by Louw Mulder

Internationally recognized, South African actor Arnold Vosloo, returned home from Hollywood, to feature in the latest local Afrikaans feature film, Griekwastad due for release early May, on DSTV Box Office.

Based on the bestselling true crime novel by journalist Jacques Steenkamp, who closely followed the case of the Griekwastad family murders that took place in April 2012, Vosloo, stars as Dick de Waal, the detective who solves the puzzle.  Here is the Trailer:

Internationally acclaimed Vosloo granted us the opportunity for an interesting Q&A:

How did it come about that you agreed to be cast in a South African Feature film again?

Producers Tim Theron and Cobus van den Berg, contacted me via my sister, Nadia Vosloo, who is in charge of my South African affairs.  I read the Griekwastad script and immediately said yes.  It was really good and the fact that it was in Afrikaans was a bonus! I miss South Africa always and Afrikaans especially.

Before returning to SA for the filming, what did you expect from the production side, and how did this perception change after the filming was concluded?

Joz Malherbe, the Director, told me early on in the process that the crew would be small and handpicked by him due to a very low budget – so I knew that going in. The good news is that we had rehearsal time before we rolled. That helped a lot because all questions were answered off set. Production was hard as we had crew doing two jobs but it went smoothly and the South African crew did great as always.  Whenever I meet foreign directors they always hail the work ethic of the South African based movie crews!

 What was your final thoughts after seeing the final version for the first time?

Seeing the final cut of the film was very emotional for me because I had wanted for so long do a movie in Afrikaans again.

Impressed with the production myself, it is a pity that Covid-19 restrictions disallow Griekwastad’s release on the Big Screen currently.  How do you feel about a film of this nature being released to a Video on Demand Service?  Do you think the theatrical value will maintain its effectiveness?

I have no problem with the release of this film direct to Video on Demand.  It is the way all content will go in the future.  In fact, I pushed for it when the virus hit because it made sense to give people stuck at home something to watch.  Having said that, I would love to see it on a big screen and without subtitles that (to me) spoil the frame.  When I get back to SA later this year I will try to make a screening like that happen.

Have you ever followed the growth of Afrikaans Movie Industry whilst living in Los Angeles?

I attended the Silver Skerm Fees this year for the first time. The energy and spirit was truly an eye opener.  My sister fills me in every now and again but I had not been following the local Afrikaans scene. To see it blossoming and thriving now, is encouraging.

In Griekwastad, you played with some of our Veterans again like Lida Botha.  How was your experience and thoughts on our newer and younger talent that played with you? 

Working with all the SA talent was a wonderful experience. Actors are givers and this cast gave it their all, from the oldest to the youngest cast member.  Everybody pitched in and carried each other in the difficult scenes. The young actors were a revelation and I told them that a film like this comes along rarely and that they should embrace the process. 

What are your thoughts on young Jane de Wet and especially Alex van Dyk, playing alongside you as the Griekwastad murderer? 

Jane and Alex are the heart of the story and they were great.  Alex has all the tools to become a professional actor and future film maker and if he chooses that life he will be successful.

It was said during an interview with Alex van Dyk, that he has idolised you since your success in The Mummy.  Do you have any words of motivation, advice, or encouragements for him, and young actors like him, who are embarking on acting as a career? 

My advice to our young talent in SA would be to work in the industry here. The USA is not the centre of the film world.  Hollywood sounds glamorous and it is for about 5 seconds, but then it is the same old struggle to get ahead of the next guy.  It is easy for me to say stay and work there because I scratched the itch to go to Hollywood and found success.  But, I would say stay in SA and work towards building a thriving local movie scene.

You mostly get to play the parts of villains and bad guys –  but in Griekwastad, you portray the role of a non-fictional character. How do you approach a role like this, compared to the role of a fictional character? 

I have never had to portray a real or living person. I chose not to meet the real Dick de Waal up front because I come to the story with my own baggage as Arnold Vosloo.  Audiences know how I sound and look and I did not want to do anything to detract from that. I did not want the audience to be distracted by a “performance”.  My job was to be the vessel through which the audience discovers the twists and turns of the story. It is very hard to do nothing when the director says action but I had to contain myself for this film. If this was a film of another sort then I could have done something different, but because the story and people are so well known by South Africans, I had to chill in the role.

Were you aware of the Griekwastad Murders?  Did it influence your decision to agree to this role? 

I had never heard of the Griekwastad saga and it was not a factor in choosing to be part of the film.  The script was King and Tertius Kapp wrote a good one and that was the reason to do this film.

Would you return to South Africa to star in more movies, especially because of Hollywood not producing Afrikaans Features? I guess I am asking, did the Afrikaans bug bite?

