Represent Review: Athol Fugard’s Victory
Thanks to JohnO for his take on Fugard’s latest play at the Market Theatre – he says it’s a must see but not for the faint-hearted! : Wow ! The only thing saving us from freezing to death after the latest cold spell was the tension and drama on the stage of the Laager theatre at the Market. A packed house of cold feet and wide eyes got to see Athol Fugard’s latest effort Victory. And what an effort it was ! I was initially drawn to the piece because of Cobus Rossouw – one of my acting idols from yesteryear but what I got to experience was nothing short of breathtaking. The cast consists of Cobus Rossouw whom everyone may remember from the 70’s and 80’s during which he invariably played a villain or strict father in every second movie or television series. Those lucky enough to have seen “Die groen factor”, will realize that you do not get any better Cobus than that. His performance in Victory was good – although after not seeing him for so many years, I immediately noticed that the years have been tallying up. The rest of the cast was made up of two relative newcomers – Ameera Patel and Wayne van Rooyen. These two stole the show and delivered a performance that can only be described as brilliant and disturbing. Where have these two young actors been hiding? Although the piece tackles a very serious topic – poverty and racism- Fugard still managed to inject some laughs into the evening. The ensemble delivered the laughs and when the tension and absolute terror came, they delivered the goods, pushing the audience to the edge of their seats. I have never experienced the realism and absolute desolate frustration that Wayne van Rooyen delivered. At times he was foaming at the mouth, literally! There were a few scenes where he slapped Cosbus Rossouw’s character around which was positively shocking leaving the whole audience gasping for air. To get back to the technical side – the direction was excellent. The set was simple but suited the piece perfectly. The lighting and music were done brilliantly, communicating the mood – not leaving you confused as to what’s going on. To close – this play is not for the faint hearted. I went into it expecting the usual black vs. white story – which it is not. The piece starts of with a bang, introducing the characters, changes into what your mind can only fathom as a tragedy and then ends on a sad and very disturbing note. No fluffy animals and sing along songs here –...
Recipe for Heating up a Cold Jozi Night
Thanks to Heather for her tips on how to stay warm this winter but still get out on the town: After hibernating for the past couple of months, I decided to break the cycle on one of the coldest weeks Jozi has had so far! But I think I got it right…. A romantic dinner for two, some red hot jazz and drinks with friends AND I managed to do it all in one place! Yes, I would say that the most important ingredient for this recipe is The Market Theatre. That old lady is like going home to Mom’s cooking, and she’s made foie gras. Gramadoelas welcomed, with their buffet and red wine to warm the senses. How fabulous to roll out of the restaurant at 19h58 and walk over to the theatre and seated by 20h00. Currently on at The Market Theatre is the Total MIAGI festival 2007. No MIAGI is not a Japanese Karate Master, MIAGI stands for Music Is A Good Investment. Indeed. On until the 27th of May – all around Jozi Last night we caught all female Jazz Quartet (but there were only three – best I get Nancy Drew on this). Think Erikah Badu, crossed with Cassandra Wilson and through in a bit of Billy Holiday and you kinda get what I’m talking about. They were supported, and I mean supported, by their band. You really go the feeling the band enjoyed making music with them, they had a lovely rapport. Melanie, Denys and Mandisa each took their turn to shine on the stage graced with rose-petals. There were a couple of technical hitches – the techie on stage adjusting microphones and a bit of confusion as to the playlist, but somehow it didn’t bother me. It seemed charming and gave insight into them as people. I think they love what they do. After a quick wine during the interval, the extremely talented Jonathan Crossley was on with his band of merry men from Knysna. Now this is someone who plays the guitar as if he was making love to it. He seems to enter a state of transcendence when he plays and up to a point if felt almost voyeuristic watching him. This performance was hampered by what seemed like quite a big technical glitch, in that (and please forgive my basic music knowledge) something came loose on the amplifier so as the band was really getting into their session, there was an irritating thumping from the amp. It was very distracting, and marred some fabulous piano work by Martin Wolfaard. You could see this was almost painful to Jonathan. The...
