Joburg Theatre, the Bee Gees show, we came in a bit earlier, thought the show was at 7:30 pm. Oh well, being early never hurt anybody, relax, it’s chilly, it’s cold, let’s get some hot chocolate, the show starts at 8:00 pm.
We watched people enter, excitement, a turn out, while we were waiting for the show, “Across 110th street” is playing on the speaker, priming people for the experience. It was a fantastic show as expected. Showtime Australia the culprits, fingerprints all over. Incredible performers, they were totally in sync with us, the audience, even gave us 3 bonuses after we demanded for more, but that’s expected, how can you stop the show after “Staying Alive” – highly improbable. They also performed “You should be dancing”, “Tragedy, “Jive Talking”, Nights on Broadway”, “Night Fever”, “More than a woman”, “Spicks and Specks”, “Words”, “Massachusetts”, “Don’t forget to Remember” and other hits and classics.
Zac Coombs, Andre Behnke and Warren Vernon-Discoll are the incredible vocalists. I saw Prince on keyboards, the talented Dale Ray. The Electric guitarist was on super God mode, outstanding as usual. The drums, guitars, piano, keyboard, singing, everything was executed to great fanfare and engagement with the fans. Everyone delivered. Amazing show that encapsulates the spirit of the 60’s and 70’s, like a time capsule. Congratulations Showtime Australia and the whole team for a great show and a deserved standing ovation.
The thousand views are a like a million. Sure it’s not a million but all I gotta do is add 3 more zeros, I already have 3. It has been a long ride, first you make your choices and then they make you – I am ANTAKALIPA, I am alive. There’s only so much you can say to someone who has never had sex before, I don’t think words alone are sufficient to explain that you are about to get fucked! You can’t explain getting fucked, it’s an experience and experience is not enough because it’s different every time. Getting my first thousand views feels like I broke my duck, like I am not a virgin anymore and with the realization that I can have and fuck as many bitches as I like and the experience will be optimal. I don’t mean bitch in a derogatory manner, I am being colloquial and using slang in attempts to be youthful, nah screw you, I mean bitches in whatever view! Getting my first thousand views validates me and the work I’ve done. My thousand views are proof of my existence. Sure it’s not a million views, it’s not enough, I have to do more, I need to empower creatives, I need to produce and create shows, I need to make millions, I have to serve millions of people around the world, I need to dominate content. I know, I am cognizant and I will achieve all that, it’s my destiny. But for now, I am living in the moment, enjoying my moment, celebrating – I did it my own way. My thousand views feel like a million, manipulated by algorithms and controlled by a surge of dopamine, I am happy with my servitude for at least it appeals to my ego and reflects what I am, I get reassurances of my significance and its like I matter, the thousand views say I exist so I am inclined to believe that. My thousand views feel like Adam & Eve post biting from the tree of life cause now I can eat from anything tree I like and plant for the coming generation, we can mutate and create different offsprings. My 1K views feel like I have no ceilings or demarcations like I am not a virgin anymore. I am ANTAKALIPA and Iove to create, my thousand views gave me more confidence.
I am the underdog, the day I cease being one is the day we will all win. I am constantly battling bad guys and demons but I always come up on top. Cause they always think they have my number until I switch networks and go crazy. I am a crazy motherfucker, I am from the hood. I don’t care about looking good, I’ll crush you like teeth coming together on food. I am the underdog, the day I bring down Goliath is the day we’ll reign. Impressive propaganda, but it’s all in the mind and on my way. The hero’s journey concludes today with the underdog the hero of this play. I’ve beaten everyone who we were the same, my heroes next because this is a game. Underdog with a tendency to stand with my dawgs, if we stand together than we are united my dawgs, winning and slicing the pie with all of my dawgs, if we all eating then all is good my dawg. Underdog with the tendency to cause an upset, leave you cheering for the bad guy cause your hero left you upset. Underdog, after I win this battle then the game is gonna need a reset. I crash reality like a program that needs a reset. Time closing in on you it’s a sunset. Underdog until we are in the ring face to face, and I smash your face in resulting in the judge throwing your case. Cause you were complicit, now you claiming to have stood idle like a vase. Underdog until my hands are raised high and your back on the floor. Underground until I raise hell and leave things in tatters like before. Underdog until I shake up reality to the core. Underdog until I am no longer one any more.