Having worked in South Africa in Afrikaans, has turned me off working in the US.  I have no more real motivation to work at my craft in the USA anymore.  I am 57 years old now and all I would like to do is work in Afrikaans.   I am not sure what the future holds for me professionally but I wish and hope for it to be in South Africa.  Viva Afrikaans, my mother tongue!

Do you have any recent success stories, or major achievements back in the US, of which South Africans may not be aware of, or may not have heard of?

The last TV series I worked on was Season 2 of Jack Ryan with John Krasinksi as the lead.  It is on Amazon.

Do you have any final words for the SA Audiences who will be watching Griekwastad? 

To the audience in SA I would like to say that “Griekwastad” was executed by us to the best of our abilities.   We are very proud to share it with you and we look forward to feedback and the reaction after experiencing it.

The prospects sound promising to see more of Arnold Vosloo in locally produced films, but for now, you can see him back in SA, playing in his Mother tongue, when Griekwastad releases on DSTV Box Office, on 5 May 2020.  If you are not a DSTV subscriber, you can still catch it on https://boxoffice.dstv.com/

The post Our Chat with Arnold Vosloo appeared first on Stage and Screen.

It was the Big Day on Sunday, 7 July, when the winner of The Voice South Africa was announced during a live broadcast on M-Net.  After the Top 5 Talent were cut down during the progress of an Audio and Visual spectacular, host Anele Mdoda announced the Top 2 of this season, being Wild Card, Soné Joubert and Tasché Burger.

With one of her final, very fitting songs, Let it Be, Burger was announced the Winner, making newcomer to the Coaching Panel, Francois van Coke, this year’s winning Mentor.  Burger is South Africa’s first female winner of The Voice, following the wins of Richard Stirton and Craig Lucas in Season 1 and Season 2 respectively.

The Finale kicked off with the season’s top 5 Talent and the 4 coaches introducing the proceedings with a winner’s rendition of We Will Rock You.  Hopeful contenders in the running were crooner Eon le Roux and African princess Siki Jo-An, both from Port Elizabeth, together with the charismatic PJ Twins from the Mother City, making up the five-some with Burger and Joubert.

This year, all four of the show’s esteemed coaches were well represented by these incredible talent in the finale. Riky Rick was counting on Eon, LIRA, the PJ Twins, while Francois van Coke coached Tasché throughout the season. Coach Riana Nel was the only coach with two talent on stage – Soné and Siki Jo-An.  At the end, it was SA’s Afrikaans rebel, Van Coke, coaching the Winning Voice.

While the live audience waited for the results, some legendary and well-loved local vocalists were included in the line-up to perform during this live television broadcast, which included duets with each of the Top 5. For the first time in her illustrious career, Afrikaans music legend Laurika Rauch appeared on stage during a live television singing contest, breathing life into her iconic song, Stuur Groete aan Mannetjies Roux, a duet with runner-up, Soné.

South Africa’s Queen of Afro-jazz, Judith Sephuma, joined 3^rd place-winner Siki  Jo-An, with an apt song for two big voices, I’m Every Woman by Chaka Khan.  Season 2’s Caroline-Grace Brüssow and Eon raised the roof with Elton John’s Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me. Singer extraordinaire Timothy Moloi and The PJ Twins went for gold with Luther Vandross’ Impossible Dream, while not known as the winner yet, Tasché and her coach, Francois van Coke, blended their voices in their version of Toe Vind Ek Jou, a song by van Coke himself, recorded with Season 1 and 2 Coach. Karen Zoid.

Anticipating fans, as well as nervous talent back stage, were also entertained during the wait, by some goose-bump-inducing solos Jo Black and Roan Ash, who are currently both dominating the South African music scene.

Taché Buger, winner of the Voice SA 3rd Season, was determined by the voting public, after close to 10 million votes were received throughout this season.  M-Net’s Kaye Ann Williams told the media after the finale, that the voting process during such a talent contest, is a very important element of the show, as the margins between 1st, 2nd and 3rd place, were extremely tight.  “Tasché was a serious contender and front-runner throughout the voting phase of the competition,” she added.

Tasché, would have drove off with a brand new Toyota RAV4, but because she admitted to not having a valid driver’s licence yet, will have to get someone else to do this for her. “I will get my license very soon”, she joked while accepting the car keys.  Besides new wheels, and the very deserved Recording Contract with Universal Music SA, Tasché walks away from this competition with a Telkom tech bundle with a Huawei P30 Pro, a Tab M5 Lite, a router, and a Huawei Watch GT, Telkom data, and an Anti-Theft Backpack, Truworths clothing vouchers to the value of R100 000 and the title of The Voice South Africa.

Video: The Voice South Africa YouTube Channel

Photos: YIP Photography

The post Tasché Burger Wins The Voice SA appeared first on Stage and Screen.

With thanks to M-Net, we are giving away double tickets away to the final Live Broadcasts of The Voice South Africa, starting on Sunday, 07 July2019.

