CAPE TOWN FRINGE FESTIVAL. At City Hall , The Alexander Upstairs, The Fugard Theatre and other venues until October 4. TRACEY SAUNDERS reviews
THE Fringe Festival opened on Heritage Day and audiences took full advantage of the public holiday to enjoy the very varied programme. A fringe programme, by its very nature is a bit of a lucky packet.
You never know quite what you are going to see, and taking a gamble on unknown artists sometimes has rewarding consequences. Many a young performer has been discovered on the fringe circuit and the thrill of having watched an early performance of an established artist is an opportunity not to be missed. It also provides seasoned performers a chance to take artistic risks and the results are often breathtaking. Tempered by moments of wanting to halt a performance on stage, the Fringe promises a theatrical roller coaster experience for all ages.
The fare on offer for children is particularly rewarding and Jayne Batzofin and Iman Isaacs have set the standard high with their production What Goes Up. Batzofin’s interest in creating theatre for deaf children has led to a piece that doesn’t require words or sound to be understood. She has steered clear of the trap of talking down to children and avoids the cliché of forced audience participation, a bugbear of many a child and parent. The Art of Hearts Theatre Company has taken their mandate of entertaining and educating children seriously and their offering Ngumzimba Wam teaches children the importance of protecting themselves and engages them with practical examples of dealing with physical and sexual abuse.
Teaching children to be their own heroes using puppets and music, this show provide parents with a valuable opportunity to approach the subject with their children. Younger children will delight in the Jungle Theatre Company's explanation of How Stories Began. The traditional Zulu folk tale is retold with much animation in English and isiXhosa by Ntombi Mkhasibe and Vincent Meyburgh.
Productions at which children are not welcome include the hilarious and salacious take on the pornographic film industry, Porno 88, written by Louis Viljoen. As usual the script, brimming with double entendre and straightforward salacious silliness had the audience laughing and squirming simultaneously. Presented as a directed reading rather than a full stage production, the experience is akin to watching a radio drama.
The chances of watching such a large high-calibre cast, including Emily Child and Terry Norton on stage are limited, so I would strongly advise that you grab this opportunity while you can.
The revue style comedy Naked Knitting and other Contradictory Acts, while not as salacious, is as amusing and does contain some nudity. Daniel Geddes and Mark Tatham parody many contemporary cultural moments under the direction of Greg Homann with a canny insight that is intelligent and funny.
Two pieces which reference identity politics and the commodification of bodies in very different ways are Exhibit S, Ode to Saajie Baartman by a Black South African Woman and ADAM: Vichistravrya:I wish I were Caitlyn Jenner. The former is appropriately listed as performance art and is performed at the Alexander Upstairs. The opening sequence of Thola Antamu in chains and performing as a circus oddity are disturbing and I am ambivalent about the necessity of re-enacting scenes of such brutal oppression. Antamu’s clarity of intention is evident in the post show discussion and her transformation and subsequent affirmation of the black female body place the opening scene in context. A number of exchange students in the audience were transfixed by the historical relevance of the piece and were testament to the ability of theatre to relay historical narrative in a meaningful and authentic way. ADAM has been incorrectly included in the theatre programme and while billing itself as offering audiences an opportunity to “witness the deity of sexual freedom and genderless power, ADAM, invade Earth in song”, the performance lacked the artistic merit to advance any freedom, sexual or otherwise.
While Antamu’s piece dealt clearly with the objectifying of the black female body, Pilay’s attempt at commenting on the commoditisation of the queer body and the hyper entertainment value of the trans-sexual narrative was less successful.
The delightful Stuart Lightbody debuts Sleepless Dreams, posing the question, “Can we share a seamless moment of wonder?” He is incredibly charming and while children will be thoroughly entertained his show is equally mesmerizing for adults. The popularity of the illusion genre is perhaps indicative of people’s need for pure escapism, something that is assured when taken in to the worlds of the magician. Lightbody directs Mawonga Gayiya in Astonish, a show that melds magic and humour.
The more seasoned Marcel Oudejans presents the second iteration of his very successful Sleight of Mouth. A magic show that will not only make you laugh but give you some serious food for thought. The young Brendon Peel takes on the ambitious task of illustrating the history of magic and demonstrates historical magical moments providing education and entertainment.
Audience in search of serious theatre interrogating social conditions will not be disappointed with either of Rust Co-operative’s productions. Nat opens a disturbing window onto the world of children on the Cape Flats on Guy Fawkes day. The fifth of November is “celebrated” with various practices which epitomize the levels of violence that so many youngsters endure. The cruel and often devastating pranks are portrayed without judgement and the show doesn’t provide any neat answers to the epidemic of violence and gangsterism.
Ashes is a beautifully rendered love story between young men. Based on a true story Rademeyer’s script focuses on the personal effects of homophobia.
Rob Murray has ironically given a very human face to the impact of corruption through the use of masks. The oversized faces which have become somewhat a trademark of his work are used with hilarious and very sobering effect to illustrate the story of a community’s’ struggle for access to water in Waterline.
Against the background of service delivery protest this shows the people who are most affected by the wanton squander of government funds.
After some of the intense pieces the free entertainment at The Fringe Club in the City Hall provides welcome relief. It includes music, random magicians performing tricks at your table and actors preparing for, or recovering from, their shows. Even the barista, Eric is entertaining and has already earned an avid following.
With another seven days there are several opportunities for audiences to enjoy some of the more than 60 shows in the programme. Cape Town has no shortage of theatre venues of theatrical offerings during the year, but The Fringe does provide an opportunity to experience a festival without the additional travel and accommodation costs.
l www.capetownfringe.co.za