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Take a satirical look at South African
culture with four actors and a financially challenged keyboardist, and a group
of "virtually homeless" car guards.
RELEASE your inner cheapness - this is the
message of The Cheap Show, now on at The Fringe, at the Joburg Theatre complex, with the slogan, "We can't all
be rich ... but we can all be cheap."
The Cheap Show is a candid look at South
African culture, craftily mixing musical theatre to achieve a satirical effect.
It blends sketch comedy and includes plot-driven narrative.
Short films and advertisement clips are
shown as the audience enters the theatre, giving them a feel for the actors.
The plot centres on four actors and one
financially challenged keyboardist at a late-night rehearsal in a dodgy part of
Joburg. They are attempting to perfect scenes for their up-coming production,
entitled The Cheap Show, which is touted as a quirky, controversial outing.
At the rehearsal, some show overwhelming
guilt about the 10 "virtually homeless" car guards outside. They scurry to make
the car guards' shift more comfortable, as they assume the men work for meagre
pay.
Scenes show events in some of the actors'
lives, while others continue the rehearsal; the way black economic empowerment
has influenced people's decisions and careers is explored. The show includes an
almost "super hero" called The Dassie and God.
Minimalism is the choice for stage décor.
There are two stools and a keyboard, but it is packed with colour and strange
props in which the players dress up. This show is filled with bizarre yet
hilarious lines, leaving the audience rolling with laughter.
The stars
The show stars Craig Jackson, Siyabonga Radebe, Vanessa Frost, Saranti Reeders
and Greg Viljoen. It was written by Viljoen and directed by Emma Peirson.
Peirson also wears the hats of producer,
choreographer and writer. The writer and director of Defending the Cavewoman,
she was nominated for two Vita Awards for best new performer in a comedy for
Playboys, and best new script for Defending the Cavewoman.
Viljoen, a writer, producer and actor, is
better known for his red Speedo in the Windhoek Lager advertisement. He is also
known for his role in Big Okes.
A musical director and actress, Reeders has
an extensive musical background - audiences will recognise her from
Liriekeraai. Frost has been nominated twice for Vita Awards. She has her comedy
chops, having appeared in productions like Sex, Lies and Leopard Crawl and
Dangerous Liaisons.
Jackson received the Vita Award for best performance by a new actor in Deon
Opperman's Playboys; he has also starred in Agatha Christie's Mousetrap.
And then there is comedian Radebe, who has
starred in television shows and featured in A Place Called Home and Home
Affairs, among others. Apart from theatre and television, he has performed at
comedy club nights at the Blues Room in Sandton and Cool Runnings in Melville.
The Cheap Show is on at The Fringe, at the Joburg
Theatre Complex, until 1 August. Tickets cost from R83 and shows are scheduled
to start at 8pm. No children under the age of 12 are allowed. Latecomers will
only be allowed in when there is a break in the performance.
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