I was at the Market Theatre for the opening of “The Fall”. The place was filled to the brim and gushing onto the floor. So much so that the auditorium couldn’t accommodate everybody with seats, some people sat on the steps. The venue was exuding radiant energy and it was contagious. Excitement was in the air and everyone was beaming. I also met Bongiwe Potelwa, Yay! Thank you for the invite Bongi.
Set in 2015 at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. This piece of protest theatre explores issues of race, decolonization, social inequality, upbringing, the #rhodesmustfall movement and the #feesmustfall movement. It follows 7 students with different perspectives, backgrounds and ideals, united by one cause bringing down the statue of Cecil Rhodes. The statue is a symbol of colonization and it doesn’t reflect the current times and ideals of an African University. Instead it divides and perpetuates racism among the students and the staff. It is a symbol of oppression, privilege and the white man’s dominion. It is like a persistent dark cloud hanging over them. The students converge and discuss the possibility of bringing it down. One student suggests taking it down with a chisel and hammer, while another contemplates a truck. Ultimately, the statue is taken down with the help of a helicopter but problems still persist. It is announced that tertiary fees will increase by 12%. This enrages the students of UCT, it’s not like they could afford the fees before the increase. A lot of students are from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. They rely on government aids and loans to continue with their education. NSFAS is not always the answer, sometimes they don’t approve applications and when they do you have to prove to them that you are poor. Of course you are poor, that’s why you are trying to build a better life for yourself and your family but the government are making it so hard. The students get together and discuss their right to free education. This results in a protest and the #feesmustfall movement is born. Stellenbosch University students join and it spreads like a wildfire resulting in a nationwide shut-down of all universities in the country.
The show tells the story of the two movements beautifully. It also explores feminism, masculinity, racism and inequality. It’s easy to relate with the characters, they are real and the conversations between them are naturalistic. Like conversations with your friends, they are free, open, funny and silly. They are not hindered by language, instead they mash it up, communicating in a way that feels authentic to the characters. African languages are integrated because the characters are South African. You can see yourself in their image and hence relate and emphasize with them and their struggles. The actors on the stage are brilliant and captivating, it is a performers paradise. They fully inhabited the characters worlds. It was convincing, it felt as though they were telling their own personal stories. From voice intonation, usage of the stage, monologues, singing, protests – it is a masterclass.
I loved everything about the show, shout out to the cast:
I was at the Market Theatre for the opening of “Pieces of me” by Bo Petersen. A poignant play about family, belonging, race and identity. Set in the era of apartheid, the story world is plagued by inequality, segregation and racism. A time of the bompass, when you had to carry your identification documents at all times to gain access to parts of the country. This law severely limited the movements of black South Africans and was viciously enforced by the police with violence and jail time being norm for perpetrators who didn’t have their identification documents at hand. A time of Prohibition of mixed marriages act, an act that made it illegal for a white person to marry any other race, the immortality act, an act that barred sexual relations between whites and non-whites, transgressors could face up to 7 years in prison and the infamous Group Areas act that designated certain areas for certain races among other stringent, harsh and unfair acts.
Pieces of me explores Bo’s life, about how her father classified as “colored” marries her mother classified as “white” and the emotional toll of having to live in secrecy because of the laws imposed on them. After falling in love and having having 5 children together, her father passes off as white, a lie if discovered could send him to prison for 10 years and destroy the family.
Bo Petersen tells the story from different perspectives, her father’s, aunts and grandmother, breaking the fourth wall at times to talk to the audience to make them feel what she felt. The message is powerful and emotive. The acting unbelievable! She also enacts the roles of her aunt, father and grandmother. She is a great storyteller and inhabits all the stage. She is expressive with her body, language and overall demeanor. The set although minimalistic is effective. The hanging suit serves as a homage to her father, it has a presence, a spirit of its own and Bo interacts with it. The lighting nuanced and intimate. Christopher Petersen plays the keyboard and he sets the tone for the play, working alongside Bo to curate the story throughout.
Powerful story. Powerful performer.
Congratulations Royston Stoffels for a great show and a deserved standing ovation.
We attended the premiere of this beautiful adaptation of a tragic South African love story last night. A musical and poetic story revealed by the published collection of letters in Vlam in die Sneeu: Die liefdesbriewe tussen Jonker en Brink, love letters exchanged between Ingrid Jonker and Andre Brink and spanning the length of their relationship between 21 April 1963 and 27 April 1965.
