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Ka Lebitso La Moya

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Ka Lebitso La Moya

At the Market Theatre for the opening of Ka Lebitso La Moya. Winner of five Naledi Theatre Awards including best production in a play and best director for Momo Matsunyane.

We open in Ha Satane, a fictional township rife with with despair and hopelessness. Unemployment, crime, no service delivery, no electricity and no water. The residents take to the streets protesting, looting, demanding a change and the head of the current counselor.

Inside the Evangelist Church of Christ is where we find hope. The church serves as a pillar for the community. We are in the church serving as congregates. There is singing and praise for our lord and savior. The mood is festive and in high spirits, jubilation reigns. Ka Lebitso La Moya serves as a greeting for the congregation, a form of endearment that connects and unites. The pastor is charismatic and has women congregates vying for his attention. He is almost lured with Chakakalaka by an admirer but the pastors wife intercepts and stops things from going far. The pastor plans to be a counselor for Ha Satane considering his good standing in the community. This is a facade, he is a man of dubious character, a false prophet lying to his congregation with impunity, grooming underaged girls at church. He uses his power to manipulate an underage girl to call him “daddy”. A love interest of his son. After having his way with the underage girl (rape), he is cold and distant, instructing the girl that he is not his “daddy”. The girl is in a mess, she’s not the same, once a lead in the choir. She becomes a shell of who she was. She is troubled, broken and completely out of it. His son finds out about the relations between his father and love interest and decides to poison his father but he ends up poisoning his love interest instead.

The play is a humorous, fast paced and relatable musical that depicts life in the township. Josias ‘Dos’ Moleele plays the pastor, he feels familiar, his mannerisms and conduct mimics a stereotypical pastor in the township. Ka Lebitso La Moya, he is a preacher, a shapeshifter, a deceiver, he loves women and he exhibits preditory behavior. He won the Naledi for best actor for a reason, his performance is captivating and supremely entertaining. He is your definition of a false prophet and he knows this and is unapologetic about it, profiting and showing no remorse.

Siyasanga Papu plays two characters, one of the characters, the pastors wife. The most amazing singer in the program, she beats them all!

The other actors are amazing too:
Sibusiso ‘Black’ Madondo
Khutjo Green
Zevangeli Mampofu
Chrisophocus Seboka

The pianist Tshepo Dean is emphatic, he sets the mood, he is the pulse, he seamlessly moves from scene to scene, he feels, he has range, he is totally in the story.

Ka Lebitso La Moya! This is an amazing play! We were in Church. We even stood on our feet to the choir girls demand and sang with her, she picked two people from the audience to come on stage and sing and dance with her. It was an experience, it was realistic. Conversations in Sesotho, Tswana, Xhosa, Venda and English because we are in the township. Conversations free-flowing and naturalistic. The characters had character and personality.

Ka Lebitso La Moya! I loved everything about this play.

Congratulations Momo Matsunyane and the whole team for a great show and a deserved standing ovation.

Amor Fati

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Amor Fati

The love of fate, love life, cause life isn’t life until you live it. Be content in your own skin, cherish what you have, love your destiny, your fate. Amor Fati, the love of fate, love everything about your life, your history, heritage, your ancestors, all the circumstances that carved your destiny. Be present, do what you can with the time that you have, life is in your hands, like a sculptor you have everything you need to mould it into what you desire. Amor Fati, the love of fate, love even the bad moments in your life, they present a chance to be resilient, they offer an opportunity to learn something, to know something of substance about yourself, to grow. How can you appreciate the good times when you have never experienced the bad, life exists in dualities, polaritites, one day you are red hot and the next blue ice. This is just a state, conditions don’t last, people do. Amor Fati, the love of fate, busk in your failures, rejoice in your inadequacies, time is forever fleeting, no time to wallow or feel sorry for yourself, the world doesn’t really care about you. Amor Fati, the love of fate, take time to smell the roses, endure the stank of bullshit. You only have one life, you have the make-up that will never be replicated in all of existence, 8 billion people in existence, billions more have perished, you are unique, nothing like you will ever happen again. Don’t waste your energy comparing yourself to a fabricated standard when you are already a standard. There’s no such thing as a life that’s better than yours. No one can ever be better than you. Money and status is illusion, your soul is forever. Amor Fati, take the time to study the manipulators, they will teach you something about yourself, live in your pain, it will prepare you for an euphoric moment, crush your enemies if the moment demands, it will teach you combat, entertain your nihilistic thoughts, it will teach you about God. Amor Fati, every moment is valid, every second is an opportunity, love your life, love your fate, live in a state of creation, nourish the universe with your laughter, stretch out, reach out, help, be a blessing in somebody’s life, embody the change that you want to see. Amor Fati, the love of fate, love everything in your map of experience, even the moments that make you tremble in fear or sob in sadness. Every emotion is valid, you are blessed by the God’s. Love this very moment you are spending with me. Thank you God for the gift of life. Amor Fati, the love of fate, cause life isn’t life until you live it. Don’t waste your life living somebody’s life.