This season’s finale will be broadcast live on Channel 101 from the Mosaic Teatro, in Fairlands, and you can be there!

The Voice Finale Competition is now closed.

Please Note:

1. This competition Closes on the Wednesday, 03 July 2019.
2. Tickets are only valid for the specified dates and performance times.
3. Seat allocations are up to the discretion of the promoters.
4. Tickets may not be upgraded, or exchanged for cash, or for alternate performances.
5. The prize comprises of two tickets per prize winner.
6. No-Shows will not receive replacement tickets.
7. By entering this competition, the participant agrees to the terms and conditions.
8. Prizes does not include accommodation and / or travel to and from the event.
9. Winners will be notified by mail.
10. One Entry per Email Address will be entered into the draw

The post Win Tickets to The Voice SA Live Shows. appeared first on Stage and Screen.

by Louw Mulder

Earlier this year, it was Peter Shaffer’s Equus, followed by Family Secrets, a play by Enrico Luttmann, currently on stage, that presented Joburg audiences to the talent of Cape Town based actor, Sven Ruygrok in both these productions. Hailing from Cape Town, I thought of getting to know this young actor a little better, if not just for our Gauteng audiences.

Born in Johannesburg, 1991, with an actress mother, Sven’s childhood and family culture revolved around the performing arts. His passion though was for Gymnastics.  Earning Junior National colours, he travelled the world, but his gymnastic dreams were short lived due to a knee injury during his final school year. “After that, it was really the question of what I am going to do with my life, and I decided on acting,” Sven says: “I applied through UCT, and it pretty much started from there, straight after school.”

“I worked in the UK for a year and I struggled immensely. I found it really hard and came back with humility, with my tail between my legs. But that was a good thing, as I came home more determined that this is something I want to do. If you get kicked, and still want to carry on being kicked, you must know you really love it.”

Right now at the age of 28, Sven’s resume is pretty impressive and features quite a few International Accolades. Locally on stage, he starred in a few Fred Abrahamse productions, mostly in Cape Town. His big screen credits include his role as David Epkeen alongside Orlando Bloom and Forest Whitaker in 2013’s feature, Zulu. He also played Frankie in 2014 Sci-Fi action thriller Alien Post, and will be seen on screen soon in his role as Bobby Jenkins in Universal’s Inside Man 2.

But for South Africans, Sven is better known as Rambo Black in the Spud Trilogy, alongside British Great, John Cleese.  “It was working on Spud that sparked my interest in film.  I worked with some incredible talent, local and international. The director, Donavan Marsh, was amazing, and to date still one of the best directors I have worked with.”

But as my conversation with this young man took an unplanned course of its own, the true person that is Sven Ruygrok presents itself to me. It was during his Spud Journey, when the cast was asked to join a campaign against Bullying. “We put the t-shirts on, took the photo, take the t-shirts off, and there we go.” Getting serious he said: “I wanted to be part of this, and promote this. I wanted to be aware of the whole campaign. I contacted the campaign organisers and ended up doing a few talks for them.”

This became one of Sven’s on-going passions, doing motivational talks for Kids. He interacts with tomorrow’s youth, on topics that are a huge reality to himself, like racism, bullying, stressing the reality and phenomenon of cyberbullying. “Online activity is addictive and killing our youth. They [our youth] link personal validation to the amount of likes they receive online. “

Sven named the obsession today’s young people have for the perfect body, as one of the reasons why he loves speaking to the young people: “I speak about body image which is a huge thing. I speak about loving your body. For me, it is one thing to say this all to people, but it is another thing to accept it yourself and to protect it without hurting it.”

“This is exactly what my role in Equus did for me earlier this year,” he said, leading our conversation towards his part in this thought-provoking play. Sven’s role of Adam, a disturbed character, was one for which full nudity on stage was required.

“For me, it was more of a moral thing, more of a part I want to play. It is a hectic play.”

“I am deeply religious, so I personally had a lot of questions.  Being part of the production meant that I am to some extent endorsing it. I sought advice from people far wiser than me, in various fields: theology, philosophy, even to my spiritual director, asking what I should do.  One of the things that came out was the nature of sin, which is a hard thing to deal with. The question at the end was: ‘What is my Responsibility?’”

“Am I responsible if someone lusts after my naked character on stage, pays money with the intention of purely seeing nudity, and if so, then what is my part in that?”

Clearly trying to illustrate how much value he adds to his responsibility as a part of a story being told, he admits that the character Adam has been part of his life for about three years. When he thinks about the character as a person, he knows that he cannot be responsible for everybody and their intentions.

Our conversation of more than an hour, allowed me to discover a maturity far beyond his years. Seeing his passion for acting gave me insight into why I enjoyed his performance on stage.