It was a passionate and volatile relationship and they loved each other fiercely.
3 months after writing her last letter to Andre, Ingrid committed suicide by walking into the freezing Atlantic Ocean in Three Anchor Bay and drowning.
I loved this production – a glimpse into the lives and love of two beloved South Africans. Lizelle Pike is beautiful as Ingrid. Ethereal, broken, fragile, giddy with happiness at times and deeply sad at others, overwhelmed by the love she feels for her daughter, Simone, lost, lonely, abandoned, deliriously in love, and eventually defeated. She conveys the essence of Ingrid perfectly – a literary icon with raw emotions, who loved fiercely. I love how light footed she is and the attention to detail – the barefoot girl, in the long red shirt. The blue coat. The yellow teddy bear. The waves crashing.
Poet and writer Jak J Brits weaves Ingrid’s words into a powerful narrative enriched by original compositions and his adaptation allows her poetry to resonate with the modern audience.
The emotions of the piece are interwoven with original new music inspired by Jonker’s poetry. The songs are beautiful and fitting as musical director and pianist Chanie Jonker accompanies Lizelle on stage. It’s haunting!
The direction by Nadia Beukes, Tiaan Kirsten-Lubbe, and Lian Sachse sees Lizelle Pike sometimes delicate and sometimes raw – no matter what, Ingrid’s spirit and voice is always heard.
She was complex, passionate and deeply human. We feel all of her emotions, desires, doubt, and longing and witness her battles with the dark shadows of depression, the same shadows that took her mother.
Presented by Scenario Productions and Die Centurion Teater
On the 12th page and I still haven’t found something to jerk off too. My tolerance is high, things are not the same anymore, being exposed to big breasts doesn’t do it anymore. I think Google has a profile of what I consider the perfect pornstar. Big breasted but not too much, pretty, ethnicity or race not a factor, athletic and multifaceted with positions, takes the initiative, silicone a big no, I need something that will jiggle like jelly. Girl-on-girl hot but ridiculous with a strap on, cause after she fuck you in the pussy she wants you to suck that plastic cock. That’s dumb as a rock. There’s a lot you can deduce from a lady with a strap on, always on top and dominant, not willing to relinquish control. It ruins the whole experience for me, girl-on-girl is meant to be about reciprocity. Brazzers doesn’t do it anymore, it’s far to exaggerated. I understand the lust and the uncontainable libido but it’s far too x-rated. Rimming off the table, that’s not debated. Hardcore with anal is something that will never be curated. Threesome is perfect provided my conditions are met, two girls, two pussies and they must be wet. Two guys ruin the fantasy and I’d rather not partake in the act. One dick equipped with a pair of balls is my solemn pact. You can have more girls but the ratio of guys must be low. One dick for three pussies to commence with the show, or one dick for two pussies if you are slow. Strap-on’s are a no! They got no soul and she’ll know. XXX I love a man eater who will suck you off and lick like an ice cream cone. Cookie monsters too, she needs to scream when your tongue is in her zone. Now on page 16, avoiding the amateur stuff because they use models who are younger than 16. Big studio stuff is regulated and professional even when they enlist teens. I prefer models who take pride in their work and not too perverse, they ones who stimulate you and your partner so you are able to converse. Page 21, my cock is flaccid, my enthusiasm is flat like Coca-Cola without acid. How can I trip when pussy isn’t my acid? I’ve run out of pornstars and what I have on my feed is not stars. Maybe I’ll click on the video where they fuck in the car. Pussy licking at this stage is like a wound from a scar. XXX I need to check out new categories, maybe BDSM, I could be a sadist, the moans and groans are louder, the pain is thrilling, it gives you a rush, you feel alive, you get to explore the body like a voyager and when you arrive, you come like a waterfall, liberating your spirit from the prison of your body. XXX, I think I want to be in that story.