Godless

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Godless

God ain’t never done nothing for me, every day I wake up I am in the same hell. Surrounded by soul sucking demons that drain me off my energy. The same cheographed movement lacking any synergy. Always on my knees praying for things to get better, the silence is deafening it’s like I don’t matter. The resurrection of christ, please, next time he come around I am gonna kick him in the balls! Busy walking on water but he never answers my calls. Don’t be so appalled, what did he ever do for you? How you feature in a program when you have been blackballed. God doesn’t care about me. Every day is the same suffering. Living in a world that’s ruled by tyrants and my significance is interchangeable like another bitch with a wedding ring. Nothing matters, consciousness persistent, we all die, the one thing that’s consistent. God has better things to do, so your life sucks, what’s a God gotta do? He gave you life, don’t be so ungrateful, show some strife. Nietzsche hypothesized God is dead and it has become rife. What are you going to do with your miserable life? We have killed him with our greed and selfishness, now what remains is a society that’s Godless. Maybe he was just a fabrication of the mind, a way to shield ourselves from the horrors that happen outside. We are a horrible race, he could never be on our side. We in this thing together and yet we still picking sides. What kind of sick God would permit this to happen? The widespread hunger and the molestation of our children. The wars in the west and children baring children. God was never alive, Earth is a Godless state. All is permitted, you can get away with it if you have power, the head of state is the one who towers, above everything, in all hours. That’s who created God and made him ours. God helped us shape our preconceived narratives, when the truth is much simpler, nothingless, decay, entropy, destruction.

First Light

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First Light

At Joburg Theatre for the Final Dress Rehearsal of “First Light”. A ballet production by Joburg Ballet, an outstanding show. I fell in love with Ryoko Yagyu, the dedication, precision and finesse is incredible, so beautiful. Theres classical ballet, contemporary and African. Five acts: Raymonda Act 3, Mpho, Nothing Twice, Concerto for Charlie and Classics of Spain. Raymonda Act 3 is the classical ballet, cheographed by Maruis Petipa, music by Alexander Glazunov, spinning on toes, leaps and jumps – classical music in background. High class, aristocracy, upper class and regal, stage is lit brightly, you can see everything, Ryoko Yagyu is amazing, she moves like a swan, pillars at the back and on sides, set in medieval Hungary.

Mpho Contemporary African dance, Tswana, choreography Tumelo Lekana, music by Peter Mpho Mothiba. Unique instruments, drums, African attire. Ulations, praises in the back, whistles and drums the sound, traditional, graceful movement, 3 female dancers standing and spinning on toes. 90 degree spins, so graceful, so beautiful.

3rd dance is dark and edgy, nothing twice, choreographed by Chloe Blair, heavy strings, dark atmosphere with only the spotlight light illuminated from the left, perfect choreography from other dancers, they exit leaving Mario Gaglione and Ryoko Yagyu on the stage, outstanding, slow moving, gliding, contemplative, emotive. Smoke on the stage and screen, beige costumes, utter perfection and overwhelmingly beautiful. In sync and on the same wavelength. Perfect synergy.

Fouth act chandeliers, choreography Veronica Paeper, contemporary work, graceful leaping and jumping, fast paced piano is the music, classical, spinning, pink and beige costumes. Transition to soft, delicate keys. Complete trust from dancers. Splits and finesse.

Fifth act is a Carmen theme, gorgeous red and black costumes, backdrop Seville. Dramatic act. Choreography and Production by Bruno Miranda. Music by George Bizet. Outstanding costumes Joburg Ballet.

Congratulations Joburg Ballet and the whole team for a great show and a deserved standing ovation.

Celestial bodies

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Celestial bodies

At Joburg Theatre for Celestial bodies, a collaboration between Joburg Ballet and Universe on Stage. I was so excited for this.

The execution was stunning, better than in my imagination. I saw the Universe on Stage lecture earlier in the year, it was such an experience! Dr. Luca Pontiggia and Yasheen Modi simplified science, it lost its fear factor, it wasn’t intimidating. With the help of animation, immersive sound and curated narration, they told the story of the big bang, black holes, stars and existence itself. I really loved that lecture, I learned so much.

The Universe on Stage team is back again, this time with Joburg Ballet. The auditorium pitch black, huge screen at the back, the stage empty and Yasheen, the pianist is on the side. Dr. Luca Pontiggia comes in and out the stage.

