Boo! is back, and some of the best shows from Makhanda (Grahamstown) Fringe are coming for a visit.
Music
Boo! Were the antidote to the Springbok Nude Girls in the 90s. As hard and loud as the Nudies rocked, Arno couldn’t help getting a bit adult contemporary at times. Chris Chameleon, however, could be relied on to be sardonic. Something to do with that sparse sound – bass, drums, trumpet, and ocassional keyboard. No guitar chauvinism. Monkey Punk, indeed. Laughing on the dance floor. And now they’re back. Not with Ampi Omo and Leon on the drums, but it’s still Chris, of course, now with Riaan van Rensburg. And it’s a great space for them as well: The Armchair Theatre in Obs. Doors open at 6pm on 16 August. You can get in for R100 from Quicket.
Theatre
Here’s an interesting play at Theatre Arts in Obs (at the church hall on the corner of Milton and Wesley Streets). UHAMBO (The Travelling) involves the provocative Qondiswa James and experimental excellence of Jennie Reznek in the dramaturgy, with Buhle T Stefane performing in the play he created. It emerged from the renowned Magnet Theatre programme and is billed as a “darke psyche-thriller that takes you on a journey of a man’s uneasy childhood”. It involves struggles with mental health. It is on from 1 to 3 August. Tickets are R80 you can book through theatrearts.co.za
The National Arts Festival in Makhanda has happened, and a handful of the best shows on the Fringe are making their way down here if you were too pap to make the pilgrimage up there. Mountain comes to Mohamed and all that. You can thank the wonderful Caroline Calburn at Theatre Arts . The most unlikely and wonderful dancer Alan Parker is bringing Fallen and I can’t get upon 23 and 24 August. Shows are at 7pm with an additional 2pm performance on the 24th. This is a dancer who harbours no presumption. When he held out his hand, The Critter followed him willingly. Book through theatrearts.co.za for tickets at R100.
Also, The Agents are coming to Cape Town. This was the standout when it appeared on the Festival’s Fringe last year for the first time. The Critter appreciated it somewhat: “[The Agents] was the one play … that offered an incisive critique of Capital, and it did so brilliantly. The script with its escalating arc had the menace of a scalpel, the acting was crisp as a work shirt ironed by an underpaid domestic worker, the choreography as tight as synchronised swimmers, great set, and lighting like sun on an English summer’s day. The performance we saw was about as faultless as you can get and received a deserved standing ovation. Every year there is a standout fringe show, and this was it.” Every estate agent in Cape Town should definitely see it at Theatre Arts from 19 to 25 August. Check times on theatrearts.co.za, where you can also book tickets for R180 (very worth it, doll).
Visual art
There’s a whole bunch of things happening at Welgemeend manor house in the central city this month. That’s because art auctioneers Strauss & Co are collaborating with Frank and Lizelle Kilbourn, who are art collectors and philanthropists. Together, a threesome if you like, they are hosting August Art Month. On exhibition are works by artists who aren’t very well know but should be, as well as lesser known works by well known artists. It’s called (On)bekend / (Un)known, so it has all the right punctuation. Public walkabouts will cost R250 and they’re happening on all the Saturdays from 1 to 3pm, as well as on Wednesday 7 August from 11am to 1pm. The exhibition will open to the public the entire month, with an entrance fee of R60.