The Hucksters is an acid-tongued exploration of a casual sexual encounter gone awry.

A man and a woman meet after not seeing each other for years and what starts off as a romantic, booze fuelled evening, slowly begins to unravel into a psychological mystery as an incident from their shared history rears its head.

The mistakes of the past become the horrors of the present as these two broken people dig into their previous lives and the lies that lead them to each other.

The play is written and directed by Louis Viljoen, with credits from The Kingmakers, The Pervert Laura and The Demon Bride.

The Hucksters stars award winning actors Emily Child and Nicholas Pauling.

The Hucksters

The Alexander Bar’s Upstairs Theatre.

22 July – 3 August

Tickets: R130, R110 for online purchases only

Tickets available from shows.alexanderbar.co.za

Warning: The play contains strong language and sexual content.

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Eric Abraham presents this Fugard Theatre production of Shakespeare In Love which was a runaway success last year, playing to sold out houses and critical acclaim from reviewers and audiences alike.

Written by Lee Hall and adapted from the Academy Award-winning (1999) screenplay by Tom Stoppard and Marc Norman, the comedy ran for an extended sold out season at the West End’s Noel Coward Theatre in London in 2014.

Shakespeare In Love features a stellar cast of 21 actors including the return of the loveable fur-actor Bogart as Spot the Dog, who captured the hearts of all who saw the show. The play is directed by the Fugard Theatre’s resident director Greg Karvellas.

Robyn Scott recently won the Fleur du Cap Theatre Award for Best Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Play for her role as Elizabeth I. The production was also nominated for Best Performance by an Ensemble, Best Lighting Design for Wolf Britz and Best Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Play for Darron Araujo as Henslowe.

Stepping into the role of Will Shakespeare is Daniel Mpilo Richards who has been dazzling audiences as Bernardo the leader of the Sharks in the Fugard Theatre’s West Side Story, with the return of Roxane Hayward as Viola de Lesseps and Cape Talk’s John Maytham as Fennyman.

Multiple award-winner Robyn Scott stars as Queen Elizabeth and Jason K. Ralph as Lord Wessex.  Nicholas Pauling plays Ned Allen, Sven Ruygrok in the role of Sam and Mark Elderkin as Burbage. Darron Araujo performs the role of Henslowe, Adrian Collins as Ralph, Walter van Dyk as Tilney, Pierre Malherbe as Nol, Lucy Tops as Nurse, Dean Balie as John Webster and Louis Viljoen as Mr Wabash.

Completing the ensemble are Alex Tops as Robin, Kathleen Stephens as Mistress Quickly, Rendani Mufamadi as Lambert and Rachel Mertens who returns to the Ensemble.

Set Design is by Paul Wills ,Costume Sourcing and Styling is by Birrie le Roux and Widaad Albertus with Lighting Design by Wolf Britz. Sound Design is by David Classen, with Resident Musical Director of the Fugard Theatre Charl Johan Lingenfelder. Choreography is by Kristin Wilson, with Fight Choreography by Jon Keevy.

Young Will Shakespeare has writer’s block… the deadline for his new play is fast approaching but he is in desperate need of inspiration. That is, until he finds his muse – Viola. This beautiful young woman is Will’s greatest admirer and will stop at nothing (including breaking the law) to appear in his next play.

Against a bustling background of mistaken identity, ruthless scheming and backstage theatrics, Will’s love for Viola quickly blossoms and inspires him to write his greatest masterpiece.
Tickets from R150 to R350 can be booked through the Fugard Theatre box office on 021 461 4554 or through the Fugard Theatre’s website at www.thefugard.com.There is a 15% discount available for the Friends of The Fugard members.

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Nominated for three WoordTROfees awards at this year’s University of Stellenbosch Woordfees, The Demon Bride will be unleashed on the Fugard Studio Theatre from 8 May.

Eric Abraham presents this production in association with US Woordfees. The Demon Bride is the latest play from multiple award-winning playwright and director Louis Viljoen, who is also the Fugard Theatre’s Writer in Residence.

The play was nominated for the WoordTROfees awards in the categories of Beste Actor for Bianca Flanders as Amelia, Best Woodrfees Debut and Best Technical Performance for the Sound Design by James Webb.

The Demon Bride is a gripping and hilarious comedy-horror that sees Viljoen taking an exciting new direction in a production that will make you shiver with delight!

The Demon Bride: its wedding season and the wine lands are abuzz with travellers who come to celebrate the nuptials of friends and family. But when the wedding party gets trapped in a haunted cabin in the middle of a dilapidated wine farm, a carefree weekend turns into a nightmare when the spirit of an ancient demon possesses a newlywed and wreaks havoc on her friends. The Demon Bride has one simple message: `With this ring I thee DEAD!’

The production stars Craig Jackson, Sarah Potter, Bianca Flanders, Carel Nel and Andrew Roux.

Set Design is by Rocco Pool, Lighting Design by Benjamin du Plessis and Sean Whitehead,  Costume Design by Widaad Albertus and Sound Design is by internationally acclaimed artist James Webb whose theatre credits include the Fugard Theatre productions of The Birdwatchers and Die Laaste Karretjiegraf, both of which won him Fleur du Cap Awards.

