Theatre

PRINCE

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PRINCE

Micheal is pretty great but if I had to choose, I am going with Prince. Prince inspired Nas, Kendrick Lamar, Bruno Mars Alicia Keys and Beyonce, he lives in their music. He is entrenched in the fiber of popular culture. I am going with Prince because of Eddie Murphy on “Coming to America”, they made a sequel 30 years later and his music still served as a soundtrack to the movie. He makes timeless art, art about love and beautiful girls. Going with Prince because of Electric guitars and ’80 synthesizers. Going with Prince because of “When Doves Cry”, still one of my favorite songs of all time, it gets me in the mood, I can’t help but to dance to it. Going with Prince because he was an amazing creative who in addition to serving as the lead vocalist, produced all his music. No seriously, Prince did everything! He played all the instruments, I am talking guitar, drums, sax and organs. He also chereographed the moves you see on stage. Going with Prince because his music was futuristic yet retro. Contradictory? Juxtaposition? Nah, listen to the music and you’ll understand, it never goes out of style. Going with Prince because of my two EPs, “Projections” and “the hero”, if I were to create a full length LP, it would have a Prince influence, I’d be over the top, talk about love and guitars would dominate. Going with Prince because of “Purple Rain”. “Purple Rain” is “Purple Rain”, self-explaintory, one of the greatest albums ever made and millions around the world have been conceived to it. Going with Prince because of his style, the androgynous sensitive artist and how his music makes me feel. I feel happy, I want to dance and I feel enveloped by love. Prince because I am a romantic. Prince because of “The most beautiful girl in the world”. Prince because of 1999! Prince because “Purple Rain” is better than “Thriller”. Opps! Don’t mean to be inflammatory, this is just one man’s opinion. I love Micheal, but if I had to choose, I am going with Prince, Prince is closer to my spirit.

Joburg Theatre hosted a Prince concert today, Sam put in the through ball and I finished off the move. Outstanding show! Amazing performer Dale Ray is. He is Prince in every sense! He sang like him, he danced like him, he even played all the instruments! No kidding! He played the Electric guitar, piano, sax, keyboard, drums and danced throughout. Great stage presence, he interacted with the audience and made us feel like we were a part of the show. I can’t believe it! I went to a Prince concert! It had all the enthusiasm, the lights, the band, screens, amazing sound, cheographed dancing, beautiful lady back-up singers and I was in unison with the crowd when we sang! It wasn’t a dream, it was live. We were on our feet, some on their knees and we sang to the top of our lungs and Prince himself validated and acknowledged our presence! Prince himself lead us into these songs. Dale Ray is Prince, he is Prince in every sense! “When Doves Cry” was second on the program, “I Would Die 4 You” somewhere, “Kiss” there, “Cream” of course, other classics and “Purple Rain” last, we should have demanded an encore, to stretch the moment a bit longer, stay in that spirit, dance and sing the whole night away. Congratulations to Showtime Australia for an amazing concert and the whole team for a great concert. Unforgettable. Memorable.

The King of Broken Things

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The King of Broken Things

Sticks and stones can break bones but words alone can’t break you. I agree with the lead, that’s a false assertion. Words have the ability to cripple your soul, they matter, it’s how we create our reality. Positive words are better and lighter than the negative ones. Negative words are heavy and weigh you down. I loved the show, it’s powerful, philosophical and sheds a light on the human condition. We are all broken and that’s okay because we can be fixed and made better. Broken things have personality and scars tell a story, that’s how you know you have lived. Kintsugi, a Japanese custom that mounts together broken things with gold to show their character and resilience is central to the play’s message and tone. Broken things can be more valuable than those that don’t have a blemish, that’s the idea of art, renewal and rebirth. You don’t throw away something because it’s broken, you fix it and make it truly yours, you renew it and give it personality. That’s what the lead did when he changed his broken flask into a vase, he took the broken insides of the flask and stuck them outside, the end result is beautiful as the flask is changed into a vase that reflects like a mirror. Of course collecting broken things makes you a hoarder and there’s something psychological about being a hoarder. You can’t let go, you think you can fix, control and restore things back to the way they were or better, you trapped in a loop, you don’t want to grow up. We see this from the lead, he hasn’t been right since his father left, his mother too. He has this yearning to fix it, restore things to how they were because deep down he’s broken. This brokenness manifests as a person being a hoarder of broken things. That’s how artists are born, Kintsugi, and it’s this brokenness that makes them invaluable and beautiful because they capture the world in a way that we can feel. Life is a feeling process and broken things have felt. We are all broken, we think we can fix and control life when in actual fact the Universe is indifferent to us and our whims, but we do it anyways because it’s life and we do have a degree of control, so we create memories, moments, art, because that is what the human condition is all about. It’s easy to throw away things because it rids you off the responsibility but you fail to appreciate the beauty of that thing, everything has soul, beauty and it is in the way that your frame your words that will dictate what you see.

