Bangbroek Mountain

We went to see Bangbroek Mountain at On Broadway last night and it was BRILLIANT!

On Broadway is a lovely little Cabaret Dinner Theatre, I blogged about it before when we went to see Two to Tango.

I didn't have many expectations, but it sounded like it might be fun, and would be a good evening out, so we booked.

We met another couple there and got in the mood over several bottles of wine and a light meal. We had a table right in the front and to the side so we had a perfect view of the stage.

The show started and I was mesmerised by it, the production, direction, scripting, acting, singing and choreography was excellent, and having seen Brokeback Mountain the parody was really well done. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It helped that the actors were rather yummy, especially the one with the tight buns (the shirtless one pictured above). The singers are called The Cowletts, they are large black ladies, who are fabulously stylish and sassy.

The audience vote during interval as to whether they want the happy or sad ending. The audience (as usual apparently) chose the happy ending, despite me trying to get people to vote for the sad ending... Still the happy ending was fun and funny and I was not disappointed by it.

I really enjoy going to On Broadway. The shows are good, the venue is great, the food tasty, and it's all reasonably priced. What more could you want? I will definitely be back.

Here's someone's blog account of going to the show.

Here's a review:

BangBroek Mountain – A South African Musical About Camping

Ed's note: "BangBroek" -- translated literally from the Afrikaans means "scaredy pants" but the figurative meaning is 'coward'.

This hilarious musical parody of Brokeback Mountain has a funny South African twist and a complete absence of subtlety. The story follows the lives of two sixteen-year-old boys – Emmil (Grant Almirall) and Jacques (Marcel Meyers) – who meet at a Boy Scout ‘camp’ and fall in love. Every five years they reunite at the camp at Bangbroek Mountain and as their relationship becomes more intimate, they are faced with various dilemmas, including the decision whether or not to leave their wives and open a B&B. A unique feature of the show is that the audience gets to choose whether they want a happy or sad ending. Half-way through the second half, the votes are tallied and announced, and the ending proceeds according to the audience’s wishes. Marcel Meyers puts on a convincing performance of a sensitive gay boy just reaching out for love and affection and Grant Almirall is fantastic as an awkward, unwilling male coming to terms with his own sexuality. The passage of time is marked effectively through the changes in the music (composed by Charl-Johan Lingenfelder) and outfits of The Cowletts -- a trio of divas who are sweet in the sixties, sport afros in the seventies and dance ‘the robot’ in the eighties.

Here is an interview with the writer-director Fred Abrahamse.

This is another review "Bangbroek Mountain "A Musical About Camping" is a riotous musical comedy revue that follows the life of two men who meet, as boys, at a Voortrekker Camp in the Bangbroek Mountains of South Africa in the mid 1960's. This hilarious musical revue follows their lives and their relationship from the ages of sixteen to their fifties; and their ultimate dream of building a bed and breakfast lodge in the Bangbroek Mountains. Brought to you by Fred Abrahamse and Charl--Johan Lingerfelder, the outrageous duo who gave you - AbbAtoir, Discovery and Bouncers; Bangbroek Mountain "A Musical About Camping" promises to be an equally uproarious evening of comedy and music at On Broadway. With all new original songs composed and arranged by Charl-Johann Lingerfelder backed by the powerful vocals of Three Tons Of Fun as The Cowlets, audiences are in for a side splitting evening of entertainment in this irreverent send up, featuring the comedy and vocal talents of the classically trained Marcel Meyer (Much Ado About Nothing and Hamlet) and Grant Almirall (Cats, Joseph and We Will Rock You). A unique part of this quirky musical is that the audience gets to choose the ending they want - the happy ending or the sad one. You'll never look at camping in the same way after seeing Bangbroek Mountain the Musical. "

And that ends my week on the gay scene!