…..SoSuterBill…..

…….BY BILLY SUTER……

ANOTHER festive season means another sparkly cracker of song, dance and off-the-wall humour from Durban darlings Lisa Bobbert and Aaron McIlroy, whose latest supper theatre production, Bump & Grind, is a hodge-podge of giddy good fun that is perfect for the silly season.

The show, which premiered on the Rhumbelow Theatre stage at Durban North’s Northlands Bowling Club over the festive season, is now to have three performances at Talloula, Bothas Hill – on Friday and Saturday, January 30 and 31, at 7pm; and on Sunday, February 1, at 2pm. Tickets cost R220.

Good news is that this site has 10 tickets, with seating at a large table, to give away to one lucky person. It’s for the Friday, January 30, performance. See end of this post for details on how to enter the competition.

Booking for Bump & Grind, which is presented over two 40-minute halves with a 20-minute interval, is via Webtickets or by calling the venue’s Rowena at 082 304 6495. Rowena can also assist with info about meal options and orders, but one is permitted to take along one’s own snacks. Beverages, however, must be bought at the venue’s bar.

Below is my review of Bump & Grind, from the Northlands Bowling Club performances in December:

Once again under the direction of Daisy Spencer, and performing her choreography, the MacBob husband-and-wife team presents the usual lucky dip of characters, both familiar and new, and performs to backing tracks in front of changing images on a raised screen, in a colourful parade of costumes, wigs and accents.

The result is a slick and cheerful entertainment that opens with new characters in avatar aliens, Alga and Rhythm, a robotic duo that performs a bit of Talking Heads before delivering messages of goodwill that mask a plan for domination.

We then have Lisa, still in her opening number’s silvery skirt and blue, pig-tailed wig, performing a good rendition of Lady Gaga’s Abracadabra, after which Aaron steals the spotlight as a plump, Vegas-era Elvis, complete with curled lip, for Heartbreak Hotel. He also presents a fine, serious performance of Always on My Mind, after Lisa bounces back on stage in bodysuit and cape, for Burning Love.

Fan favourites, the whining Charmaine and her hen-pecked husband Bruce, also make an appearance in the show, as does talkaholic Veejay Moodley, who here raises laughter with rambling discussion ranging from complaints in general, to the benefits of constant movement, the Titanic movie and the woes of Humpty Dumpty.

The first half closes on a high note with Lisa and Aaron as pensioners Dot and Max. The fun starts with Dot presenting a comical, lyrically reworked version of I Went to a Marvellous Party which recalls a pensioner birthday party that exceeded all expectations. Then we have Aaron arriving with a zimmer-frame to join Dot on a couch for amusing discussions about everything from ungrateful grandkids to the disadvantages of women outnumbering men at the retirement home.

The first half closes with a bit of Beatles before we have Aaron and Lisa returning after a break with flamenco flair and the audience being taught a dance. Other highlights include a new character in an Irish preacher who performs George Michael’s Faith and fancies himself as a bit of a standup comic; Lisa in a sincere and engaging delivery of Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey’s When You Believe; and a closing medley of ’80s chart stompers that gets everybody clapping and tapping along.

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WIN SHOW TICKETS… WIN SHOW TICKETS… WIN SHOW TICKETS

Care to put yourself in line to win 10 TICKETS to the 7.30pm, Friday, January 30, performance of Lisa Bobbert and Aaron McIlroy’s Bump & Grind, at Talloula in Bothas Hill?

You simply have to be a follower of the SoSuterBill site to win.  At no cost.

If you are not already a follower, click on the word ‘…..SoSuterBill…..’ that appears under Billy Suter’s face on the red curtain at the top of this post. Next, scroll down a little and leave your email address in the blank space alongside the ‘Subscribe Free’ banner. You will then be a follower, and receive email notification whenever a new story is filed on the site.

Once you have subscribed (there is no cost), send your NAME and PHONE NUMBER via email (NOT THIS SITE’S CONTACT FORM) to sosuterbill@gmail.com and place the words “BUMP & GRIND GIVEAWAY” in the subject field. 

Note that the competition closes at 6pm on Tuesday, January 13, and the winner will be contacted soon after. His/her name will be posted in this spot thereafter.

Also note that tickets may not be exchanged for another performance and that the prize is for tickets only (not travel and/or accommodation should this prove necessary).

NOTE: PLEASE READ ENTRY DETAILS CAREFULLY AS SOME PEOPLE ARE ENTERING COMPETITIONS INCORRECTLY.

ALSO NOTE THAT ONLY ONE ENTRY PER SUBSCRIBER WILL BE CONSIDERED.

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