Arts writer
THE Baxter Theatre Centre is kicking off its 2015 programme during January and February with an Afrikaans season showcasing two hugely acclaimed dramas and a comedy, with all three productions featuring all-star casts.
Jaco Bouwer’s award-winning Samsa-masjien, which won the ATKV-Woorveertjie for Drama, takes to the Baxter’s Flipside stage from January 16 to 31 at 8.15pm. From January 20 to February 7 in the Baxter’s Golden Arrow Studio television favourites Vinette Ebrahim and Chris van Niekerk will delight in the comedy Die Ongelooflike Reis van Max en Lola at 8.15pm nightly. Marthinus Basson’s epic macbeth.slapeloos, which is performed in Afrikaans with English surtitles, will run from February 4 to 21 at 7.30pm.
Samsa-masjien made its debut at the Absa Klein Karoo National Arts Festival(KKNK) last year, where it received the Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Director awards, as well as the Herrie prize for “mind-shifting” work. Bouwer was honoured for his contribution to “new thinking” in Afrikaans theatre.
Conceptualised by Bouwer and Willem Anker and written by Anker, Samsa-masjien aims to engage in a dialogue with Franz Kafka’s novella Die Verwandlung(Metamorphosis).
Like Gregor in the Kafka story, in Samsa-masjien Gregor senior, a retired biology teacher and principal (Gerben Kamper) is suffering from dementia. He and his wife Josephine (Antoinette Kellermann) live with their daughter Grete (Ilana Cilliers) and her husband Tjaart (Ludwig Binge) in a suburb similar to Sandton. Gregor has auditory and tactile hallucinations common to dementia patients – seeing insects everywhere.
In 2013 Bouwer’s Rooiland earned several Fleur du Cap awards and nominations. Once again he is responsible for design and direction, with music by Pierre-Henry Wicomb, costumes by Birrie le Roux and lighting by Johan Britz. PG 16.
Basson has created an epic South African version of Macbeth with his adaption macbeth.slapeloos, featuring three doyennes of Afrikaans theatre – Anna-Mart van der Merwe, Jana Cilliers and Antoinette Kellermann, with Dawid Minnaar in the title role.
The rest of the ensemble comprises Stian Bam, Charlton George, Ludwig Binge, Edwin van der Walt and Senzo Madikane. The production is designed and directed by Basson, with a superb translation by Eitemal and it will be performed with English surtitles. Hugo Theart produces macbeth.slapeloos with lighting design by Albert Snyman and choreography by Estelle Olivier. It is presented by TEATERteater.
macbeth.slapeloos has already amassed nine awards and several nominations at various festivals which include the Clover Aardklop National Arts Festival, the KykNET Fiesta Theatre Awards and the KKNK. It received awards for best actor (Minnaar), best actress (Van der Merwe), best supporting actor (George), best director, best design and best production, amongst others. In 2014 it played to great acclaim at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown.
Two darlings of stage and television, Vinette Ebrahim and Chris van Niekerk, have teamed up to present a brand-new dark comedy, Die Ongelooflike Ruis van Max en Lola(the unbelievable journey of Max and Lola). Written by Ebrahim and Hugo Taljaard (who also directs the two-hander), it tells the story of 80-year-old Max who is gay and white, and Lola, a 79 year-old sharp-tongued coloured woman, who have been friends for over 50 years despite the country’s political history. PG 13,
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