Fourways

My favorite Broadway

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Jonathan Roxmouth

At the Teatro for the Jonathan Roxmouth My favorite Broadway show. Seats so good, you stay seated when someone ahead of you is on their feet. Literally eyeball-to-eyeball with Jonathan and you can see the Maestro’s shoes. Thank you Belinda Howard and as always SamSays on the credits.

Charisma, presence, composure, calm, warmth are adjectives to describe Roxmouth. He keeps you engaged, he is captivating and the delivery masterful. Last time I was at the Teatro, I was watching “Swinging Las Vegas” – high octane show with hits galore! Came back for the Maestro and Jonathan Roxmouth for new memories. It’s ridiculous how good Jonathan is, he commands the stage, has comedic timing and spellbinding on the mic. Songs about love and a couple of ABBA classics – thank you for the music! He sings with passion, love and attention for his craft. You are at his mercy, the world stops for him. His voice melts on the pan like butter. It is soothing like a lullaby and keeps you awake like Redbull – energizing, you can listen to him the whole day. You get lost in his voice, he has the capability of making you daydream but you are lucid so you applaud after the song.

Roxmouth is joined by Maestro Adam Howard and the Egoli Symphonic Orchestra who are too great to encapsulate with words. I need to update my music vocabulary and acclimatize myself to the jargon, then maybe I’ll have a better chance of expressing myself. Then again, you play music, it was never meant to be serious. The stage has the Egoli Symphonic Orchestra concentrated in the middle and they spread to the sides. Behind the Orchestra are screens, one in the middle and one on either side. The screens provide a backdrop and themes of the songs performed. Jonathan Roxmouth changes costumes three times, different colored suits with sequins. The part where he tap-dances with the other Jonathan’s on the screen is awesome, humorous, I enjoyed that there was female representation, perfect choreography and completely in sync. Maestro Adam Howard expertly leads procedures. He is in charge, present, perfect, there is no show without him. I am with Momo, he has Maestro Adam Howard by his side, but I do recognize Kabza’s greatness.

Great show, a privilege to behold Roxmouth’s mastery on the stage. Chicago is up next!

Congratulations Jonathan Roxmouth and the whole team for a great show and a deserved standing ovation.

📷: Crowther Fourie

📷: Elena Samuels

Bitter Winter

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Bitter Winter

The tedium of going to castings, you risk it all and gain nothing for your efforts, you saw people who are just like you in the waiting room, some even prettier than you, willing to do the same job, what’s done is done. The casting director lady has seen it all, the frizzling enthusiasm of youth vanish. First couple of months, you had the spirit, but lately you just coming in to mark the register, until you win or lose hope. You thought you did your best and that you’d get the part, so you wait and wait for a call that never comes. Indifference, it’s like you don’t exist. Agitated and flooding with anxiety, you offered to shoot the scene again but were met with “No thanks, that’s not necessary, we have everything we need”. There’s nothing you can do, it’s not in your hands. They decided against you the moment you left the room, meanwhile you’re living in hope, painting dreams in your mind that never come to fruition. Broke. A nobody. That call back is everything, you get another chance, the chance to meet the director, this could be it.

I was at the Pieter Toerien Theatre for the opening of the Paul Slabolepszy’s, play “Bitter Winter”. Amazing play, brilliant in it’s execution. I was with SamSays, we were in B3 and B4 – at the very front. Thank you Collett Dawson for the weekend. Alan Committee was super great the day before with his show “Olympic Gold”. He is up on the podium with a Gold medal with that performance: incredible delivery, quick witted, energetic, on his feet, interactive, very humorous and just a straight-up banger! Comedians are the cleverest people, providing social commentary, reflecting reality in a humorous undertone and helping us mould our human existence in an environment where everything goes, I was laughing throughout, it takes a lot of hard work and mastery to be Alan Committee, he makes it look so easy, so effortless, the show is just pure comedy gold.

