My first Maynardville experience

The other night the BF and I headed over to Maynardville in the Southern Suburbs to check out Shakespeare’s “The Comedy of Errors” at their open-air theater.

This rendition of the Shakespearean classic however promised to pack quite a punch as it was being done in a Kung Fu movie style!  That’s right, Bruce Lee baby. :)

If like me, you’re not really a Shakespeare expert (Hey I’m ‘n Afrikaanse meisie - I read bloody “Kringe in ‘n bos” in high school. haha), this is basically the plot:

  • Two pairs of twins are separated at birth.  But then many years later they somehow find themselves in the same city, but not knowing of each other’s existence.  This then leads to a series of comical misunderstandings and lots of confusion.

The play is directed by Matthew Wild and the set & costume design was put together by Angela Nemov (apparently this duo has already got some impressive awards against their names). Then I was really suprised to hear that Rob van Vuuren (from “Corne & Twakkie” fame) was one of the lead actors… interesting…

As we walked towards the theater, we immediately got into the Chinatown mood with these beautiful Chinese lanterns which framed the pathway:

The setup outside the theater was also very organised, with lots of food & drink options to pick from (FYI, it gets a bit chilly – so a nice cup of hot chocolate is a great idea):I wasn’t allowed to take any piccies inside – so I can’t show you what the stage and setup looked like.  But then again, that would be spoiling the fun, wouldn’t it?  What I can tell you though is that sitting in the middle of a big park, surrounded by beautiful trees with the stars as your “down lighting” is pretty damn magical.  

As for the show - I thought it was fresh, fun & exciting and I enjoyed every minute of it.  I was also really impressed by Rob’s performance in particular – that guy has some serious comedic brilliance running through his veins. 

Now the show kicks off at 8:15pm and then there is an interval about 1 hour in so you get to strech your legs and enjoy a quick snack or drink outside.  Then it wraps up around 10:30pm.  So that’s a solid evening of entertainment which I can highly recommend.  And for those coupled up, it’s actually quite romantic.  (oooooooh ;)

If you are keen to check it out for yourself, you better make a move cause the last show is this Sat eve (18 Feb).  Ticket prices range from R100 to R150 and you can book through Computicket or by calling Artscape Dial-a-Seat on 021 421 7695.

Don’t um & ah about it now, just do it!  Oh and remember to take a nice warm jacket and girls you can leave the heels at home.

xxx

The Mercy Seat

As part of my new mission to be more cultured and sophisticated… seriously, I’m trying really hard people!!!  :) I thought I’d visit the “theatre dahlings”…

So last night I dragged my friend Nix to the Nassau Theatre in Newlands (76 Palmyra Rd) to go and check out “The Mercy Seat” – directed by: Matthew Wild.


Featuring local talents, Bjorn Steinbach and Lee-Anne Summers, The Mercy Seat plays out on the day after the Sep 11 attacks. Basically… Ben, a married man with kids, is shagging his boss, Abby, on the sly.  Ag sies man!!!  He happens to be at Abby’s place as the attacks happen, instead of being at work that morning.  Somewhat seperated from the tragedy playing out in the city, Ben has an epiphany!  This could be the perfect way out of his life of lies… he could just disappear… maybe start a new life with Abby…  but things are never that simple, now are they…

Both Bjorn & Lee-Anne give a brilliant performance in this “two man” show.  They really manage to suck you into their character’s turmoil and you start thinking stuff like “Aaargh, that guy is suck a d!ck…” and “I wish that chick would just open her bloody eyes!”  That’s pretty damn good acting in my book.  Also I was super impressed by all the dialogue they had managed to memorise, without the luxury of an intermission.  Freakin’ awesome job guys!

Tickets cost R85 and can be purchased on Computicket.  The show is still running this week – tonight & tomorrow eve.  And then next week, Mon 25 Jul to Fri 29 Jul.

Go check it out guys! (plus, you’ll get to act like a snooty theatre buff – like I’m planning on doing now. haha)

xxx