Impossible to describe the beauty of the ballet dancers. They feel, they show vulnerability. So much poise, technique and beauty. Perfect bodies without a blemish. Stretching, 180 degrees splits in the air, skipping and spinning on their toes. So much elegance, discipline and strength and yet there is a stillness and serenity in the artform. It evokes awe and wonder, you get goosebumps, you gasp – so beautiful.

The costumes by Mari Robinson and Mario Gaglione are so gorgeous!

Lighting design by Simon King set the mood, engulfed by darkness. So minimal, effective and powerful. It concentrated all your energy and focus to the stage.

Darius Botha is the unsung hero with the awesome visuals and animation.

Yasheen Modi just might be the greatest Pianist of all time.

Dr. Luca Pontiggia is brilliant as the narrator. We learned about the big bang, stars and the beauty of the universe.

Thank you so much Di.

Congratulations Mario Gaglione and the whole team for a great show and a deserved standing ovation.

Death List Five

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Death List Five

I am not going to apologize for looking out for myself, I am all I’ve got. Ain’t nobody praying for me, ain’t nobody got my best interests at heart. If you strike, I strike, an eye for an eye, that’s the way of the warrior, ain’t nobody gonna do me dirty. If you ganging up make sure it sticks, a coma will only give me time to recover. Pull the plug on the machines. Atrophied muscles will get some activity and come back to life, then it’s death list five time, I am coming for your life. Don’t start wars you can’t finish, cyanide won’t save you from my wrath, I will leave no stone unturned, I will scour the earth for you and I will get my satisfaction. Death list five, if you are on the offense, make sure you get the job done if not I return with a counterattacking maneuver that will take you out, no apologies, no second chances, you’re dead. Coming for everything you love and value too, wipe off your wife and your kids too. Death list five, you’re fucking with the wrong guy, I can be psychopathic too. Revenge flows through my veins. I am petty, spiteful, I hold grudges, I never forgive nor forget and I am coming for your soul. Cause why care for somebody who won’t give you a second look. Why spare somebody who won’t get you off the hook? Why help somebody whose ambition is to get you shook? Death list five, I am death in the flesh, will break your spirit in dash, get you fired and leave you with no cash. Death list five, leave me alone, you don’t want to cross this line, it will get you crucified. I am a cannibal like the King Cobra, I eat my own kind. I will end you. I am not going to apologize for looking out for myself, I am all I’ve got, I will strike. Death list five, I choose violence, let’s beef, let’s fight.

Beauty in the broken

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Beauty in the broken

On the square for the opening of “Beauty in the broken”. Theatre royalty, I love Theatre on the square.

The show chronicles Gaynor Youngs story, she tells the story. Once an actress, she fell 18 stories down an unguarded lift shaft backstage during a show at the State Theatre in Pretoria. The accident left her with extremely serious injuries: brain damage, many broken bones (including both arms, both legs, ribs, facial fractures). She was in a coma for five weeks, followed by months in hospital and a long rehabilitation process. Hearing was lost; she was totally deaf for 18 years. She also lost a large portion of her eyesight and was physically impaired from the accident. Over time, with a combination of therapies (physical, occupational, speech, etc.) and strong support from family, she regained many abilities. She credits her mother for helping her get back.

Kintsugi: an ancient Japanese practice that mounts and joins broken pieces with gold is central to the play. The idea that you can be better than before. Renewal: To love yourself with impunity. Gaynor was once broken, her dreams in the dust and she rebuilt herself, broken bones and all she fought back to get her dreams!

She’s back on the stage, doing what she loves, filling up theatres, inspiring everyone. The human spirit is so resilient. Life is a gift and we take it for granted sometimes. Stories like these remind us of how fragile life really is. How nothing is ever certain. How you have to fight for everything you have because life is always fleeting. You cannot be a victim, get up, show some strife – no one really cares.

A great touch that she was invited back to the State Theatre after many years for a Naledi Award – her speech so powerful. She talks about the woman she is now as opposed to what ifs. There’s love and gratitude for life in her tone. What a remarkable woman!

She tells her story with personality, humor, emotion and a lot of heart. She has an angel on the other side of the stage who helps her. She is engaging and captivating. The set is simple, I can only assume that it’s her living-room, with a stacked book shelf at the back, table and chair on either side and a blue resting chair in the middle. It is warm and intimate. The lighting just right, it moves the story. In the last scene Gaynor’s dog comes onto the stage and she embraces it with love and affection. A truly moving show.

Thank you Daphne Kuhn and Theatre on the square for bringing this to the stage.

Congratulations Maralin Vanrenen and the whole team for a great show and a deserved standing ovation.

