Theatre on the square

Amy Winehouse: The Diva and Her Demons

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Amy Winehouse: The Diva and Her Demons

On the Square for the Amy Winehouse: The Diva and Her Demons show, I thought it was opening night. Melidah set things right. Tonight is the preview, opening night is on Friday. Finger too quick on the trigger, Friday is too far. I’ll watch the preview tonight and come back tomorrow for the opening!

I’ve been excited about the show ever since I heard it’s coming on the square. Amy Winehouse is my favorite artist of all time! Couldn’t see her live but tonight was the closest thing to a Amy Winehouse concert. Kerry Hiles was amazing on Judy Garland’s “A star is born” – Amanda Bothma duh but she really did it this time! That just might be the best tribute show of all time! Incredible show! Kerry simultaneously narrates Amy’s life, it’s informative, intimate and insightful, she talks Amy’s early days, her parents, Blake, smoking Marijuana, crack cocaine, alcoholism, Frank, fashion sense, winning 5 Grammy awards in one night, Tony Bennett, Back to Black and her ultimate demise. Songs off Frank, Back to Black and Lioness: Hidden Treasures were performed. I lost my mind when I heard “Cherry” – I didn’t expect that! I lost total control of my body when they performed “You’re Wondering Now” and “Monkey Man”.

Other songs performed were “Me and Mr. Jones”, “Addicted”, “Valerie”, “Love is a losing game”, “Rehab”, “Tears Dry on Their Own”, “Take the Box”, “Stronger Than Me”, “Our Day Will Come”, “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” and the posthumously Grammy award winning “Body and Soul” with Tony Bennett.

A perfect way to start off the new year! What are you waiting for? Go get your tickets now! They are only here for 10 days!

Kerry Hiles is on Vocals and the Bass.
Roscoe Nefdt plays the guitar.
Kristo Zondagh is on drums and suitcase – you’ll understand when you see the show.

The music is crispy fresh and reimagined. Kerry is mesmerizing on the vocals while Kristo lends his voice to the backup. I loved “Valerie”. It’s so cool they performed all the music that I loved. I couldn’t stop singing and dancing! What an experience! The theatre is going to have a hard time keeping me out – my spirit is screaming encore! I love Kerry Hiles even more now – she could never do wrong in my eyes.

Thank you Theatre on the square for bringing Amy Winehouse to me. My favorite artist of all time!

Congratulations Misery Loves Company for a great show and a deserved standing ovation.

📸: SamSays

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

The Tramp

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The Tramp

On the square to watch The Tramp. Amanda Bothma, Daniel Anderson and Paul Ferreira – devastating triple threat! Stick to the secret formula, let’s get the people on their feet cheering and clapping.

Amanda Botha on the script, good feelings, reverse engineering, biographical, sharp witted, with personality, contemplation and reflection. Paul Ferreira on piano, spotless without a blemish, backbone, the pulse silently beating to provide life and sustenance. The first time I ever saw Daniel Anderson perform, I thought “goat” and I managed to shake his hand and tell him to his face. The goat has struck again, back to back, within weeks to casually deliver another masterpiece. I maintain my stance, the greatest performer of all time, it’s amazing what he does on the stage, simply unbelievable. He has energy, expressive, animation and enjoyment on his face, he is mobile and on his feet, running, climbing on top of props, dancing, singing and telling a story all at once. Charisma so bullish, it ripples through the ceilings of charts. Fantastic endurance, breath-control and stamina. Singing and voice intonation is just world class. Captivates you from the first minute until the end, presence, commanding, enthralling. When he sang “If my friends could see me now” after Charlie Chaplin became the most famous person in the world, it connected. I loved smile.

Wonderful set design by Willem Disbergen, middle screen that provides visual cues, we see footage of Charlie Chaplin’s films, two big suitcases that are also screens and the wheelchair Chaplin reels in the show with as an old man at the start of the show. Paul is next to the steps, giving the stage to Daniel to fully optimize. Sonwa Sakuba provides the choreography, worked well with Daniel to match Chaplin’s mannerisms and movements.

Born in London, England Charlie Chaplin transcended and innovated the moving picture business and found his way to Hollywood where he was later exiled. Chaplin wrote, edited, directed, produced, starred and composed music for most of his films. He refused to work with sound films. The show explores Charlie Chaplin’s life, his ascent to the top, the construction of “The Tramp”, the silent era, his movies; The Kid, The Gold Rush and City Lights, the film with Adolf Hitler and how he became the most recognizable person in the world.

An outstanding show, Wela Kapela make me so excited. Daphne Kuhn and Theatre on the square deliver yet again, effortless.

