a bit of a theatre drought for me and I was really desperate to enjoy it. My first impressions of the set were, ok, we’re going to watch a proper play now, and that’s exactly what it was; a five scene play, with blackouts denoting the passing of time chronologically, in a very realistic style. The story is about a young, beautiful girl in Paris who develops a relationship with a young black man to whom she is teaching English. It’s got a bit of sex, psychology, identity, racial issues, and it’s all tied up with the bits and pieces of English grammar; all that ‘past participle’ stuff.
There is no doubt that the two performers are super talented and gorgeous. The story is very clear as the two get to know each other better; with not much left to the imagination. I guess the whole point is that we know that they are lying from the outset but this makes the revealing of the information less of a surprise and more of a ‘get on with it’. I found it all rather pedestrian.
I loved the blackout music and slides. I loved some of the witty lines although most of the “English’ stuff was too dense and sailed over this audience’s head.
I was irritated with the costume and set changes, particularly the last one, where in the dark the plastic to cover the furniture was so loud! I found the flowers trite and predictable. I hated that Pierre had to perform his dramatic stuff standing on bits of torn paper as if it wasn’t there. Truth is, I was bored; my worst thing to be in a play.
When it was done I tried to remember a play that I had liked and I thought immediately of …miskien. Also about a relationship, lies, revealing the truth and the complications it brings, I found the execution of it so much more satisfying. Style, lights, set, direction, music, performances, nuances, the extended moments, all worked better for me to create a heightened sense of theatre. The Girl in the Yellow Dress had moments of drama school cheese about it; that feeling of a director/lecturer getting his students to ‘reveal’, to ‘open up’, to ‘go to that place’.
It comes with massive credentials. It was a hit of G’town and it is off to the Edinburgh fest, England and then Stockholm. But if this is one of the best of the fest, I guess I wouldn’t have had too fantastic a time.
Simon does a G’town Taps
In the words of the song – “the carnival is over”. Grahamstown 2010 is done and dusted.
I have just read Megan’s last post about the guy she met in Jozi and it has moved me. I realise just how isolated we have been in Grahamstown where the happenings in other parts of the country and the world have been put to one side while we revel in and celebrate the incredible talents that this country produces in the field of performing arts. It is one of things I like about coming to Grahamstown.
Finished off by seeing Nic Ellenbogen’s “RAIDERS OF THE LAST AARDVARK”. This is the 21st Raiders and I have seen them all. Over the years luminaries such as Ellis Pearson, Andrew Buckland, Rob van Vuuren, Jodie Abrahams and a host of others have graced the Raiders’ stages as well as, of course, a cast of thousands drawn from audience members as Raiders is the original audience participation show. Over the years the plot may have changed from year to year [and thickened] but the format stays the same. Visual gags, verbal gags, clever sets and clever things done with the sets; visual and verbal puns abound [mostly dreadful] but full house audiences love it and lap it up year after year – me too !!! This year’s offering takes us back to year 1 with the first appearance of the famous yellow tiger moth, the “ AARDVARK”, and Salty Hepburn, its pilot, played in year one by Nic and in year 21 by Luke Ellenbogen. Roll on Raiders for the next 21.
Then by invitation to a Festival Organising Committee press conference for the announcement of the Standard Bank Golden and Silver Ovation awards. These Awards “recognise and celebrate innovation and excellence on the Fringe programme of the National Arts Festival by putting the spotlight on cutting edge-work that is strong, diverse and original”. “LONDON ROAD” won the Golden Award for Theatre !!!! Well done Robyn, Ntombi, Lara, Jonathan, Craig, Faheem and Braam – your creativity and passion makes “LONDON ROAD” what it is, and it is beautiful. And let’s not forget Christine beavering away like mad telling the world to come and see the play and tell everyone else to do so.
Other winners of Golden Awards were “BUTCHER BROTHERS” for Physical Theatre, Guy Buttery for Music and David Newton for Comedy.
Final thoughts – I don’t think that the 15 day format worked that well and I think that going back next year to a 10 day Festival is a good thing. Overall I thought the 2010 Festival was an improvement on the 2009 one with particular reference to the shows on offer – it was stronger and more vibrant. It was more South African than previous years and was supported by a greater spread of South African’s than previous years. I WILL BE BACK IN 2011.