The show touched me, I loved it! I also learned about Japanese philosophy, Kintsugi, will stay with me beyond today, I will take it with me all my life. Amazing performer Cara Roberts is, so childlike, sweet and innocent. The cape, the flying, inquisitiveness, very realistic and believable. Loved the acting, simply put unbelievable! The facial expressions, mannerisms, how she delivered her words, how she made use of the stage, it was a complete performance. She was captivating, she had the crowds attention the whole time, we all cared what she had to say, she commanded the stage, she had real energy, she brought life and meaning to those words, enthusiasm beamed from out of her, she was amazing. A big credit to the writer and director of the show Micheal Taylor-Broderick, perfection is my humble opinion. The lighting was perfect, best suited for an intimate crowd. That was a great show, powerful, that last scene with the robot and the sleeping boy was the best ending ever! Another great one Sam, thank you. Congratulations to the whole team and a deserved standing ovation.

antakalipa – The King of Broken Things

Witness For The Prosecution

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Witness For The Prosecution

Well, I didn’t expect that, so many twists and turns. I really thought Mr. Vole was innocent, I thought he was set up for sure. He pleaded his case with defiance. There’s no ways he could have murdered Mrs. French in cold blood, she was his friend. So what he inherited all her money and was looking at boats the week before her death. These things happen, besides death comes for all of us. Yes, Mr. Vole is a young handsome man with his whole life ahead, is unemployed and had everything to gain from Mrs. French’s death but it’s lazy to label him a murderer. He could have been framed. I was suspicious of everyone earlier in the play. Myself and the gentleman sitting next to me were not convinced of the charge brought against Mr. Vole and when his devoted wife Romaine, was called up as a witness for the prosecution, the alarm bells rang louder. The beautiful foreign girl lied to the jury and was a poor alibi. Instead of helping her husband, she made things worse! She fabricated details whilst his husband was protesting. I felt sorry for Mr. Vole, he vehemently protested his innocence, he was sweating, he was lively, active, on his feet, letting the jury know that he did not kill Mrs. French. That’s when I knew that he was innocent and that it was his wife Romaine who had murdered Mrs. French, the gentleman next to me concurred. Romaine played by the super talented Sharon Spiegel-Wagner is clearly a femme fatale, she oozes sexuality, is dressed in red and when we are first introduced to her, smoke is released from the stage and she makes her grand entrance, music in the background and she takes her sweet time walking. She’s a siren, a real work of art, it’s easy to see why “Leonard kisses the ground she walks on”. She strikes me as the murderer because of the fact that she’s a foreigner and her dubious character. It’s also revealed that she is not even married to Mr. Vole, she’s actually a Helm, still married to her husband living in Belgium. I disliked Romaine more and more as the play went on, a big cognitive dissonance. Sir. Wilfrid played by Graham Hopkins and his junior counsel John Mayhew played by Craig Jackson work exceedingly hard to prove Mr. Voles innocence. They succeed as the jury deliver their verdict – NOT GUILTY! But there’s a twist, it turns out he was guilty and his wife knew, she protected him and fabricated evidence to get him out of the hook earning charges of perjury in the process. That’s not all, it turns out Mr. Vole has a blonde mistress she was planning to elope with, leaving Romaine behind. In a heated exchanged, Romaine stabs and kills his husband. All this happens while still in court with Sir. Wilfrid and his assistant watching in the distance. So in addition to her perjury charge, Romaine will also be trialed for the murder of her husband Leonard Vole.

Unbelievable show! I didn’t know where to look, what to expect. Shocking! Thriller! Drama! Suspense! Agatha Christie is a master, great show. Respect to Graham Hopkins, a true legend, his acting was a masterclass, how he delivers his words, the accent, his posture, mannerisms and stature, it was his show, everything revolved around him, he killed it! Shout-out Peter Terry who plays Mr. Justice Wainwright and Mike Huff as Mr. Myers.