I learnt about his views on story-telling, the way he approached his journey, getting to know his character. It brought new insights to me, as someone who enjoys theatre, without any educational background of this art form.

He told me some of his acting philosophies: “Good writing can do great things, good stories can change lives.  A good actor can make bad writing look good, but not the other way around.  For me, as an actor, my best is just to listen to audience members, and make them think.”

Next up though for this young philosopher, is to complete the run of Family Secrets in Johannesburg and Cape Town, then to start a new life, and that in the role of Daddy. Sven and his wife, a high school teacher in the Mother City, are expecting their first Little Ruygrok in July.  This as he says, “will be the role I can’t wait to play!”

Joburg audiences can enter our competition, with compliments of Pieter Toerien Productions, to stand a chance of winning one of 10 double tickets, to go see Sven Ruygrok live in Famly Secrets.

For the rest, catch Sven Ruygrok in Family Secrets, alongside Dorothy-Ann Gould, now on stage in Johannesburg, at the Pieter Toerien’s Montecasino theatre until 30 June, after which the production will be moving to the Theatre on the Bay, Cape Town, for a run from 3 to 13 July, 2019.

This interview was edited  by Louise McAuliffe from LaMaZing Media

The Photos and Images used in this article was supplied by Sven Ruygrok.

[box type=”info” align=”alignright” ] [dropcap]S[/dropcap]ven Ruygrok can be booked as Motivational Speaker, to come share his Stories, Experiences and also his Message to our country’s young people.

Schools and alike are encouraged to email Sven directly, at  info@svenruygrok.com, for talks on topics such as Bullying, Value and Self-Esteem, Racism and How to Raise Honourable Men.[/box]

The post We Talk to Sven Ruygrok appeared first on Stage and Screen.

With thanks to Pieter Toerien Productions, we are giving away 10 sets of tickets to Equus, currently running at the Pieter Toerien’s Montecasino Theatre.

When teenager Alan Strang’s pathological fascination leads him to brutally blind six horses in a Hampshire stable, psychiatrist Dr. Martin Dysart is tasked with uncovering the motive behind the boy’s violent act. As Dysart delves into Alan’s world of twisted spirituality, passion and sexuality, he begins to question his own sanity and motivations in a world driven by reckless consumerism.

Equus Competition is now closed.

Please Note:

1. This competition Closes on Friday, 19 May 2019.
2. Tickets are only valid for the specified dates and performance times.
3. Seat allocations are up to the discretion of the promoters.
4. Tickets may not be upgraded, or exchanged for cash, or for alternate performances.
5. The prize comprises of two tickets per prize winner.
6. No-Shows will not receive replacement tickets.
7. By entering this competition, the participant agrees to the terms and conditions.
8. Prizes does not include accommodation and / or travel to and from the event.
9. Winners will be notified by mail.
10. One Entry per Email Address will be entered into the draw

The post Win Tickets to Equus appeared first on Stage and Screen.

by Louw Mulder

During the last 12 odd years, I have written ample reviews about entertaining theatre shows that effortlessly tell the story, requiring no effort from the patron to understand the subject matter. But this is certainly not the case with Peter Shaffer’s Equus, which I saw this weekend at Pieter Toerien’s Montecasino Theatre. This play is higher grade, and I was as excited as one would be when experiencing something you never have before.

Equus admittedly turned out to be the best non-musical stage production I have ever experienced. During this tumultuous journey of two acts, I was offended, confused AF, relieved, I felt compassion, anger, even aroused to some degree, which in fact, for lack of a more appropriate term, is a mind-fuck happening right in front of your eyes. I know this description may raise some eyebrows, but not if you were there, realising the powerful grip a production like this can have on your love for Theatre-Magic.

Equus is a psychological thriller, written in 1973. It once more made theatrical headlines in 2007 when it was brought back to the stage in the West End, with Daniel Radcliff, as the young lead. Even though I went into the theatre blind, and totally unaware of the story, nor the depth of the script, I was anxious to see it. For a South African production to go all out, you knew it had to be good, with the full nudity being a huge hype around this play, amongst many other things.

I make no secret about the fact that I am a theatre enthusiast and not an educated theatre expert at all. So during the first act, the degree of the English text, combined with the pace of the story being told, caught up with me as an Afrikaans speaking person. The story, dialogue and actual acting out of the various subjects, were in its own right very overwhelming, so much so that in my attempt to follow the plot, some disconcerting inferences were made, like hints of bestiality, even blasphemy, which is a personal no-go for me. These inferences of mine proved to be wrong.

Being open minded, my friend and I took some time during the interval to quickly read up on Equus. Since English is my second language, I knew there was room for error in my initial understanding of the text. This overview of what the essence of Equus is, shed some light on the play itself, making it much easier for me to enjoy and thrill with the rest of the theatre during act two.