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

Master Harold… and the boys

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Master Harold… and the boys

On the square for the opening of “Master Harold… ” and the Boys. Filled to the brim, no space. Celebrities, celebrities, swimming all around, it’s a serious day for theatre, three performers at the top of their game delivering a Athol Fugard classic, RIP.

The story started off light with a comedic tone, with Willie and Sam conversing about the upcoming ballroom competition. Willie has high hopes of winning but he doesn’t have a partner. He beats his beloved Hilda, too much and too hard. Sam comes off as an expert. He teaches Willie a couple of moves. Hally, a white 17 year old, comes in and the atmosphere and relationship dynamic changes. Willie positions himself in the background, cleaning, keeping things moving. He calls Hally master. Hally even admonishes him and beats him with his ruler. Sam is more liberated, they talk about Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace, Charles Darwin, Kites, and Dostoevsky. They seem familiar, they are in sync, there’s an understanding and then everything switches. Racism, hate, apartheid, I am better than you Kaffer, spilling this bottle of alcohol on the floor because I can, clean it up! Also you gonna have to start calling me master Harold, Kaffer. All bridges get burned when Hally does the unthinkable and spits on Sam’s face. Everything shatters, there’s no going back, what’s done is done. The play takes place in a small tea shop on a rainy afternoon. You hear the raindrops and we have the added sensation of seeing the rain. The rain sets the mood, it’s depressing, they do their best to amuse themselves, they are trapped in one room, Hally’s father is a cripple and his mother currently at the hospital, the mask peels off.

Sello Maake ka-Ncube plays Sam, a waiter at the coffee shop.

Daniel Anderson is “Hally”, oh sorry, master Harold.

Lebohang Motaung is “Willie”, the other waiter/cleaner.

Set designer by Wilhelm Disbergen, an awesome set that evoked the 1950s.

This is such a powerful show. Hats off to Daphne Kuhn and Theatre on the square for yet another banger! It starts off nice and slow and then it hits you with a vice grip. You can’t go anymore, you are trapped, there is nowhere to go. It’s triggering. An outstanding performance from the performers who told the story masterfully. Daniel Anderson shocked me to my core today.

Congratulations to Warona Seane and the whole team for a great show and a deserved standing ovation.

A dolls house pt. 2

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A dolls house Pt. 2

On the square for the opening of a dolls house pt. 2. Full house, the place is buzzing and excitement is in the air. Nothing is better than a filled up theatre on the square, the energy is contagious. It’s close knit, intimate and warm. The laughs rebound and echo in the auditorium, you can hear every sound, every gasp, every comment from the audience and the view is in your face, up close and personal, no matter which seat you take. Every seat is a great seat, even the seats close to the pillars.

The show is a great one, it captivated the audience throughout. It’s humorous and explores subjects on self-identity, marriage, traditional gender roles, love and freedom. Nora Helmer comes back after 15 years to the family she abandoned in search of herself. Not much has changed except that the children have grown. The helper (Anne Marie) stepped up in her absence and raised them, neglecting her own life and children in the process. It’s not like she had a choice, she’s not from money, she had to do whatever she could to survive. Nora became a successful author in that period, writing books that serves mainly the female demographic. She questions the institution of marriage and monogamy. Is it worth it? Does it make sense? Why is one partner enough for a lifetime? Surely, I am not the person you married because I’ve changed, you have changed. I am reduced to a role and expectations and I am not myself anymore. I don’t even know who I am anymore, I am subsumed by your domineering character. When relationships start out, it’s all fresh, it’s new, it’s exciting, we go out of our way to woe the other person, we role play, we do things that we will never do again to gain access into that person’s life and once we do, we relax, we become complacent, we stop trying so hard, the relationship stales up and we lose ourselves.

It is this type of writing that gets Nora in trouble with the law. It is this type of writing that empowers her female readers to leave their families. She also finds out that she is still married with her husband, she initially thought she was divorced but her husband didn’t post the paperwork. She wants a divorce but her husband Torvald won’t give it to her. She involves her daughter, hoping that she can convince her father. Eventually he relents and gives it to her but she doesn’t want it anymore.

This is a awesome play, it had the audience laughing out loud, there were also ironic stares from the cast to the audience, breaking the fourth wall, at times it was as if they were talking to us directly. Some uncomfortable laughs from the audience because of the realism of the content. There was range and different states in the performances. The performers had chemistry and overall flow – they were outstanding! The costumes were retro, they gave a 1800 – 1900 vibe. The story is perfectly paced and the scenes clear. The set, writing and lighting – all great!