📷: Phillip Kuhn and SamSays

Born to perform

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Born to perform

At the Teatro for “Born to perform”, big day, a time perform, to shine. Youthful energy, vibrant, anticipating to get this done, they love it, they want to dazzle and entertain. Stageworxs alumni, everywhere in the world, successful, thriving, living out their dreams. Jessica Driver among the alumni, served in ABBA and the Taylor Swift Eras in theatres all around the world to much acclaim. Today she was handing out the baton to the next generation, so symbolic, powerful. Zinah Rose and Graeme Watkins were outstanding as hosts. A lot of comedic moments. Like when Graeme came on to the stage with no pants. Zinah had them. The show had everything, everybody performed their hearts out, even the kids. Well practiced and delivered with precision, love and dedication. Fourways High, ST. Vincent for the deaf and NSA are the schools participating, Beauty and the Beast featured, Naledi Award winner Neo Kele performed and Mia Nupen was mezmarrizing, she sang and did ballet, standing on her toes, so majestic, so beautiful. Yahto Kraft is so incredible! He stunned Riky Rick and Lira on popular music show “The Voice”, the judges didn’t know what to say, they were pressing buttons followed by a standing ovation by everyone in the auditorium. That is still his content, he played the Evil ring master and Jesus in the same year. This time he sang Meatloaf classics, that’s always great. The crowd was appreciative. Simphiwe Ndhlovu was a lot of fun. There was a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of energy and a lot of people involved in the production. I met Matthew Marinus.

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

📷: SamSays

Pain

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Pain

Pain, pain, pain is in my heart. Trying to put myself together but it just rips me apart. Voices in my head telling me to push the button, cause life ain’t worth it I’d rather be chopped mutton. Every day is a struggle to get out of bed, what’s the use? Life happens without me, it frizzles into obscurity and I am left to watch on the sides observing like security. I am a spectator watching on the stands while life rules me like some kind of dictator. I don’t know who I am and lately I can’t stand what the mirror says I am. Alcohol as a form of escapism numbs the pain, it transports me to a world where everything is sane, supplement that with some white lines and the world just feels insane. Rather that than to be with people who are vain. Abiding to some false narrative to hid the shame. This life is like a sick game and every day is the same. I’d rather be boozed and snorted out on powder, the high is more exhilarating than fame. Pain, pain, pain, it fountains my existence. Often times I wish my life was in the past tense, because I don’t want to do this anymore. My life doesn’t make sense anymore, my friends and family are not with me anymore. I can’t take this anymore, living in a Godless universe with each passing day feeling like a curse. I don’t see the colors in the world and can’t appreciate a poetry verse. I feel like a motherless child, a bastard, an orphan, like nobody wants me. Zoned out on narcotics and meaningless sex. Gambling problems extort me more than tax. Pain, pain, pain, fighting a losing battle with myself. The blows are self-inflicted, I love it like a sadist because it makes me feel. I have a void in my heart that’s hard to fill.

AIDA

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AIDA

At Ster-Kinekor Theatres, Rosebank Nouveau to watch the premier of Verdi’s Aida on the big screen. A production by Cape Town Opera performed at the Artscape Theatre in Cape Town. I can claim having gone to Cape Town, such was the experience. The visuals in HD and the sound crisp, it was like being in the Artscape auditorium. I kid you not 15 minutes before the show, one of my poems titled “Cape Town” got a like. Cape Town is calling my name again, I don’t believe in coincidences, it’s synchronicities, I read Jung.

A grand production this is. It is spectacular! Egyptian mythology, Isis, vibrant costumes, colorful and bursting with imagination. 4 acts, huge stage. The Opera is sung in Italian, English subtitles for continuity and following with the story. The set evokes the feeling of Egypt with a big triangle hovering in the air against a backdrop of a gold wall that has imagery of the eye of horus. A chorus of 56 singers and dancers who are simply perfect. The singing is phenomenal, we were clapping along with the audience on the screen. A masterclass on technique and finesse, high notes are a given but it’s also about the texture and feel. Opera is emotive and expressive. US based conductor Kamal Khan leads the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra.

Set in ancient Egypt, Aida is a tragic love story involving: Aida, an Ethiopian princess enslaved in Egypt. Radamès, an Egyptian military commander who is in love with Aida. Amneris, the Egyptian king’s daughter, who is also in love with Radamès. The plot revolves around love, loyalty, betrayal, and the conflict between personal desire and duty to one’s country. It ends tragically, as Radamès and Aida are entombed alive for their forbidden love. Yes, buried alive for love.

Gregory Maqoma provides the choreography. A must see for Opera lovers. This production is simply irresistible.

Congratulations Cape Town Opera and the whole team for a great show and a deserved standing ovation.