I thought the show had Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment” influence. It’s centers around the same topics, murder and human nature. It’s clear I don’t have a clear understanding of both, I thought Mr. Vole was innocent despite the overwhelming evidence against him. Dostoevsky’s character Raskolnikov, doesn’t murder to inherit a fortune, he murders in cold blood because he is vile, ugly and because he can. He murders because he is in a position of power over the elderly woman, because he doesn’t see the use of the elderly woman living, because God won’t stop him. Dostoevsky documents Raskolnikov’s psyche, he is in a mess, he is haunted, he can’t sleep, he loses weight, he is sick, he is overwhelmed with guilt – the magistrate in charge of murders and equipped with a shrewd understanding of criminal psychology sees all of this, he torments him with his appearance, questions, he sees right through him. Ultimately Raskolnikov confesses and hands himself over. Leonard Vole didn’t exhibit all of this behavior, could he be a sociopath? Stories like this teach you a lot about human nature, it’s interesting to contrast them. “Witness For The Prosecution” is a thought-provoking show that depicts how absurd the human condition is, Albert Camus would be so proud.

I am not going to act like Sharon Spiegel-Wagner isn’t my Achilles heel, she’s the best and she delivered yet again. If I had my way, I’d see her every day. She’s an incredible, amazing, beautiful, talented woman and the show is exhibit A. She performs at a high level and everyone shines. Graham Hopkins and Craig Jackson are the pulse, they hold the show together, some of the shows best dialogue comes from them, they have amazing chemistry and synergy. Greta, played by Dianne Simpson was one of my favorite characters, she was amazing and funny. Brett Kruger as Leonard Vole is excellent. The show was well-written, the performers were amazing and the direction and lighting perfect. The lighting and smoke was pretty awesome! It’s an experience, I felt like I was in that courtroom. I loved that the set was not fixed, it kept on changing, that was appealing to my eyes and it helped with the mood that the director tried to evoke and convey. Some actors committed to double shifts, playing more than one character, wow, the mastery you have to achieve to do that, unbelievable craftsmanship. Congratulations to Alan Swerdlow and the whole team for a great, great show and a deserved standing ovation!

antakalipa – Witness For The Prosecution

My Left Breast

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My Left Breast

Award winning actor Shannon Esra plays a character who is a one-breasted, menopausal, Jewish, bisexual lesbian mother. The play is a woman’s humorous and moving encounter with relationships, parenthood, cancer and her ever-changing self. Unbelievable performer! She is pretty great! Captivating, entertaining, a real master of her craft. Quite clearly she has mastered the art of storytelling. She is lively, animated, expressive, has heart, and made use of the stage to perfection. It didn’t matter that the set was minimal, it was all about her, her story, her experiences, the lighting captured that beautifully, wonderful direction. Difficult story to tell, cancer, but she made it her own, she is convincing, it was her story. She is entertaining, she gives her all to the stage. I loved everything about the show, it is well-written, it has cadence – it flowed, very personal and subjective and that made it powerful. It is the best one woman show I’ve have ever experienced! It was the first time I’ve seen Shannon on the stage and I am a big fan. Simply, I loved her, so magnetic, she has charisma, she drew in the crowd, she had them in the palm of her hand, she commanded everything about that experience even after that slight turbulence; heckler alert, so you bought a ticket to be a thorn in the performers act, a wonderful job you have. Somebody get this spotlight stealer out the auditorium! Shannon remained calm and professional, it didn’t affect her swagger and frame, she pushed on fiercely and continued with the play!! A real master at play!!! I loved her!!! I loved the play, the subject matter, the lighting, how intimate it was the direction and most importantly her performance! She is the best! Well done to the whole team and a deserved standing ovation.