For me, what makes this production by Pieter Toerien, as directed by Fred Abrahamse, the success it deserves to be, is the spot-on casting of its stars. I already mentioned the full-on nudity scenes Equus contains. Having seen several types of nudity acts on stage before, nothing compared to the ones I had experienced during Equus. With the psychological thrills and the very intense nature of the various subjects, I was completely astonished, by the power of theatre again, taking me captive to put me right there where the story cuts to the bone.

Sven Ruygrok plays the role of 17-year old Alan Strang, clearly challenged by certain psychological issues. The climax of the story, so to speak, unfolds during act two, when Strang, totally nude, is seduced by Jill, also completely undressed, which culminated into an on-stage simulated sex scene. In my humble opinion, Ruygrok here reintroduced himself this time around, as an artist, driven by the passion, dedication and commitment of a true stage professional.

I am fully aware that my awe of Ruygrok’s performance may seem exaggerated, but allow me to elaborate. For me, even the thought of being completely naked in front of a full theatre during an opening performance, is something daunting, audacious and typically not within an actor’s comfort zone on stage. The thing I noticed, which was clearly evident and extremely powerful for me, was that Ruygrok was completely in-character. Ruygrok fully surrendered himself to his role, being confronted by all the psychological elements. I experienced his portrayal of a spellbinding emotional breakdown and full-on loss of control, while being totally naked, as the true art form it is supposed to be. I sat there cold, without words, biting on a finger, trying to process the scenes in front of me.

I want to even further and say that Ruygrok demonstrated in true class, what it really means to portray a character no matter the intensity thereof – in this case referring especially to a scene in total nudity, forcing an overwhelming noise of a full theatre’s complete silence. His nudity was just another costume in the story of his character, in pursuit of delivering the perfect conclusion of the production’s riddle. I was captured by his performance in such a way, I had forgotten he was even naked…

It would however be unfair for me to refrain from mentioning the performance of Monique Basson as the Delilah of the storyline, Jill, whose equally naked performance brought the necessary support to Ruygrok’s role, to instill the sense of reality and power of that scene. But who better to affirm support for this daring role of Alan Strang, than world class South African Veteran Stage great, Graham Hopkins. Hopkins plays the psychiatrist, entrusted to get answers from the disturbed boy, showing subtle hints of being somewhat disturbed himself.

For me there was just a chemistry that sparked between Hopkins and Ruygrok, which made it work. Their characters were in constant conflict, compromising tussles and even though some may argue that there was a notable sense of discomfort between these two, it was exactly that, which caused their interacting roles to be as mesmerizing as it was.

Maggie Gericke, Andrew Roux, Marc Goldberg, Cassandra-Tendai Mapanda and Len-Barry Simons completed the rest of the cast, acting as various supporting characters, but mainly as the life within, and bodies of the horses, very incremental to the plot of the story. Initially, I thought that the well-toned bodies, slim, yet sexy sleek physiques of these actors, were used to create, or even emphasize the idea of a sexy theatre play, with the nude sex scene everyone knew was coming. When you get to the bottom of what is indeed happening, you realize that these sex-appealing bodies, and their intimate, luscious interactions with the disturbed young Alan, were the actual core cause, responsible for the psychological riddle that unfolds during Equus.

At the end, Equus, the powerful, yet deep-cutting play, is a stage production, which was made just more spectacular with Marcel Meyer, Charl-Johan Lingenfelder and Marc Goldberg on Abrahamse’s creative team. Effects, surrounding the fixed set of a stable for the six horses, included effective lighting design, which gave the theatregoer just that additional push into the intended direction to where it should go. Not to mention how the calculated positioning of certain lighting effects added goosebumps to clever choreography of Alan riding his horse, at the end of act one.

With the lights, smoke, simple props and sexy artists, came the masks of horses’ faces, which I think could not have been more mesmeric. Designed in such a way, even the slightest movements and tilting of their faces, could non-verbally tell a tale of its own… No wonder, young Alan became obsessed, psychologically enslaved, and in a way corrupted by these creatures, completely creating some sense of empathy with the audience, for the twisted, and also some scary viewpoints, Alan made known throughout his consultations with Dr. Martin Dysart.

Equus is a theatre play, but in its real definition, a pure piece of art, which means it will by some not be comprehended as intended, appreciated as justified, or even be praised as the magical piece of theatre I got to experience. With so many elements, magical theatre techniques, a story that will leave you cold, and yes, the naked sex scene that turned into the most powerful emotional breakdown you will ever see on a stage, the fact is that you will have to go judge the success of this production, for yourself.

Please be reminded that this Production, is not for the feint hearted and I think that if you are an old-school conservative sceptic, rather stay away, than to be scarred for life.

