Enchanting Claudia’s Back in Town!
20 Oct 2010 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: Artscape, Lara Bye, The Kalk Bay Theatre
I’d waited to see “I, Claudia” for a long time. I’ve had lots of opportunities – it’s been playing to rave reviews for some time. I finally caught the show in a tiny, three -performance run at the Artscape a few months ago. Worth the wait? You bet. Since then, it’s played to packed houses in Botswana and now returns to the Cape, playing at the delightful Kalk Bay theatre till November 13th.
The story comes across by turns as a voyeuristic romp and an engaging confessional overshare as Danford explores the lives of several individuals brought together by the main character, Claudia – a precocious young girl coming to terms with her self, her family and her life. It is, like all the best stories, bittersweet – two parts hilarity for every one part heartbreak.
Susan Danford uses movement, costume and cleverly designed half face masks to slip effortlessly between characters as diverse as a vamp, a 12 year old girl, a grandpa and an Eastern European janitor. How does she manage such a range? Here’s a secret: it’s not about the props. Although the clothing changes and masks help the audience face each character with a blank slate, the real magic’s all Danford’s. Her genius for gesture, her understanding of breath and timing, all work towards drawing forth these full-realised, utterly engaging characters, even the less sympathetic of which still manage to charm the audience.
Speaking of which, Danford handled her audience with the skill of a seasoned performer. The show was full of meaningful personal interactions – including welcoming latecomers – without ever crossing the line into exposing or discomforting her audience.
It’s easy to break the performance spell with the change-overs between characters, but some subtle lighting by Matty Lewis (of the Pink Couch fame), carefully-chosen musical interludes and a little slow-motion movement from Danford smoothed things over, making even the transitions bvisually interesting and engaging. All this speaks, of course, to the sensitive direction of Lara Bye, whose skill in bringing out the best in diverse character-driven performances has been seen in the same venue with ‘London Road’. Danford and Bye have obviously worked with love and patience to find these particular characters – each is lovingly detailed, whether it be a quirky habit, a turn of phrase or a particular mannerism.
This is a show I’m definitely going to see again. If you haven’t caught Claudia yet, you’ve got three weeks. Leave the homework, blow off the housework and make a seaside date with Claudia. You’ll be in for a very grown up evening’s entertainment from this little lady.
You’d Be Meshuga to Miss This One
25 Apr 2010 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: Lara Bye, Nicholas Spagnoletti, Ntombi Makhutshi, Robyn Scott, The Fugard Theatre, The Kalk Bay Theatre
I have to admit that I was worried.
In his first produced play, Nicholas Spagnoletti has undertaken to write an all-female two-hander, writing the voices of a Nigerian illegal immigrant and a Jewish old age pensioner.
But it works. It works beautifully.
In London Road, Seapoint, one block of flats is occupied by two very different women. Stella has a husband; Rosa two children. So why are they both living alone?
As it turns out, loneliness is the key that brings these two women together, where they discover in each other a feisty independence of spirit that transcends their different backgrounds and social circumstances.
Checking out the full house?
Spagnoletti’s script is a beautiful exploration of an unlikely friendship between women. It’s clearly drawing on personal experiences of Seapoint characters and local flavour, but Spagnoletti never falls into the trap of inserting the self or ego into his writing. The setting may be his, but the voices, issues and stories are wholly theirs – a rare maturity with a relatively new playwright.
Of course, much of the credit for the piece’s success must also go to the two actors. Robyn Scott plays a woman in her seventies. In reality she’s in her thirties, yet I was completely taken in. Try to swallow that transformation over your glass of red.
In make up.
Indeed, Scott’s portrayal of the aged Rosa is, quite simply, captivating – an absolute master class in movement and breath. Her make-up, which apparently takes longer than the play itself to apply, is a tour de force, but the real magic is in the little things – an open mouth, an intake of breath, a word left hanging slightly too long. The theatre space itself is so intimate with the three sided horseshoe layout and lack of raised stage that, at times, audience members may find themselves a little close to the action for comfort. When this happens, Scott holds the gaze, nods almost imperceptivity…and it is the audience member who turns away.
Ntombi Makhutshi matches Scott with a strong performance as Stella – she carries herself with both a controlled strength and a hearty laugh, making her at once instantly likeable and a strong stage presence.
Accents bothered me slightly throughout the piece – I didn’t feel either of them were maintained fully over the course of the performance – but this will, no doubt, take shape during the run. At times, I also found the transition between time periods in the play confusing, though I hear that plans are afoot to bring in some additional design elements that will help clarify this.
London Road won the ‘audience choice’ award during the PANSA scriptwriting competition in 2007. With time taken before the first run and clear evidence of expert direction and collaboration between a talented team, this is a real success story of new South African writing. It’s such a pleasure to see a proper investment in new scripts from young writers. Spagnoletti is clearly a very talented playwright. I look forward to his next offering.
With direction by Lara Bye and an ingeniously simple set designed by Craig Leo, the play runs until May 8.
“London Road” had a sold out run at the Kalk Bay theatre from 10 March – 10 April. It has since transferred to the Fugard Theatre, where it runs until the 8 May. To book, call 021 461 4554.
Please note, this review was written on the Kalk Bay run.
