Reviews of recent shows

In keeping with our self proclaimed status as groupies to Corne & Twakkie (Louw Venter & Rob Van Vuuren) Richard and I went to see their recent respective shows when they were on, gosh a good few weeks ago already...

Rob stared in "Brother Number" with James Cairns (Pienie Meyer from The Most Amazing Show, for those in the know) at the Kalk Bay Theatre. We've been the the Kalk Bay Theatre and really enjoy it. It is quaint, cosy and intimate, and the food is good and nicely prepared and presented, the service is casual and friendly, but good too. You could arrive just for the show, but it's great to go early and enjoy a good dinner before sauntering down to watch the show with drink in hand...

Wow this show was BRILLIANT. It really was a very clever show, excellently acted by both.

There is a review here:

"The play tells the story of two brothers, Harvey (James Cairns) and Stan (Rob van Vuuren), who spend their days churning out ID documents in a little room situated in the bowels of a nondescript Home Affairs building.

The big joke is that this is the reason it normally takes so long to get an ID document, because these two closeted souls are the only ones who know how to make them."

Each actor plays dozens of characters in this both very simple and very complex stroy. The physical quirks and accents of each character are hilarious and very convincing, and the transformations between them are seamless and faultless. I am a huge fan.

There are more reviews here and here:

"Brother Number is a theatrical treat. It’s about two brothers, Harvey and Stan, who are locked deep in the bowels of Home Affairs, the makers of ID books. Harvey is the numbers guy while Stan, with his fistful of pens all tied together, does the lines. Because of an ‘explosion of the chip machine’ they are let loose in the building and they meet up with a series of crazy but recognisable characters who help them discover who they are and why they are there.

The story and it’s execution are almost 100% pure traditional absurdist. Jaco’s set (I think this kind of thing is his genius speciality) is a huge wooden desk on short legs, surrounded by a boxed walk way and crazily underlit. Almost all the action takes place ON the desk. Incredible. The sound track is mainly the crackle and hum of flourescent lighting.

Rob and James are brilliant. Their characterisations are amazing and their accents are awesome and accurate. But what makes the show riveting is their relationship with each other, as characters in the story, but more so as performers. They are literally tuned in to each other."

Then we saw Louw Venter's "Out of Time" at the Obs Theatre. We decided to do the dinner theatre thing this time too. There was a nice tasty selection of items on the set menu, and we had a soup, then light main course and ice-cream dessert, all of which was yummy, before going through to watch the show with obligatory drink in hand.

'Out of Time' was a much heavier and more emotional piece than anything else I have seen by Rob or Louw before (incidentally it was directed by Rob).

Louw Venter shows off his acting versatility in this profound narrated dedication to his first child with refreshing honesty. What would you say to your child if you only had one hour left, where would you start, how would you explain life, its lessons and what would you choose to share? An overtly emotional performance, including elements of physical theatre and cinema, Out of Time is about repainting memories, taking the role of a father, a son and saying goodbye.

Richard wasn't sure if he liked it that much - possibly uncomfortable at seeing that much raw emotion up close? I am not sure. I thought it was a very brave and revealing piece. It was happy, sad, heart wrenching and touching. It was nice to see some dramatic acting from the usually suave 'Love Captain'

There is a review here:

" The text itself is very simple, almost to the point of being expository at times, which works for, and against, the play.

The enterprise has a sincere premise, but sometimes that sincerity results in a melodramatic earnestness on the part of Venter that tests one's endurance levels.

At other times, it conveys a stately dignity the actor expresses in his large and willowy frame, and that subtly works on one to surprising and endearing effect.

Venter's play has a kind of fantastical premise, but it doesn't feel extravagant or too indulgent.

During a violent but arbitrary argument with his brother at a picnic, Lukas Nel (Venter) is bumped and falls over backwards.

He is seemingly wrenched from normal time and space and finds himself in a virtual waiting room.

The instant of his death plays out endlessly in front of him like a video loop, which is conveyed in the stage design.

He, just like the audience, is merely a spectator to the horror that just occurred and so, in frustration, he begins a one-sided conversation with his son whose life he will now miss out on.

The almost indefinable netherworld that the play exists in gives Venter the opportunity to muse on all manner of things, simple and complex."

Another review is here and here :

Written by Venter shortly after he became a father for the first time, Out of Time is dedicated to his first child. ‘When I had my first child I had that difficult thing where you become very sensitive to mortality … the stakes went up, there was a paradigm shift from ‘I’ to ‘we’ from ‘me’ to ‘us’,’ Venter explains.

Out of Time doesn’t just dwell on providing a guide to life; it also deals with issues such as shared histories, the importance and significance of life and family. ‘I needed a metaphor to put that in, and I thought, what if when you died you could see it and you went to a place where you had to wait… and say goodbye,’ says Venter. So begins the last hour a father shares with his son, in the form of a truly out of body experience.