New Boy at the NewSpace

Acclaimed UK play ‘New Boy’ makes its South African premiere at The NewSpace Theatre, with an all South African cast.

The opening minutes of this play have me slinking lower in my seat, rather embarrassed, as I wait to sense the reaction of the friend next to me in response to the very explicit sexual discussion taking place from the stage.

But it doesn’t take long for us to settle and for the references to become really funny.

This is a pertinent look at sex. And high school. And how the experiences of those two are intricately entwined.

Barry is the New Boy – aloof and attractive, who pays very few people any attention. And yet, he establishes a friendship with the ultra-stereotypically-looking-and-behaving nerdy Mark. They are, it emerges, both virgins, although Mark has spent a lot of time thinking about how best to change that, while Barry waits for the one. Mark’s encouragement to change that status quo leads to all sorts of interesting developments, in their lives, and in their friendship.

It’s not hard to imagine why the girls would, and do, fawn after Barry – Stephen Jubber has a beautiful body (a shower scene leaves very little to the imagination). But it is Clive Gilson as Mark who must take the proverbial cake. He really assumes the part – looking and behaving every bit the struggling schoolboy in a perfectly believable performance.

My other favourite thing is the set… colourful and functional, with sliding bits and many things which open and shut. Unassuming lockers yield glasses of wine and changes of clothes. Much credit to the production team, whose design and lighting go a long way towards making this show work.

The supporting roles are not to be underestimated, with the most credible performance by Gahlia Phillips.

It’s funny, contains much truth, and is really well presented – in my opinion easily one of the better offerings from The NewSpace this year.

Directed by Russell Labey, adapted for stage by Labey, from the novel by William Sutcliffe. Lighting is by Jane Gosnell with set designed by Leopold Senekal. Starring Stephen Jubber as the new boy Barry, Nicole Franco as Margaret, Clive Gilson as Mark, Dylan Edy as Dan, and Gahlia Phillips as Louise.

New Boy runs at The NewSpace Theatre (44 Long Street) till 15 November 2009. Performances are from Mondays to Fridays at 8pm with a matinee show at 5pm on Saturdays. Tickets range from R95 to R130 via Computicket and Mondays are ‘buy one get one free’ nights via 021 422 5522. PG 16 (language and nudity).

Fiona Gordon
fiona@artslink.co.za
www.artslink.co.za

Rob van Vuuren is himself, and some others…

Rob van Vuuren takes down the fourth wall in a comic and personal look at life on stage.

A regular on the South African entertainment scene in various guises, Rob van Vuuren presents the art of story-telling from a different perspective, as he attempts to provide some sort of insight into wonderful lie that is theatre, and which is presented as truth, for a while.

He talks a whole lot of “kak” – literally – from the pre-show ramblings, and as a theme throughout. With tales of his 1980s childhood as a white kid prancing around the Eastern Cape family farm and playing with cow dung, to urinating on demand on stage, there is much “toilet humour”.

From standing on the edge of the spotlight as he learned his craft at Rhodes in Grahamstown, to children’s theatre, and a foray into the Cape Flats, he tells stories of life as an “ac-tor” (said as only an ac-tor could). War stories, as it were, as they really do present as stories of survival – of being stabbed on stage, creative prevention of a smash and grab, empty auditoriums and radical bowel movements – and even of being recognized far too frequently in Fruit and Veg…

There’s a lot of use of various forms of profanity (one in particular), but let’s be serious – it’s pretty standard as part of a comic act. He moves with remarkable agility, is able to paint vivid pictures in the imaginations of his audience, and does some great voices, but by far the best parts for me, are where he loses the “act”, and is really, just himself…

“Rob Van Vuuren Is Rob Van Vuuren” runs nightly at the NewSpace Theatre until 17 October – Mondays to Saturdays at 8pm, with a Saturday matinee at 5pm. Tickets cost R135 through Computicket. The show is rated PG13 for language.

Fiona Gordon
fiona@artslink.co.za
www.artslink.co.za

Pizzaz in pointe shoes

Fiona Gordon: Bovim Ballet’s SwingTime evokes the spirit of the Big Band Era in designer dress and pointe shoes.

Clever use of other arts, including timeless music accessible across generations, and much attention to the theatricality of the visuals, keeps the production of SwingTime in line with choreographer and company director Sean Bovim’s vision of making ballet accessible to a wider audience. And the fact that he pushes the boundaries of balletic expectation, and does so with beautiful bodies, certainly helps his cause.

We are taken on a loosely-constructed trip down his memory lane by an aging Mr Bojangles (played with characteristic sensitivity by Grant Swift). The smooth voice of vocalist Francois Lliam accompanies some of the songs. As at home in his dance shoes as with microphone in his hand, or behind the grand piano, Lliam slips seamlessly into the chorus line as necessary. Each dancer has their strengths, character, and is interesting to watch, as a part of the whole, for different reasons. Some have better extensions, some have timing that is super spot-on, some have personality that is magnetic. But Simone Muller’s flawless performance of her solo in silver definitely deserves a special mention.