Bianca Amato plays Nora
Zane Meas is Torvald
Charlotte Butler is Anne Marie
Simone Neethling is Emmy

Congratulations Barbara Rubin and the whole team for a great show and a deserved standing ovation!

THE PILLOWMAN

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THE PILLOWMAN

Set in a totalitarian state, that’s always fun. The subtext communicating that darkness and lack of control prevails. The story world is uncertain, suspicious and not sure of itself. It seeks resolution, justice and truth. The bounds of morality are put through a microscope. What’s right? What’s wrong? Are you right for suffocating your parents with a pillow because they abused you as child? Is taking another life ever justifiable? Definitely not a show for snowflakes. Murder, blood and torture are a running feature in the show. There’s indifference in the murders by the characters for humors sake and just sociopathy. The story starts off in an interrogation room when a writer Kutarian is questioned of the murder of children resembling and mirroring what he wrote in his short stories. The details of the murders and his stories are identical. The detectives even find tangible evidence in his house of the victims severed body parts. The deaths are gruesome and graphic, from razor blades shoved in the throat to toes being cut off leading to bleeding to death. The writer Kutarian claims innocence and the detectives Tupolski and Ariel press down on him heavily to get the truth out of him, deploying “good cop, bad cop” and torture techniques. Kutarian’s brother Michal is also in custody in another room awaiting the same brutish treatment. Michal is a “special” case and the words retard and slow are loosely used to describe him. It is revealed that he is the killer and not his brother. Finding out the truth, Kutarian murders his brother in a jail cell and takes the fall for everything, hoping to spare his brother torture and preserve his writing for years to come. In the end, he too is put to the sword but his work survives for another 50 years.

Unbelievable story, I simply loved everything about the show. The subject matter dark and uncomfortable but it was under the hands of expert storytellers. A couple of hours with an interval, we went deep into the story and understood what motivated the characters. The writer Martin McDonagh is the real hero. The writing is simply exquisite! The pacing of the show, the dark humor, the sharp wit and sarcasm – it contributed some comic relief to a tense storyline. The miniature stories told throughout the story using animation and art projected on the screen was a great touch. We had visual aids, we could see the stories the performers told. That was such a cool experience, I’ve never experienced theatre like that, it’s risky, unsettling, cringe and out of the comfort zone theatre. The show was captivating, a real thriller, I was locked in that world. The performers were outstanding, they stayed in role even after the show was over. They didn’t even take a bow, the story and ending didn’t call for them to take a bow. Darkness just permeated until the auditorium was lit indicating that the show was over. If I were to rate it, I’d give it perfect stars – all the stars! It was an immensely satisfying show.

My hat goes off to Hugh Becker who played Katurian, the writer who initiated all the chaos. Ildi Kungl who played Tupolski, detective number 1 and good cop. Tebogo Tladi who played Ariel, detective number 2 and bad cop and Wentzel Lombard who was untouchable as Michal. Congratulations Paprika Productions for an amazing show, definitely coming back for a second run. Thank you Daphne Kuhn and Theatre on the square for another classic.

Musical Chairs

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Musical Chairs

I’ve been struggling with my own significance for the whole day. 11:11 when I checked my phone, angel numbers, everything is in perfect alignment. I know the ego is a fabrication of the mind. A dirty trick that makes me believe I matter. How many people would miss me if everything turned to black? Who will remember me? What legacy did I leave behind? Nothing, I don’t exist. 4:44 time to prepare for the theatre, Musical Chairs is on. I get to Sandton, almost On the square, the Gautrain station in sight, then out of nowhere, with a lot of speed, from a corner, a car approaches me, I duck but it connects and hits my left leg, shook but I regain my balance, it’s not bad and I don’t fall but it hurts. I look in the distance thinking it’s a hit and run but the driver reverses. White guy, white Hyandai, in a hurry, he wasn’t paying attention. I am relieved, at least he has some humanity. It’s awkward for him, he doesn’t know what to say. I reassure him and thank him for coming back to check up on me. I tell him it’s cool, it’s okay, I can still walk but you hurt me. I was so close to the theatre, I am basically there, I let it go, I escaped, what’s done is done. I shook his hand and limped my way to the theatre to go watch Musical Chairs.