Viljoen’s first play as the Fugard’s Writer in Residence, The Eulogists, was nominated for a Fleur du Cap Theatre Award for Best New South African Script.   Viljoen has won Fleur Du Cap Theatre awards, Best New South African Script for Champ in 2013 and The Kingmakers in 2015. He was also the recipient of the Rosalie van Der Gucht Best New Director award for his plays, The Kingmakers and The Pervert Laura.

The Demon Bride

Fugard Studio Theatre

From 8 May, at 20:00.

Maninee Performances on Sundays, at 15:00

Tickets cost R160 and can be booked through the Fugard Theatre box office on 021 461 4554 or through the Fugard Theatre’s website at www.thefugard.com.

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The Demon Bride is presented in English and has an age restriction of 18 because of adult content, strong language and sex![/box]

Photo: Daniel Rutland Manners

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By Louw Mulder

The scene is set. It is opening night of the Northriding Polytechnic Drama Society’s production of Murder at Haversham Manor. The actors in this play are dedicated, loyal, and also very excited to perform. Everything is ready, the lights go out, the director makes his opening speech, and then everything just goes wrong.

Stomach-spasm laughter is guaranteed for the real theatre audience, who also play a role in this play, witnessing the chaos that unfolds when the play goes wrong. It is a classic murder mystery play, where the inspector has to solve the mystery and find the murderer. The comedy aspect of this play and the sheer enjoyment of watching it, takes all the suspense out of it.

By arrangement with Goes Right Ltd, Pieter Toerien Productions presents this Mischief Theatre Production of The Play That Goes Wrong, which was written by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields.

It is seldom that I emphasise the direction of a play, but with The Play That Goes Wrong, the hand of Alan Committie was hilariously evident. It is very tricky to perfect things that go wrong. It is very difficult to master the idea of everything to go intentionally wrong. In this play, everything goes wrong, and to direct a play in such a way where organised chaos is executed so well, shows class, talent, and skill.

The same can almost be said about the actors who have to get everything right, to get everything to go wrong. The best thing about this play, is that should an actor make a real mistake on stage, it can be seen as just another thing going wrong within the play, which makes the mistake, not a mistake.

The cast consist of Russel Savadier, Theo Landy, Nicole Franco, Sive Gubangxa Louis Viljoen, Roberto Pombo, and recently seen in Sherlock Holmes, Robert Fridjohn and Craig Jackson. The highlight of the show for me personally, comes from Craig Jackson. The success of his performance is mostly attributed by the nature of his character, but the talent of Jackson is entertainingly fitting to his role, as the amateur actor. As an ensemble, the casts works perfectly. There is a sense of enjoyment between the members of this cast, and their love for this production shows in their performance.

Sitting here, I am quietly giggling again when I think about some of the scenes. But how then do I write a fitting review about all of that. I just can’t. But I can urge everyone who loves theatre to go see this show. It runs at the Pieter Toerien’s Montecasino Theatre until 30 April, before it moves to Theatre on the Bay in Cape Town from 3 May 2017.

In the words of Committie: “There is a particular beauty to physical comedy. When performed accurately and with care it really is an art form that takes us back to the glory years of the greatest visual comics.”

This review is edited by Bronwyn Kerry.  Photos by Christiaan Kotze

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In the words of Pieter Toerien – “The Play that Goes Wrong is the Funniest play I have ever seen!”

Joanna Lumley came out a recent London performance and said: “We laughed until the tears ran down our faces! It has to be seen!!!”

What’s on Stage said “It’s as though The Mousetrap has been taken over by Monty Python!”

Described by theatre audiences as Fawlty Towers meets Noises Off – this new hit comedy has won every major award on the London stage – 2015 Olivier Award Winner for Best New Comedy/ 2015 BroadwayWorld UK Winner for Best New Play/ 2014 WhatsOnStage Award Winner for Best New Comedy! The South African production will be directed by Alan Committie and features an awesome comedy cast including Robert Fridjhon, Russel Savadier, Craig Jackson, Roberto Pombo, Nicole Franco, Louis Viljoen and Sive Gubangxa.

The Play That Goes Wrong is a celebration of the best of live theatre… and the worst. The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society is putting on a 1920s murder mystery, but as the title suggests, everything that can go wrong… does! The accident-prone thespians battle against all odds to make it through to their final curtain call, with hilarious consequences!

Given 5 stars from The Daily Mail, called a ‘Gut-busting hit’ by the New York Times and with celebrity endorsements from the likes of Ant and Dec ‘funniest show we’ve seen! If you can get a ticket go.’

The Play That Goes Wrong is guaranteed to leave you aching with laughter!  The show’s running time is 2 hours, 5 minutes, including a 20 minute interval.  The recommended Age is older than 8 years old.

South African audiences will be treated to the award-winning Comedy from 24 March in Jo’Burg and 3 May in Cape Town.

Pieter Toerien’s Montecasino Theatre

24 March – 30 April

Performances: Wed – Fri @ 8pm, Sat @ 5pm & 8pm, Sun @ 3pm

Tickets: R220, R180, R130 & R100

Theatre on the Bay

3 May – 17 June

Performances: Tue – Fri @ 8pm, Sat @ 4pm & 8pm

Tickets: R220, R180 & R120

Picture of the original UK cast by Alastair Muir.

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