Choreography, particularly for the group numbers, is loosely based on the style of the Charleston and jive; fast-paced and en pointe. Designed to dazzle, some of the pieces are more polished than others. Where they got it together, it was slick and exciting in its uniformity. In the pieces where it was a bit more messy, and unfortunately there were a few, it does lose the special something. There were one or two obvious technical slips, but on the whole the seams were smooth.

Couples feature strongly throughout the ballet – whether those couples were ‘dreaming a little dream’, or cute and flirty (‘with a wink and a smile’), glamorous in gold, representative of the young Bojangles and his young love, or young men in Jumpin’. ‘Ms Jones’ features, with high-kicking legs, and some were serenaded by a seductive violin (played by none other than company administrative manager Francois Arzul) which evokes olde worlde elegance in two beautifully performed white pas de deux. Whether high-energy and fast-paced, or slower and more sentimental, much of the partner work is deceptively difficult with complicated lifts and crowd-pleasing tricks, and yet manages to portray a mood most effectively, forming a strong backbone of the show.

The second half of the show doesn’t exude quite the energy of the first – perhaps a testament to the aging of Mr B – but there is little chance of boredom, and I am disappointed when the programme comes to its end.

The use of mirrors and mirror balls add another dimension to the movement, and to the overall theatrical effect. From lighting (Patrick Curtis); to choreographic patterning; to a programme designed as a long-playing record (Karl Staub) and designer costumes – black and white dropped-waist dresses, men striking all in white, or women sparkling in glittery red dresses (all courtesy of Kluk and CGDT), much attention is paid to design throughout, and lends a lot to the success of this production, which can be appreciated on many levels, by a diverse audience.

SwingTime runs at The Baxter Theatre from Tuesdays to Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 6pm, until 25 October. Tickets range from R120-R150, and are on sale through Computicket.

The ballet moves to the Oude Libertas in Stellenbosch from 2-12 December 2009

Cast: Kerryn Howard, Tanya Futter, Kirsten Isenberg, Faye Dubinski, Simone Muller, Jennifer Middleton, Kristin Wilson and Nicola Marais, Grant Swift, Marc Goldberg, Shaun Brian Murphy, Ignatius Van Heerden, Devon Marshbank, James Bradley, Kyle Rossouw, Owen Manamela and Francois Lliam.

Fiona Gordon
fiona@artslink.co.za
www.artslink.co.za

Profound play tells Amy Biehl’s story

Thembi Mtshali-Jones in Mother to Mother photo by by Andrew Brown

Fiona Gordon: Based on Sindiwe Magona’s book, ‘Mother to Mother’ explores the circumstances surrounding the death of American Fulbright scholar Amy Biehl.

When artists expert in their fields collaborate in a way that makes sense, the result can be really moving – as it should be with a story of this nature. With the help of lighting which was subtle and beautiful and extremely effective, in the way that an intimate venue really accommodates; music interwoven throughout maintaining the mood, and a set that tells many stories of its own, the telling of this story is entrusted to the capable hands of director Janice Honeyman and performer Thembi Mtshali-Jones.

The ‘mothers’ in question – the mother of the young American woman who was murdered in Gugulethu in 1993 at the hands of an agitated group of youths, and who is present only by implication; and the fictional mother of one of those young men. This is essentially a ‘heart-to-heart’ conversation, in the true sense of the term, which tries to make sense of the cruelty of the situations they found themselves in.

The language is a lovely combination of South African tongues – if fraught with its own issues. It would be inappropriate to be without the Xhosa, but a story of this nature needs to be available to an international audience, so the use of English as an accessible tongue is significant. I really liked that there wasn’t anything said in Xhosa which wasn’t also said in English, so that people completely unfamiliar with the indigenous language do not miss out on anything, but some of the sincerity of the other mother tongue remains.

The mother tells of an ordinary day in Gugulethu, in fact, in many households – who face their own versions of the challenges of arranging transport and food, and children who won’t get out of bed. And how one unforgiving moment in that ordinary day can have repercussions beyond the imaginable. She tells of the guilt she feels because of the part she played in an event spurred by the ‘hurt of a nation trying to rid itself of a terrible curse’; and that another mother is ‘without, because of me’.

The play is hemmed in a beautiful sung lament -
‘The cup you gave me too bitter to swallow
Oh Lord, you know my heart.’

But the spirit of Ubuntu exists so that we can move forward, past the hurt. A concept resonated wholeheartedly by the Amy Biehl Foundation, and in the message of this profoundly powerful play.

Mother to Mother plays at the Baxter Theatre, in the Golden Arrow Studio, until 10 October at 7.30pm nightly. Tickets cost R110-R120, and can be booked through Computicket.

Written by: Sindiwe Magona
Directed by: Janice Honeyman
Starring: Thembi Mtshali-Jones
Design: Dicky Longhurst
Lighting Design: Mannie Manim
Lighting Execution: Patrick Curtis
Composer/Musical Advisor: Neo Muyanga

Fiona Gordon
fiona@artslink.co.za
www.artslink.co.za/