Arts writer
CLINTON Marius’s Standard Bank Ovation Award-winning comedy, B!*ch Stole My Doek, starring Shona Johnson, will be staged as part of the Cape Town Fringe from September 30 to October 4.
This follows the production’s successful debut run in Durban, a season at UKZN’s Hexagon Theatre in Pietermaritzburg, and at the 2015 National Arts Festival in Grahamstown.
A raucous satire with a twist, B!*ch Stole My Doek pokes fun at a war of words over a missing item of laundry. Colourful language and hysteria offer an insider’s view of life in a working class suburb, as the comical battle between neighbours heats up and boils over, with unexpected results.
Marius has numerous books, stage and radio productions to his credit, including the radio comedy series, Lollipop Lane. His first foray into writing for young audiences, The Fantastical Flea Circus, scooped all awards in the Children’s Category in the 2011 Mercury Durban Theatre Awards. The following year Durban University of Technology selected him as featured writer in their second annual Children’s Theatre Festival, and staged five new plays, one of which, The Calf With No Name, is currently a school reader for Grade 8.
“Shona enchanted youngsters when she performed in The Fantastical Flea Circus in the Catalina Theatre’s inaugural Children’s Theatre Festival in October last year. Working with her inspired me to create a wicked comedy built around her special gifts as a comedienne,” says Marius.
Johnson has appeared in 10 productions on the professional stage, and currently at the Helen O’ Grady Drama Academy, and runs her own company AWEH! Theatre which focuses on children’s theatre.
l B!*ch Stole My Doek plays in the Cape Town City Hall (3) from September 30 to October 3 at 9.30pm daily, and on October 4 at 1pm. Tickets: R80, R72 for students and pensioners, half price on October 4, www.capetownfringe.co.za/events/bitch-stole-my-doek