11:11 the show was stunning. From the lighting, music, dancing and minimalistic set. It was spellbinding, attention glued, difficult to take your eyes off the stage. I don’t think I even took a sip of my water. Everything lost relevance, the stage was the center of the Universe. Nothing mattered but the performers on the stage, they were simply amazing. It is story-telling like I have never seen before. No dialogue, no words, just dance and movement. It was expressive, energetic and moving. You understood the story, the story about inclusion, exclusion, relevance, validation – please like me, see me, I matter. For most of the show, the dancers fight for seats because there aren’t enough. A seat means you are a part of the group, a clique, relevance, validation, you matter. When you don’t have a seat, you are excluded, out in the cold, no one cares about you. Sophisticated metaphor about the world of social media. Social media is the pulse of the show. You want that seat, the performers on the stage fight to get that seat. Different dance styles and music genres are incorporated in the show. The performers are 3 dimensional, performing with a lot of energy and passion. They feel it. They are in the moment. They are sweating on stage. They are giving everything they have. Totally in sync, perfect cheography and wonderful chemistry – they love what they do. Now I understand the 4:44, it was a nudge from the Universe, all is linked, synchronicity, I read Jung, everything is in perfect alignment, it was a great day.

Thank you Daphne Kuhn and Theatre on the square for yet another fantastic experience. The theatre is my heaven.

Congratulations Aurelie Stratton, Hungani Ndlovu, Sipho Didiza and the whole team for an amazing show and a deserved standing ovation.

the assembly improv show

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The Assembly Improv show

Improv – make something up, think on the spot, go with the flow, zen, Bruce Lee, be like water, be formless, quick witted, puns, irony, sacarsm and it has to be humorous! Let’s break the fourth wall, you there, yes you reading this, listening to this, yes hi, happy new year, acknowledge me, make things easier for yourself, I am not going anywhere.

On the square for the Assembly Improv show, filled to the brim, full house. Was with SamSays, it was a great show, unpredictable, spontaneous, quick witted and so funny. We couldn’t stop laughing, we were entertained from the first minute to the last. What I found to be most effective in Improv, is calm. You have to let things process, be in the moment, respond not react. Reactions are filled with anxious energy and that’s not humorous because you bulldoze the act and spoil the tone of the scene. Relax, let other performers have the spotlight. You don’t have to be in every scenario. Listen – don’t bulldoze and overpower others. Anxiety is nervous and not sure of itself, it roams around everywhere, attempts to do everything, please everyone, and it ends up having the opposite effect because it hinders the performance of the other performers to flourish. Calm is controlled, it exudes power, charisma and assurance. When you are calmer, you can be playful and ironic and your punchlines carry more weight. You listen to respond and not to strengthen your view. There were moments of calm and anxiety in the show. I understood the anxiety, entertaining a full house can be exhausting and emotionally draining. It was still a great show, light-hearted, filled with humor and completely unexpected. The show comprised off 6 acts. They improvised about chicken, boyfriend builders, being a little gay, earthworms and burning your mother’s tyre’s.

I loved the two sisters of Case Closed, Megan and Tash Casey. They had a lot of chemistry and complimented each other. They were quick witted, quirky and humorous. The girls of Mechanics of Chaos were simply outstanding! They stole the show, the audience couldn’t stop laughing, they were totally in sync, they complimented each other, they built on each other’s scenes, they listened and added to each other’s scenes, they stuck to performing the scenario the audience gave them; the boyfriend builder and they looked like they were having a lot of fun. I loved them because they were not searching for laughs, anxiety was not a factor, they were in the moment, they loved performing for the audience and it reflected with their performance. Shout-out Itu Chiloane, Mmasehume Raphiri, S’bahle (Sparkles) Hlophe, Sonia Mayor, Tafadzwa Chakanya, Unathi Shongwe and Zanele Sokatsha for a wonderful set. Shout-out to everybody, the gradient, the off cuts and thirst trap. Thank you Daphne Kuhn and the team for the whole experience. Yet another one from Bronwen and B-Sharp entertainment – thank you. Congratulations to The Assembly Improv show and a deserved standing ovation.