I have added the link to the Official Synopsis of Equus below, if you feel the need to be informed about this masterpiece, in order for you to enjoy all the theatrical elements of this play, without the unnecessary confusion… lol, like I was confronted with.

Equus will run in Montecasino until 26 May 2019.

[button color=”gray” size=”medium” link=”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equus_(play)#Plot_summary” target=”blank” ]Click here for the Synopsis of Equus[/button]

This Review was edited by Genevieve Viera

The post Equus appeared first on Stage and Screen.

By Louw Mulder

Sometimes, when you get to experience pure talent reimagined, then brought to life by an artist of a young age, there are simply no words to describe the majestic sense of wonder. This was the case when Marcin Patrzalek gave me a personal one-on-one demonstration of only a few minutes of what he is capable off. I was given the wonderful opportunity to spend some time with this 18-year old Polish Guitar Pioneer.

It all started at the age of 10, as he said, by complete accident. “I had nothing to do during the summertime where I live in Kielce and my dad wanted me to have some sort of activity,” Marcin said. After being rejected for Guitar lessons, due to the fact that the guitar teacher they approached denied teaching children, Marcin was referred to another teacher, from whom he then started learning Classical Music. His real talent, it can be said, became visible already at this young age, as only after three months taking up this six-string instrument, Marcin won his first local talent competition in Poland.

Building on this newly proven talent, Marcin started progressing, and then got to meet Carlos Piñana, a Flamenco guitarist from Spain, who proposed to help Marcin with some classes through Skype, introducing, and opening many doors for this youngster, with the Flamenco style of Guitar playing, until he received an Acoustic Guitar for Christmas. Friendly, and very clever with his English, he told: “I had no teacher, so I started to experiment and create my own ideas and techniques. I would look at the internet and combine really different contrasting ideas myself.

What was born out of these self-taught experiments, were what he calls a really cool style, now gaining more and more popularity worldwide, called the Percussive Finger Style. “It’s so new, and fresh that it differs a lot – Everybody plays it differently, as everybody has their own experiments.” Marcin told me.

At 14, and only for fun, Marcin entered the Polish Talent-show for musicians, Must be Music. “This was a huge deal for me, as I didn’t go there to win, I just went there as I like playing on stage, showing my talent and skills to people,” he said. But then his big break, when started to gain popularity by winning this competition: “Winning motivated me. I started to release videos, and then my first Album called Hush, when I was 15.”

With the release of new arrangements and videos on-line, Marcin started to gain more and more popularity on the internet. “I decided to arrange Beethoven’s 5^th symphony for myself, with another Talent competition in mind,” he told me: “I went to Italy to enter Tu Si Que Vales 2018, same as Italy’s Got Talent, and I also managed to win that, which was a huge surprise for me.”

It was after making this mark of his on the bigger International Talent Arena, that his travelling outside of Europe then started, with a successful tour to Mexico. “My style is so new and interesting, visually, that where I go and play, people have so many cool things to say,” Marcin shared with all his excitement evident in his eyes and his smile: “I want to travel as much as I can, and South Africa is a perfect place to start.”

Seeing the world as part of his traveling, is not his main priority, but sharing his talent with the world. Audiences worldwide have seen the Marcin Magic online, and would now want to see this visual style for themselves. “With Beethoven 5^th Symphony, you can clearly see how the guitar is used in a really weird and percussive way, like the scratching, the tapping, playing with one hand, which is a weird thing for people to see,” he teased: “When I travel, I hear many different opinions, and the one I am most happy about, is when people say they’ve never seen something like this before.”

It was then time for Marcin to show me his guitar. “My first guitar broke due to wear and tear after quite a long time. Ibanez Guitars also saw my arrangement on line, and they endorsed me, and now I am an official endorser of Ibanez Guitars, which means it doesn’t really matters if my style breaks another guitar…” he brags, laughs, and then put his own over his shoulder.

Marcin is playing on a somewhat modified Acoustic Guitar. A normal acoustic guitar does the job, and he can play it in his style perfectly, but he admits that most of his sounds go missing because the Acoustic guitar cannot amplify all the sounds effectively. “There is a very detailed electronic equipment inside my guitar,” as he points and showed me his secret: “So when you scratch, and when you play and when you do all these sorts of weird percussion elements, you can hear it very clearly.”

Understanding what he meant, I asked him if he ever thought of designing his own guitar, especially aimed at the vision he has for the Percussive Finger Style: “I am,” he laughed: “I can’t give too much detail as the work is still confidential, but it is in progress.  It’s a completely different world, because when I take the sheet music for a full symphony like Beethoven’s 5^th Symphony, or Metallica’s Masters of Puppets, I want to compress everything into one instrument, so it is important to get a huge amount of different sounds from one guitar, and that’s why we are modifying the guitar to suit this style even more.”