Finally thanks to Megan for allowing me a guest spot on her blog - strength to your writing arm, girl.
Some more Simon from the fest
Another quite light day today – started with a lekker chat over coffee with James Cairns, Taryn Bennett and Jenine Collocott and then moved on to see “HATS”. Listed as a physical theatre piece in the programme [and yes can’t argue with that but it is not quite all encompassing enough] it is difficult to categorize. A comic dance gymnastic ?? A gymnastic comic dance ??? I don’t know but hell it was fun. Written and directed by Pieter Bosch Botha and featuring Richard Antrobus and Tristan Jacobs, the action takes place on, around and above an elevated bar [a bit like one of those bars the gymnasts use when competing] from which hang 2 swings and a number of straps from which one can hang and swing. The bar is elevated by ladders at each end. The action is fast and furious and comic. There are 4 sketches, each telling a simple story. The third is worth a special mention for the images created using I don’t know what but mysterious shapes and animals seem to float onto a darkened stage and glide across the performance area, dipping and diving around the performers. The two performers are completely in sync, both one with the other and with what they are doing. 55 minutes whizzed by and the end of the show was greeted with loud and prolonged applause from a very healthy crowd. Not my normal beat but glad I went.
Then “THE BUTCHER BROTHERS” directed by the awesome Sylvaine Strike assisted by Daniel Buckland and featuring Mongi Mthombeni and Jacques de Silvathe. I commented at coffee that I had now had enough of masks and James Cairns then replied that if I saw “THE BUTCHER BROTHERS” I would see how masks can be used. And he is right. Very very good. A story of two brothers who run a butchery – one finds a seemingly abandoned baby and they take it in and care for it. When a kidnapper tries to take the baby away from them, things turn nasty and “Fried Green Tomato” like as the kidnapper is disposed of and turned into sausages. And it gets worse from there. So a dark tale ultimately but it contains humour and some trade mark imagery from the directors. In my top 5 for the Festival.
A “LONDON ROAD” update – we have 3 performances to go and 103 seats left to sell [out of a 510 capacity for the 3 shows. We will at least 8 and probably 9 sold out shows in a row. Thank you Grahamstown !!!
G’town from Simon
I feel like Plato this morning, having a written discourse/debate with Simon.
Megan is a old [and respected] theatre hand. Yes I have been coming to the Festival for a long time – this is my 19th in 22 years – but I don’t have the background of having studied drama and I did not work in the performing arts world until 2004. So I have never seen “HELLO AND GOODBYE” – said to be Fugard’s best or one of – and here it is presented to me with performances by the 2 South African actors who have made those roles famous. And “revisit”, in my case means go and see a play again after 12 years, a play that I rated as a 10 when I saw it originally. How many of this year’s Festino’s have not seen either of these two really worthwhile performances and isn’t it great that they have the opportunity to do so now ? Isn’t that one of the roles a national arts Festival should play ?
The pace is beginning to tell – yes on me but also generally. Theatre-goers are a bit more scratchy and irritable than at the start of the Festival; the desperation to get tickets for the shows that are selling out has become that little bit more aggressive; the criticisms of bad organisation a little bit more biting. Numbers are definitely more than mid-week last week and no doubt there will be a bit of an influx this weekend for the last 2 days. Bring it on !!!
Only 2 plays yesterday – one was my production, “LONDON ROAD”, with my family and friends, and although it is the heaven-knows-how-many-times-I-have-seen-this-show, I loved it all over again and was crying at the end like about 80% of the audience. Then I saw “…..MISKIEN” [which I know Megan saw and loved when it premièred in Cape Town] – I can see why it was so well received. Maybe it could do with being slightly shorter but it is well acted and it deals with a subject that some people find difficult – suppressed / blooming homosexuality between 2 macho males – very cleverly. Tara Louise Notcutt won a newcomers directorial awards at the Fleur du Cap Awards ceremony this year for “…..MISKIEN” and together with the performers, Albert Pretorius and Gideon Lombard, she has done a good job here. It is quite rough and doesn’t pull punches – it has in fact grown on me in the 12 hours since I saw it and I suspect will continue to do so for a bit. Definitely glad I saw it.
-
Randomness