It’s funny, somehow I became like my heroes. And they are not better than me because we are the same person, an archetype. So I am cool, I am what I am, everything I want to be. Thoughts and vibrations are really everything, they constitute reality. While life can be difficult sometimes, I still think “play” is the answer to everlasting happiness. I’ve never been serious, I’ve been playing ever since I was an infant. Just playing, creating, doing what comes natural to me, jazzing, improvising, being myself. Playing gets you to where you need to be because there is no end-goal. You play for the sake of it, to have fun. I am a piece of fate in either case and what I can do is microscopic in the grand scale of the universe. Why be serious? Just play, create, you are going to die in either case and no one is going to remember your name. Fine, I am philosophical and intellectual, reality and my actions label me. I had this girl who wanted to enter my frame, she mirrored my energy, used what I liked against me, she said the right things but the vibration was off. Regardless, because I am a narcissist like everybody else, it almost worked. I took her bait and we set a date, when the day of the date occurred things didn’t crystallize because our vibrations didn’t match. She was scamming me, she was a lie, she falsified herself to get to me. But that’s life, everybody wears a mask. Maybe I too wore a mask when I started out but it’s not like that anymore because I am vibrating with high caliber individuals. I think I am a high caliber individual, reality is condemning me to that fate. So I am playing, creating because I am a God. I need to create and the impact has to be widespread and far-reaching. I need help, I can’t do it alone. I am now playing at a high level. I am vibrating with good people and if I am indeed an archetype then my fate is already written by the stars. I think it is, or my current reality is false and it can’t be false because I have tangible evidence. Yes, entropy happens and we all turn to dust but I have to be the guy representing my generation!
It’s funny, somehow I became like my heroes. And they are not better than me because we are the same person, an archetype. Thoughts and vibrations are really everything, they constitute reality.
Just when you think you have seen it all, something you haven’t seen comes along and blows you away.
I was at the Market Theatre to watch “The Life and Times of Micheal K”, a novel by JM Coetzee adopted by Lara Foot. The story is told through puppetry and physical theatre. The story is of a man named Michael K, who along with his very sick mother make an arduous journey from Cape Town to her mother’s rural birthplace in Prince Albert amid a fictitious civil war during the apartheid era. To get there Michael K builds a shoddy rickshaw to carry her mother. Along the way they head into some trouble, they don’t have the right paperwork and permits and the little money they have gets confiscated by soldiers. His mother ends-up in the hospital and passes on. She is cremated. Alone, dejected, hungry and with nothing Micheal K carries on the journey to Prince Albert to scatter her dead mother’s ashes. Along the way, he is exploited for cheap labor and he goes through an intense starvation period. Soldiers also misidentify him as a rebel and keep him hostage but he survives and escapes finding his way back to his mother’s apartment in Cape Town. It is revealed that Micheal K has a deformity, a cleft lip and because of this deformity people tend to treat him like he is lesser, slow.
The story-telling with the puppets is amazing. The puppets mimiced the real life movements of humans. The puppet masters understand the human anatomy, how the leg moves and the bend of the knee when the foot touches the base. The movements of the puppets were realistic. Somehow the puppets even had facial expressions, a testament to their realism. Supplemented in was the voice-actors, they breathed in life to the puppets, the puppets were panting, moaning, laughing and just communicating like any other ordinary human being. The puppets moved the story. The manipulators worked in tandem to achieve the desired effect, double teaming in groups of threes or four per puppet to move the limbs, while others lend their voices and manipulated the torso and head. I loved how the goat puppet was manipulated, it moved like a real goat. My favorite scene was the swimming scene, it was so intense. The team chemistry is beautiful. They are deliberate, concise and work with care. Every movement has a purpose, every detail added to the story. With Kyle Shepherd on the score, the show is poignant and emotional. Story-telling techniques like deliberate silence were used to make the audience reflect and take in the significance of what just transpired. After a while, you even forgot about the manipulators, the puppets came alive and told the story.
That was an amazing show, story-telling perfection is my humble opinion. I loved everything about the show, the sets, the props, the lighting, puppets and the music. The 2 hours watching fly, because you are having so much fun. It’s a story-telling masterclass, it’s different, innovative and inspiring. Shout-out to the Handspring Puppet Company, those puppets are just awesome!
Basil JR Jones and Adrian P Kohler are the Puppet Directors
Puppet Masters are: Sandra Prinsloo Andrew Buckland Faniswa Yisa Craig Leo Carlo Daniels Roshina Ratnam Billy Langa Marty Kintu Nolufefe Ntshuntshe Markus Schabbing
Congratulations Lara Foot and the whole team for a great show and a deserved standing ovation.
antakalipa 