antakalipa – My Left Breast

On the square

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On the square

I fell in love with her when I heard her sing “Back to Black”, I got goosebumps and I started to shiver. I felt Amy’s spirit, she lived through Sharon, her execution was flawless, I had never witnessed talent like that. She was amazing, she felt familiar, my dopamine levels spiked to new levels, I loved watching her on the stage. She made me happy because now when I went to the theatre I’d hear Amy. Everything just felt like devine intervention, like a higher power was in control, like the Universe was conspiring in my favor, like I finally made it! It was my first week on the job on the square as the stage manager, Daphne Kuhn on the credits. For me it was a dream job because I’d get to interact with fellow content creators. Theatre on the square is known for hosting the best talent in the country, if not the world and for me the opportunity to be a spectator of greatness is heaven. I had seen “Nothing but the truth”, written by John Kani, starring Sello Maake Ka-Ncube, Mbali Nhlapo and the Ziaphora Dakile. It was a spectacular show, honestly the best I had ever seen. I saw it twice. I remember after the show, I saw Mbali near the box office. I remember feeling the urge to go up to her and congratulate her on the great show. So I went up to her and told her that her performance was awesome, I hugged her and I walked away. I meant it too, everybody in the production excelled with flying colors. First time I went to the theatre I watched “Home Affairs” starring Sello Ramolahloane and Lawrence Joffe. I went to the theatre with the hopes of getting a job, lucky for me Daphne was in the box office. I talked to her and gave her my CV, but the theatre wasn’t hiring, Covid sent the whole industry on its knees and the theatre didn’t have sponsors to sustain the expenditures of the business, to cut matters short, there was not enough money coming through. I persisted and made my case stating that I just love content and I just need a chance. She relented if not compromised and offered me a ticket to watch “Home Affairs” the next day at 20:00. At the moment the heavens opened up and I heard choruses of Hallelujah in my head. I took her up on her offer and went the next day and I loved the show. Of course one ticket for one show was never going to be enough for me, I needed more. The theatre door was the door I’d been looking for all my life, the stage, the lights, the sound and the live performance. For me getting a job on the square was never about money. I felt establishing connections was key for the long-run and ultimately, I started working there for free, for the love and happiness it gave me but Daphne did give me money for transport, a wonderful gesture. She changed everything for me. After “Home Affairs”, I sent an email to Daphne thanking her for opening up this beautiful world of theatre for me and I asked her for tickets for the next show. She obliged and with that I started coming to the theater more often. I saw every production. It was not until “The Dress Code” that I was welcomed to the family. Reginah Dube who started alongside Daphne in the early days of the theatre took a liking to me straight away and offered to take me under her wing so I can learn more about theatre, I accepted. Loftus taught me how to operate the lights, he was the technical guy in charge of the sound and lights, he had a good taste in music, level-headed, calm, the voice of reason, showed care and love towards his work and was always good to me. He was a great guy, I admired and respected him. Melidah was accommodative, kind and beautiful. She was the person I looked forward to seeing at the theatre. Malebone was the light that brightened my day, she had a smile that radiated and always made me feel welcomed and at home. Reggie was the guy who opened the door for me when I started for the first time that monday. That’s the day I first heard Sharon sing “Black to Back”, it was like I floating on clouds, like I was one of the 144 000 people selected to go into heaven, like everything was finally coming full circle. Of course her co-stars are on the level of her excellence. Lorri is a different beast when she’s on the stage, she lights up, you can literally see light emitting through her pores, she glows, no hyperbole. She is witty, comedic, intelligent and a great singer. She is the tempo of the show, the heartbeat, the soul. Ntambo is powerful, assured, heartfelt and dominant – also a great singer, when she sings “My Mother’s savage daughter” the whole world is at her mercy, she doesn’t even need the piano, she performs it acappela style, she’s on the stage barefoot with her dreadlocks dangling on either side of her shoulders, she is raw and empowering, she is amazing! One of the top highlights of the show. And Cliff of course murdering it on the piano. No mistakes, 10/10 performance every day! Shoutout Craig Jackson with his show “Defending the Caveman”, a great show I watched twice. And it would be a great injustice if I left out “Cat and Monkey”, I loved it, it reflected so much about reality, about how toxic co-dependent relationships can be, it was funny and relatable, I knew the characters on the stage first hand, Danielle Retief and Rowlen von Gericke executed extremely well. Even with that Sharon takes the cake for me mainly because of Amy. Lorri helped immensely at the end of the song, her song “Black Velvet” converges at the end with “Back to Black” and the end result is a masterpiece. It was the day everything finally came together and Amy Winehouse was the soundtrack, I felt blessed and everything made sense.

P.S. A big congratulations to Amanda Bothma, Vincent is a masterclass on theatre. When I heard Germaine Gamiet playing the piano in rehearsal, I thought he was the best piano player in the world and I told Daniel Anderson his talent was on another level! After the first show, I told Germaine that his the best piano player in the world and for Daniel, well, I told him his the goat – that’s the best I had, it wasn’t hyperbole, it was the general consensus, you have to see “Vincent” for yourself, it was what I felt and it needed to be expressed. Vincent always had people on their feet clapping and clapping, it was warranted to, it’s a great show. I am proud to have been a part of the production staff for “The Dress Code” and “Vincent” – Daphne Kuhn on the credits.

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.