Alex Sudheim
Bat Hall, Bat Centre, Durban harbour. St Raphael’s Special School, a primary school for the physically disabled, presents nine stage performances of the smash hit musical Sarafina! The public is invited to attend the openingnight performance at 8pm on Friday May 4, whereafter dedicated schools’ performances will take place from May 7 to 10 at 10am and 11.30am daily. Tickets for the public performance are R10 each. For the schools’ shows, pupils from both mainstream and special schools are invited to attend. Tickets are R5 each for mainstream pupils and R3 each for pupils from special schools. Bookings: Tel: 469 1077.
Cinema Sublime, Berea Centre Nu Metro. The weekly cinematic fix for Durbanites suffering arthousedeprivation syndrome on Sunday April 29 screens Les Enfants du Sicle (The Children of the Century), Diane Kurys’s biopic about enigmatic French writer George Sand. Praised for its cinematic flair and attention to biographical detail, the film, which stars Juliette Binoche, is said to be an astute and engaging portrait of the mysterious lady of letters. It is screened at 5pm. Tel: 201 6007.
Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre, University of Natal, Durban. Extended until May 5, Aaron McIlroy’s highly rated satire of motivational speaking and the world of corporate psychology, The Loser, continues to pack ’em in with its acerbic wit and manic energy. Directed by Vita Awardwinning actress Sue Montregge, The Loser is packed with hilarious takes on the music of Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Shel Silverstein, Tom Waits, Lou Vega and a range of Elvis tunes, all performed by different personae. You’ll get to meet Truscot Price, a worldrenowned and unconventional motivational speaker whose magnetic appeal and overt positivism are contradicted by his offbeat leaps in logic and his unfortunate tragicomic past. His psychologist and the narrator of the story, Preston Blackwood Smythe, questions his mental health and is confounded by Price’s ability to reform even the most bizarre of cases. Tickets are R42,50 and bookings for groups of more than 20 can call Tel:083 292 5324 for a discount. Tel: 260 2506.
KwaSuka Theatre, Stamford Hill Road. Running until April 28 is a brief series of performances by lounge legend Peter Maxwell, veteran of the Durban entertainment scene. The fine Gulzar Indian restaurant just down the road offers preshow dinners from 6pm at a reduced rate. Tickets are R35 at Computicket, the Kwasuka Theatre (Tel: 309 2236) or Troubadour Productions (Tel: 209 2818 or [email protected]).
Langoustine by the Sea Theatre, Durban North. New at this upmarket suppertheatre venue is A Dame, a Dog and a Dead Guy, a paean to the nostalgia of vintage comic book heroes as well as juicy “whodunnit” murdermystery stories, combined with blues, ballads and rock’n’roll. Catherine Mace has written this delicious new musical cabaret inspired by the likes of Mike Hammer and Dick Tracy. The talented Tim Wells (Popcorn, Copenhagen) is the smoothtalking, coolasice, slightly shabby, downonhisluck private eye, Kurt Stark. Belinda Henwood (Alone on a Saturday Night) plays the doeeyed, velvetvoiced, impossibletoresist, ladyinred vamp who is everything the desperate damsel in distress (Catherine Mace) can never dream of being. Stark has to find the coldblooded killer who murdered a billionaire playboy, who turned up dead in bed next to a chihuahua! On the lineup of songs are Sting’s Moon over Bourbon Street, as well as Luck Be a Lady, Money’s Too Tight to Mention, Stray Cat Strut, Puttin’ on the Ritz, You Can Leave Your Hat On, Tom Waits standards and others. Tickets are R110 (includes a threecourse meal) for performances Wednesday to Saturday and R79 (twocourse meal) for performances on Tuesdays and Sundays. Book at the venue or Computicket. For creditcard bookings call Tel:304 2753. More information: Tel: 563 7324.
Playhouse Cellar, Smith Street. Opening on Saturday April 28 is Cliff, a slick, modern musical tribute to “the Peter Pan of pop”, Cliff Richard. Feature the best singalong hits from Richards’s Shadows days and solo career, as well as more subtle numbers recorded in recent years, the lineup includes more than 30 of his songs, such as Living Doll, The Young Ones, Summer Holiday, Bachelor Boy, Wired for Sound, Carrie, Goodbye Sam Hello Samantha, Miss You Nights and From a Distance. The production stars “four of the tallest, hunkiest male singers to have ever performed at the Cellar” Neels Boshoff and newcomers to the Durban circuit Stephan Marneweck, Derick van Biljon and Brian Kenneth. With musical director Dawn Selby, Coral Chamberlain as choreographer and Peter Court as director, Cliff is a “musical phenomenon of evergreen classics”. Book at Ticketweb (www.ticketweb.
co.za or Tel:0861 400500). Tel: 369 9505.
Playhouse Loft, Smith Street. An enormous hit during its run in 1999, Rajesh Gopie’s acclaimed onehander Out of Bounds subsequently scooped an FNB Vita Award for best play. Telling of growing up in a joint family system in Inanda and Phoenix before the 1994 elections, the play has Gopie deftly switching between no less than 28 different characters to produce much humour, pathos, comedy and tragedy. Having enjoyed national success, the production is gearing up for an overseas tour. Due to popular demand, the play’s run has been extended until May 5. Tickets at Ticketweb or the Playhouse (Tel: 369 9444). For group booking discounts and fundraising opportunities, speak to Mala on Tel: 369 9497.
Playhouse Opera, Smith Street. Mbongeni Ngema’s The Zulu returns to Durban’s biggest stage. The musical hit and historical epic is back from April 29 to May 20. This time, pupils will also get an opportunity to see the show, with eight dedicated performances for schools. The production tells the story of one of the most important historical events in South Africa’s past, the victory of King Cetshwayo kaMpande’s mighty Zulu army over the British at the Battle of Isandlwana in 1879. The quick and mobile Zulu warriors fought against the heavily armed British colonial army. It was the worst defeat Britain suffered in its entire colonial history. Schools’ performances are at 10am on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from May 2 to 17 and cost R10 per person. To book for these, call Tel:369 9497. Performances open to the public run from April 29 to May 20 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets are R35 at Ticketweb or the Playhouse (Tel: 369 9444).