At this point, with his instrument over his shoulder, I noticed that Marcin was done talking, and that he would just want to play, showing off his talent that burst naturally out of his passion for what he does. If I could comment, I would say, Marcin Patrzalek can easily be compared to a modern day Mozart, and other world famous composers, who did not let young age defeat their need to create new sounds, melodies, and Music.

With performances in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town, South Africans can now experience this magical talent live, in an intimate setting during the SA tour of Guitar Wizards. During this tour, Marcin will be sharing the stage with South Africa’s award winning Guitar Duo, CH2, who brags with their own International acclaim. For Marcin, this is an honor to play with them: ”It will be a mutual sort of teaching experience because they have a different style than I do, and I have a different style than they do,” he said: “During our show, you will hear some similar dynamic vibes. It’s a nice contrast that makes the show interesting.”

Marcin, in a very exciting tone, gave me some secrets and spoilers for the SA tour of Guitar Wizards: “I will be playing some pieces with CH2 during our huge finale. I am even playing some South African tunes with them, so the finale will have some fireworks.”

The post We Talk To Marcin Patrzalek appeared first on Stage and Screen.

With the 3rd Season of M-Net’s The Voice South Africa currently being broadcast on DSTv’s channel 101’s most Successful Slot on Sundays, the deserving Talent of our Country, is slowly but singingly filling up the available spots in their chosen Coach’s teams.

Audiences all across M-Net’s satellite reach, have already familiarized themselves with the new faces in this Season, with Anele Mdoda as the new Host, Francois van Coke, Riana Nel and Riky Rick joining the only returning cast member, Lira, to complete the foursome Coaching Panel.

Real fans of The Voice South Africa, who might not be as oblivious as the rest of us, would have noticed by now, that the Producers of this season, did not replace the role and functions of Stacey Norman, who was always busy behind the scenes with some quirky interview for the Voice SA’s Social media pages.

To contribute to these socially nice-to-watch behind the scenes videos, M-Net has decided to put the The Voice microphone in the hands of some of Jozi’s Online and Social Media Influencers.  It was an honor for Stage and Screen to have been invited by M-Net’s Lani Lombard and her team to conduct a few of these Post-Blind Profiles for this reality series’ social links, and also M-Net’s Website. 

Our very own Louw Mulder, took on the challenge of the micr0phone, this time in front of the cameras, to chat with some of the Talent, who had just got a chair, with a coach on, turned for them.  We can only publish content already aired on M-Net’s TV channel, so keep coming back to this page for more clips…

Coach Riky, really took his time to make sure Joshua Parker’s rendition of this song by Ed Sheeran was Perfect, before turning his chair.  Here is what this 19 year old Talent shared with us:

After some episodes of The Voice came, and left quietly into the 19:00 timeslot of Carte Blanche, Coach Francois van Coke really battled to get the Talent he turned for, to choose the Coke Squad.  However, The fizz was back in #TeamVanCoke when a self-confessed rebel at heart, impressed Coach Riky and Coach Francois with the Sound of her Voice, not the Sound of Silence…

40 Year old Chezelle Shahadat, chose to continue her The Voice journey under the mentorship of the Rebel Coach on the panel… This is how she broke the sound of the studio’s silence, when she shared her excitement with us:

During the 5th episode of this season, #TeamVanCoke grew to seven talent, with Ashur Peterson and Mia Malherbe joining his cartel.

It was also Mia’s 26th birthday on the night of these Blind Auditions that saw her progressing in this competition, and even though This is a Man’s World, it was clearly a Woman’s Stage with Riky, Riana and Francois turning their chairs. We were fortunate to have a few minutes with Just Mia, on her birthday…

During episode 7 of this season, all of us joined in the excitement of the four coaches, when 25 year old Skhumbuzo did the unexpected by singing a song by Valiant Swart, translated into Zulu.  Coach Francois, a friend of Swart, got Swart on the line, sharing this young man’s entry into #TeamRiky, with this composer on National TV.  We talk to this Sonvanger after his audition.

Episode 7 ended with the successful attempt of the PJ Twins, successfully making their double-entry into #TeamLira.  Not just did they do their formal audition with I Swear, but also an impromptu operatic duet, on request by their Coach.  This set of Twins, shared some of their plans for this competition with us:

Then came the last episode of the Blind Auditions, and Lira broke the rules, forcing the Executive Producers to give each coach an extra Talent for their team.  Second to last on the night, with two spots on two teams respectively still up for grabs, Elisha James came on, and with Cry me a River, Riana turned for this crazy youngster, and in our chat, we told him he is crazy in his face…

Then the end was in sight, One Talent still back stage, with only Coach Riky with a spot on his team left, and with this last contestant inevitable to get a spot, her talent took nothing away from her deserved spot on #TeamRiky, when she made him turn his chair, promising her a You and I Journey.  We chatted to Nikita Williams, to close of this season’s Blind…

Click on the link below, which will take you straight to all the Video Content of The Voice, where you can look at all the other conversations between Talent through to the next round, and other Media colleagues…

The post Stage and Screen Collaborates with The Voice SA appeared first on Stage and Screen.

by Louw Mulder

A live concert with a well-known act is an experience very seldom to be forgotten. But a concert where the artist has the ability to take you through a mosaic of memories, is customarily more memorable, mainly because of nostalgic value, making the experience priceless. This was once again done by Big Concerts bringing Bryan Ferry to South African Stages. Not only once, but twice in one night, as both the supporting act and Ferry himself, transported the whole Sun Arena in Pretoria, back to youth.

