Adam Haupt On show in Cape Town
Schisstrrer Saves the Planet! takes its audience into the Willoughby world of schizophrenia. The show is framed by Guy Willoughbys familiar character, Major Schisstirrer. The retired and decidedly demented South African Defence Force character arrives to pitch his right-wing security plan, Bloed Rivier. This time he proposes the Model C-max retirement village, which is in outer space, with the hard sell pitch: Once you were a Voortrekker, now be a space trekker.
But the Major does not get to steal the show as there are a host of other South African types who make their appearance through Willoughbys sketches, stories and songs. There is Charlize Therons former high school boyfriend, who watches her on TV and croons nostalgically, Wont you be mine by remote control/ While Bokkies in the kitchen you could really touch my soul. In the song A Boer Lost in Texas Willoughby takes us into the Swartland, and relates the tale of a boerseun who sings like Elvis and goes to the city to make a name for himself.
He never returns and theres much speculation about what happened to this gifted bloke, who left his sweetheart behind. There is also a great sketch of the solid okes from the bar of the Royal Hotel, who present some thought-provoking conspiracy theories about the state of the nation and the soft drink connection. Apparently, FW de Klerk was forced by Coca- Cola to free Madiba they threatened to cut off the supply, it seems.
But the sketches do not merely focus upon white South Africas Afrikaans types. The anachronistic Mrs Bosomworths Pagad sensibilities surface as well. This sketch might not be particularly funny to those caught in the crossfire on the Cape Flats, though.
Willoughby is well aware that his sketches are performed from a very specific perspective and, to this end, he has hung a huge cartoon of a wasp at the back of the set. At one stage, he spells out what he means to imply he is a white Anglo-Saxon Protestant and, much like Afrikaners, is not beyond being ridiculed.
One example is when he satirises Edgemead types in a sketch about the Edgemead Festival. This festival, in turn, is Willoughbys way of making fun of many small towns shift to jumping on the festivals bandwagon. In the sketch his character claims that the Edgemead Festival has an outreach programme for the people of Bothasig.
During the song sequences, Willoughby is accompanied by Jean-Claude Munnik on guitar. Munnik apparently hails from Burundi and presents Schisstrrer with the perfect opportunity to stage every possible form of xenophobic outburst about aliens from other parts of Africa. Their interaction is interesting, because Munnik says as little as possible as he wafts on and off stage with his classical guitar and all manner of props for Willoughbys sketches.
If the silly, light-hearted and sometimes ridiculous take on things is your scene, Schisstrrer Saves the Planet! will appeal to you. While the laughs are on the clean side, they are not exceedingly side- splitting and the show could, perhaps, be developed into something more punchy.