Cape Town is renowned for its natural beauty, atmosphere and charm, but at night another side emerges.
? Siyasanga Cape Town Theatre Company presents CA 12 – 6, six stories set in the hours between midnight and 6am that paint a picture of the city most people never see. It is the city we know, but as an unfamiliar and somewhat unhinged space. The company is led by writer-director Heinrich Reisenhofer, co-creator of Suip! and the Joe Barber series. The cast features Michael Inglis, Melissa Haiden, Frans Hamman, Zondwa Njokweni, Lee Roodt and Anele
Situlweni.
Arena Theatre, Artscape Theatre Centre, Foreshore. Until July 9. Book at Computicket. Tel: 021 421 7695. Website: www.artscape.co.za.
? In In the Shadow of Brel, Godfrey Johnson replicates the success he enjoyed with Flirting with Coward. Accompanying himself on piano, he summons the spirit of the great artist and makes it his own. Apart from the costume, there is no attempt at mimicry and the phrasing is all Johnson; whereas Brel was impassionedly angst-ridden and melodramatic, Johnson can give as successful a take on a song with chilling detachment. The translations from French are those approved by Brel. His fresh arrangement of Au Suivant is inspired. This is a well-balanced selection that includes Brel’s best-known works (Mathilde, La Chanson de Jacky, Ne Me Quitte Pas) as well as a few lesser-known songs, such as Funeral Tango.
Kalk Bay Theatre, 52 Main Road, Kalk Bay. Until July 9. Tel: 073 220 5430. Website: www.kbt.co.za.