Femi Kuti is in the country
Maybe we’re still skittish from the Snoop debacle where the brother never showed up – maybe we just like the speed of internet as a medium – anyway we thought we’d share some photo’s to show you that the legend is indeed here. A warmly wrapped Femi Kuti attended a press conference in Parktown today along with Kinobe, one of Uganda’s top artists, Brad from the Bassline and Steven Sack, Joburg city’s director of arts, culture and heritage services. We couldn’t stay for long but heard Femi being drilled about Nigerian politics and the recent elections – his answer was “there was no election in Nigeria..” Damn – wish we could have heard more. Respec’! The man is an incredible musician and we hope that all of us African’s will be in Newtown tomorrow night to celebrate the mother of all continents. It’s going to be interesting 🙂 DRESS WARMLY!!! Represent! ...
It’s all happening in Swaziland
Those of you that know us well know that we’re mad about Swaziland (no bias of course), particularly the mind-blowing venue House on Fire. It’s all happening next weekend with both DJ Fresh (an old school fave of ours) and the Brazilian carnival band Napalma (go to the delicious website to hear their infectious tribal beats). For a weekend away from the Jozi rush but still wanting a bit of a party namethrowing experience up close with the people – how about a trip to the gorgeous mountain kingdom? It’s a neat 3 and a bit drive. Still enough time to plan! House on Fire are able to make accommodation arrangements for you – come on – get that stamp in your passport. We heart Swaziland. Info: It’s Carnival time at House on Fire with the imminent arrival of Brazilian Carnival Percussion group, Napalma, on Sat 2nd of June – Napalma share the stage with 5fm’s Dj Fresh. NAPALMA’s amazing sound incorporates beats and melodies from electronic programming, vocals from exotic East Africa and hypnotic djembe drumming…what a package! Put all this together and you get an incredibly energetic set that defies obvious musical classification…!!!!!!!. Napalma are touring South Africa and Mozambique having performed in major festivals all over the world Doors Open 9PM Tickets @ the Door Hot Fires Hot Meals Hot Atmosphere!!! The band members are: Ivo Maia ( lead singer) born in Mozambique and brings with him Jamaican influences, traditional songs and dialects from East Africa. Paulo Bolzan,aka Carranca (electronic programming) Borrows from drum´n´ bass, house, hip hop, electro, techno, ragga, dub and whatever comes his way. Cid Travaglia e Rafael Jabah ( djembés) Initial founders of Napalma. Their job is to ensure everyone is shaking it. The two drum formula makes for instant success at any carnival. Info Line (+268) 5282110 Accommodation (+268)...
Support our brother site JHBLive
You know we roll like that. We big china’s with our big bro and sis urban culture websites JHBLive and Rage and have much respect for both of ’em. We’re all after a similar aim peeps – to encourage a good life for good people in a good city…So let’s spread the love. Yet again JHBLive are having one of their wicked Inna City parties on 2 June at the Bassline in Newtown – it’s a surefire fabulara night showcasing the latest in Jozi musical kulcha and one you don’t want to miss. BUT tickets are limited this year so make sure to buy yours soonest! Here’s the dope: Come join JHBLive as we bring you the Next Live Inna City event. Expect a groundbreaking blend of animation, video stories, live music, vicious vocals and Balkan beats, all blasting at you, from the notorious Bassline sound system, across two dance floors. All we need to make the evening complete is you.Your essential guide to urban life, JHBLive, has decided to bring you a multimedia, audio-visual experience that’s more than just a party. Live Inna City will blend jazz, breaks, hip-hop and cutting edge visuals to create an experience that won’t just provide you with sights and sounds to move your body to (though it will do that too), but that may just warp your mind as well. For one night only, we invite you to step into the future, and experience some of the most mind-altering talent this country has to offer. To all JHBlive users we are offering you tickets at R 40 less then the door price for this week only. The last Live inna city at Carfax was a full house with over 1800 people attending. For this event only 1000 tickets are on offer. Ensure that you get your early by clicking here. To all JHBlive users we are offering you tickets at R 40 less then the door price for this week only. The last Live inna city at Carfax was a full house with over 1800 people attending. For this event only 1000 tickets are on offer. Ensure that you get your early by .Event highlights:Closet Snare: One of Cape Town’s hottest new bands, blending intelligent jazz with irresistible raw grooves, Closet Snare comprises the members of the original Max Normal (minus Waddy) alongside South Africa’s best jazz drummer, Kesivan Naidoo, trombone/clarinet player Lee Thompson and visual artist Inge, who drops mind-warping visuals to the beats. It’s about time Closet Snare brought their masterful sound to Jozi. check out Closet Snares band profile on jhblive. video included Tumi The Volume’s frontman and one of the top rappers in...
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