Former Springbok Nude Girls’ lead singer, dating back to the late 1990’s, Arno Carstens, was the perfect choice to open for Ferry. Featuring a two-piece band, his set list comprised hits from then, like Blue Eyes, as well as his solo hit, Another Universe. What was remarkable, was the inclusion of an Afrikaans track too. Carstens was accompanied by his session drummer Werner von Walt and David Watkyns on the keyboard, also doubled-up on the trumpet, once again giving that hint of the Nude Girls’ sound.

When Bryan Ferry entered the stage, the roar of a packed Sun Arena, was evident to the impact, yet massive popularity this artist has sustained with his South African audience, over the years. After taking to the world music scene as part of the band Roxy Music in 1970 with their first hit, Virginia Plain, this now 73 year old singer- songwriter, established a unique repertoire during his solo career, which was the basis of his programme during the show in Pretoria.

His voice has been described as an elegant, seductive croon. With a distinctive, sartorial style, Ferry has influenced a whole generation of artists, through his refined music, and live appearances. Now, after a lengthy 19 year hiatus from South African stages, this time-honoured, English-born lead vocalist was back on an SA Stage. For his age, Ferry’s presentation of his enduring classics, sounded remarkably close to what was recorded on vinyl all those decades ago. Because of this, I do think that together with his overwhelming and sophisticated glam-rock style, Ferry delivered a magical, and memorable concert, everyone holds dear.

With unforgettable classics such as Slave to Love, Oh Yeah and More Than This, to name but a few, deeply entrenched in the gathering audience’s psyche, together with the sheer anticipation of this long awaited live performance, created a tangible atmosphere with each familiar lyric.

I thought the production was minimalistic, with no special effects with LED screens or other stage- and set designs. Together with his live band, the scene for each song was set by only his legendary voice, the acquaintance with each song, and very clever lighting design, which varies for each track. I would say that this approach seemed to be very effective, taking nothing away from the music itself, which was in essence the main attraction this legendary artist catered for.

Together with the flash-backs linked to each song, a different reminiscing tale to each member of the audience, Ferry’s production added to the enchanted recreation of the Good old Days, with a variety of instruments and musicians, even getting behind the piano himself. From saxophonists, oboists, even to a very clever solo of the bassist during his programme, each recollection was coloured in, in true Ferry- style, just like that memory was intended so many years ago.

But More than This, we know that It was Fun for a While, and while we as Ferry’s fans will continue listening to this Band, playing on the Radio, with the Rhythm of Rhyming Guitars, Drowning the Sound of my Tears, we can now see him saying through his music: “Even Though your world is changing, I will be the same…”

Big Concerts delivered Another, well presented Big Concert Experience, which brought the magic of music home, proving that music is timeless…

The post Bryan Ferry in South Africa appeared first on Stage and Screen.

Uit die pen van Hugo Ludik, Reynardt Hugo en Nerine Gardiner, stel ADAM hulle nuutste enkelsnit, Iets In Die Water, bekend.

“Ek het die inspirasie gekry toe Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters die titel van Mej Heelal ingepalm het in 2017. Ek het gedink Suid-Afrika het al so baie skoonheidstitels verower en met al die ADAM-toere, het ons besef dat Suid-Afrika regtig die mooiste meisies het. Die enigste verduideliking hiervoor, moes wees dat daar iets in die water is”, verduidelik Hugo.

Hugo en Reynardt het die melodie geskryf en toe die hulp van Gardiner ingeroep om hulle gedagte proses korrek te verwerk en die lirieke vas te pen, sodat die aanslag van die liedjie korrek kon oorkom.  “Iets in die Water was van die begin af een van ons gunsteling liedjies op die album. Die mense dans en sing uit volle bors saam. Dit is ‘n trots Suid-Afrikaanse liedjie”, voeg Reynardt by.

Die liedjie is beskikbaar op ADAM se album, Bewe, wat in 2018 uitgereik is.

ADAM bestaan uit Hugo Ludik, Reynardt Hugo en Kyle Grant.

The post Adam: Iets in die Water appeared first on Stage and Screen.