COMEDY: We Can Come Back From ThisReview by CASEY LUDICK I never had the sex talk with my mom, but I don’t think it would have gone quite as Sarah Abrahams’ did. Abrahams says her mom tried to buy her a dildo on the way home from school one day when she was 15. Most parents avoid the topic of sex altogether, never mind offering to buy sex toys while driving home from school. The anecdote formed the opening of Abrahams’ opening set in We Can Come Back From This, the banner title for a selection of comedians playing at…
Author: Rod Amner
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By OVAYO MILISA NOVUKELA SAMA award-winning legend Ringo Madlingozi has a day job as an Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) MP. But, as he proved at the Guy Butler Theatre last night, he hasn’t yet entirely traded in his musical roots for the red beret. Born in Peddie in 1964, Madlingozi says his music has always been political: “Even my first album, Vukani.” Madlingozi promised he would continue to “sing about love and the pain our beloved people are facing and the joy I wish we could have”. Ringo with a fan during the concert on Saturday. Photo: Ovayo Milisa Novukela…
By SIYAMTHANDA PONGCO Hi-Tec arrested two men’ armed’ with a toy gun after they attempted to rob a Bathurst Street business at 8.30 am on Friday, 24 June. SAPS spokesperson Majola Nkohli said the owner and two assistants were held at toy—gunpoint and marshalled inside by the two men, aged 30 and 42, as they opened their shop for business. “The owner managed to press a panic button to activate an armed response service of a private security company. The two men were arrested at the scene, and police were summoned,” Nkohli said. Grahamstown SAPS confirmed that a preliminary investigation…
MOVEMENT: MoyaReview by DANA OSBORN Slow, rhythmic shuffling scores the scene as the auditorium starts to rise in sound and energy. Revolution Blues by Ondara is playing as I catch a few words from the elderly couple behind me. “What is he doing?” the woman asked. I look up at the stage to find a man staring obtrusively at me. Guarded, I check my space to ensure I’m not somehow out of line. After a few seconds, the man drops me from his ocular hold and begins pacing from one side of the stage to another, vigorously waving at audience…
MUSIC: Naftali and the Royal FamilyReview by ARNO CORNELISSEN “Music takes you to places that you haven’t known before,” says Naftali Kholofelo Mphago, “You just travel. I’m taken to that space—immediately, I am gone. I can’t think, it just flows, and the people’s energy connects and creates a moment.” If you are exhausted from a long day of emotionally taxing theatre, Naftali and the Royal Family will rejuvenate your soul. Led by vocalist Naftali Kholofelo Mphago, the four-person ensemble selflessly shares something sacred with their audience that transcends the boundaries of logic. With a sound that transverses genre boundaries, the band…
MUSICAL THEATRE: VincentReview by KEREN BANZA I walked into the show, freezing my toes off and in a mood equal to the grey weather. By the time it was over, I had classic rock songs warming my soul, the sweet sound of piano keys floating in my mind, and the story of Vincent van Gogh engraved in my heart. Vincent, written and directed by Amanda Bothma, is a musical theatre production about the life of our favourite tortured artist, Vincent van Gogh. I expected Daniel Anderson to narrate the story and maybe act out a few scenes. I nearly fell…
THEATRE: My Weight and Why I Carry ItReview by CASEY LUDICK “Slay!” shouts someone in the audience as Tasmin Sherman reveals her bikini-clad body. For many women, weight is a contentious subject, hence the ubiquitous question: “Do I look fat in this?” or some variation thereof. How you feel about your body changes how you interact with the world. Add the burden of unrealistic expectations created by advertising and the media, and fertile ground for insecurity and psychological damage is laid. My Weight and Why I Carry It addresses this issue, with Sherman playing the character of Vic Woode in…
THEATRE: StratengReview by GRACE MOYA Education is seen as a tool to escape the chains of poverty. Going to school and university is a big deal for an impoverished black child. But what if socio-economic circumstances – from poverty to high unemployment – keep people trapped? ‘Silanda imfundo’ (‘we are fetching education’) is the play’s opening line. Tweety (played by Ntomboxolo’ Nox’ Donyeli) is a graduate fresh from university who cannot find employment. Jobs in South Africa are scarce, especially for the youth, and she winds up a homeless drug addict living on the street. For many, unemployment can be…
MUSIC: Spiritual RealmReview by GRACE MOYA Music brings people together. For the group that makes up Spiritual Realm, it’s African spiritual music, beautifully sung from the stage in the Thomas Pringle Hall at the National Arts Festival in Makhanda. Siyabulela Javu, Hlumelo Magodla and Andile Kopele deliver an amazing performance, both accompanied by instruments, and a cappella, with the songs, true to their genre, composed of short melodies repeated, interspersed with whistles and clicks. It’s all about the rhythm. The clicks represent the Xhosa people and their unique language, with the whistle representative of African culture in general. But Xhosa…
DANCE: MnqumaReview by MZWANDILE MAMAILA Who am I? Where am I from? Where am I going? When I introduce someone to this earth, who will they be? Identity crisis is the central topic of Xolisile Bongwana’s one-person dance production, Mnquma. Dressed in revealing cultural garments, Bongwana marched onto the stage and told his story. He was lost, burdened, and saddened by the fact that he did not know who he was. Through the changes in his voice, posture, and facial expression, Bongwana single-handedly played the role of a Xhosa man, his father, and his ancestors. Through contrast and conflict between…