The play is set in a Casting directors office, call back, two guys are cast, old has been guy, with present guy. Present guy is angry and hostile at first, his character arc progresses and he opens up to the old has been guy, that’s when he starts being open with us, the audience, music on his headphones is off and put away. He walks in the scene avoident and closed off, secluded, trapped on his phone, listening to music on his phone – Kendrick Lamar “Money Trees”. Present guy is cast as the main guy, the old man is led into believing that he is cast for the role, only to reveal in the last minute that he is not cast. Someone from overseas filled the role. The play has a lot of heart. It is beaufully craft, perfect in a way that only art can be, excuted by performers who love what they do – the performers were extraordinary, performing with purpose, being in the moment, embodying the craft. The show has personality and quirks, it is relatable and humorous. As the play progressed we learned about the protagonists lives, their families, their past, we became invested. The set was office-like, backdrop, Jozi. Andre Odendaal plays Jean-Louis Lourens, the old has been guy. Oarabile Ditsele plays Prosper Mangane, the present guy. Chantal Stanfield plays Felicia Willemse, the casting director lady. The play is just brilliant. Congratulations Lesedi Job and the whole team and a deserved standing ovation.

Sharon Spiegel-Wagner

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Sharon Spiegel-Wagner

Sharon has been practicing her art for more than 30 years. She’s an absolute master at her craft, an elite storyteller, a walking skyscraper. She is the craft, she is content, she is theatre. When you see her on the stage, there is no doubt you are witnessing greatness. Her talent is extraordinary. She is amazing. She’s literally the Beyonce of her craft, she’s been doing this ever since she was a child. There’s no ways you are beating Beyonce at being Beyonce. Hell no you beating Sharon! She’s a natural, everything comes easy to her. You can see the happiness in her eyes when she’s on the stage. She lights up, she becomes bigger than life. When you are in her presence, you feel the literal hand of God blessing you because you are amongst one of his mythical creatures. I’ll admit, I love Sharon but who wouldn’t/doesn’t? Yes, Amy Winehouse was a big factor because when I heard Sharon sing for the first time, she was singing “Back to Black” and I was mesmerized. Amy was alive again and she lived in Sharon so I did the most logical thing, I projected onto her. The verdict? Excellent! Sharon is a star and unlike Amy, she doesn’t have destructive tendencies. I love you Amy but Sharon will takeover. There’s also the minor case, have you seen Sharon Spiegel-Wagner upclose and in real life? T.V and the internet are cool but they don’t reflect her nuances and subtleties, this woman is beautiful beyond comprehension, you feel nervous when you are in her presence, she looks better in real life. No one can blame me for being in love with Sharon because everyone is already in love with her. I would do anything for Sharon. Man, she’s so cool, I forgot she’s a celebrity, she’s been treating me so good, with respect, attention and love. I was reminded of her star power on the opening day of her show in Montecasino, a full house, everyone esteemed was in attendance, I am talking about famous actors, directors, producers, artists and the upper echelon of society, they all came in to see her and she didn’t disappoint. She got her customary standing ovation after the show. I am amazed with what Sharon can do on the stage, the roles she can play, the different persona’s she can inhabit, how well she can execute different accents, how comedic and witty she is, the cadence in her words, her acting range and she can sing – she is a master! Her mastery comes out in everything she does, she cares! She works hard, is analytical, comes in early to prepare, is consistent and professional. This I witnessed firsthand, her greatness is deliberate. Man, I swear reading Proust changed everything for me cause now I get to appreciate Sharon Spiegel-Wager on the stage. I was blessed this year, I got to be around greatness, I witnessed greatness. Sharon changed everything for me, I can get to my goal, it’s there, I can’t unsee it, I just have to work harder and stay consistent. Warren Buffet had Kay Graham and I have Sharon Spiegel-Wagner, I am not Buffet but I love my chances. She is the best I’ve seen, she’s my scapegoat, she’s the greatest of all time. “Same Time, Next Year” a classic like everything she has done before.