Sipho Hotstix Mabuse

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Sipho Hotstix Mabuse

Party on the square, I was at the opening of the Sipho Hotstix Mabuse concert. Memorable show, high octane energy, we were dancing all night. The show also commemorated music from legends like Hugh Masekela, Brenda Fassie and Stimela. The band were Jazzing, having fun, trying out new material, like the music they played that was inspired by the forceful removals in Sophiatown. It was Jazzy and evoked a feeling of nostalgia. I enjoyed that we had different horns in the ensemble. Horns show different textures, feelings and emotions, they have the ability to be reflective and evoke feelings of sorrow and rue like Miles Davis and John Coltrane on “Kind of blues”. Horns can make you reminisce about simpler times or strife in difficult times, to be optimistic like “Move on up” by Curtis Mayfield. Another song I loved by Sipho and the band was “Welcome”, a song dedicated to then ANC President Oliver Tambo. Speaking of Presidents, we had two former head of states in attendance in Thabo Mbeki and Kgalema Motlanthe. VIP – partying with very important people. Sipho Mabuse has an amazing, talented family and they helped him with the program. His son Biko is an amazing vocalist and is proficient with the guitar, he performed a piece of mezmarrizing music that had the audience spellbound. Sipho’s daughter, Nqobile, is a talented vocalist and she performed “Weekend Special” by Brenda Fassie among other songs. His nephew performed original music that he composed with the helped of Biko titled “Amor” – it is heartfelt and beautiful. All the performances were great, they were Jazzin, having a lot of fun, feeling it from within. We also had a musician who flew all the way from Mauritius who played a stringed Indian instrument. He played it with so much mastery, it blended in with the bass, keyboard and tempo, it was Jazz music like you have never heard before. It was different, it was glorious. I have a weakness for the electric guitar, that didn’t change today, the performer was outstanding – everyone was outstanding! From the drums guy, percussions, bass, keyboard and piano and Sipho himself. Everything about the day was perfect, it started off with an encounter with Job Kubatsi (Ntate Maphikela), the star of the hit show “The Suit”, returning for a second season in February and ended off with Ntambo Rapatla – Her mother’s savage daughter. I was with Sam throughout and Bronwen delivered yet another defense-splitting pass. Music for the Gods, endorsed by President Thabo Mbeki and President Kgalema Motlanthe. It was a party, the auditorium was merry, smiles tattooed on faces, all seats were vacated because everyone was on their feet dancing and singing along to the music, people documenting the experience through their phones taking selfies, time flew. Nobody wanted it to end, it was an amazing show. Congratulations Sipho Hotstix Mabuse and the whole team and a deserved standing ovation.

The suit

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The suit

Sello Maake ka-Ncube, self-explaintory, it sells itself, star power, an absolute legend. Which reminds me. Where is his star? I thought I was hallucinating reality, maybe it’s at the corner? Maybe it’s still in construction? I searched and I searched – nothing. The greats have their star but where is his? He is Archie Moroka, Daniel Nyathi, Sipho Makhaya, a gladiator in the world of T.V and theatre, performed and produced the best, what more must he do? Rueful, a missed opportunity. Give the man his flowers. He deserves them, he is ours.

I was on the square for the opening of “The Suit”. Full house, esteemed individuals and celebrities, the excitement was contagious, Covid style. Everyone was infected by the spirit of the show. A story about betrayal, set in Sophiatown. Tells the story of a wife who commits adultery when his husband is at work and is one day caught in the act. The man flees leaving his suit behind. As a form of punishment, the spiteful husband forces the wife to integrate the suit in their every day life, dinners, social gathering, church, everything. What used to be a duo is now a trio. Humiliated at the gazing and the constant talk behind her back, the wife ultimately takes her own life. The show was humorous, gritty and serious, I appreciated the work of artists. They did their best to tell the story as authentically as they could. However, I did have a couple of issues with the story-telling techniques. Great story but it could have been executed better. Too much telling and not showing. Although the writing was great, it was descriptive and emotive. You got the two perspectives of the partners. They shared their inner most thoughts and communicated their state of mind. We know that Matilda (the wife) felt lonely and the husband oppressed due to his long hours at work. It still felt like a recital, a book reading. Felt rushed and we were manipulated into feeling a certain way. We couldn’t come up with our own conclusions. The audience’s imagination was not allowed to roam around.The show needed to be longer with an interval. Character arcs and ending predictable. I never read the book but I knew the conclusion before time because the narration was leading me there, it told me what to think. The show had elements of physical theatre. It was a good show and the character of Mr. Maphikela provided the comic relief, the audience loved him. He saved the show for me. The set evoked the feeling of Sophiatown. The music added an element of drama and the lighting moved the story. Maybe I went to the theatre expecting another “Nothing but the truth”, maybe I am disappointed it was not that. Tshireletso Nkoane is beautiful, I understand the intruder in her marriage. Job Kubatsi and Lebohang Motaung humorous and didn’t put a foot wrong. They were relatable and when we did have a scene with dialogue and the characters interacting with each other, the show was gold. The show had a lot for 80 minutes, the narration of the story compressed and minimized the performance arts element in it. However, it was still a great show. The audience loved it and it garnered a standing ovation. Congratulations J. Bobs Tshabalala and the whole team and a deserved standing ovation.