……BILLY SUTER……
DURBAN’S annual 031 Festival at the Seabrooke’s Theatre at DHS has provided a feast of drama, comedy and music this and last week – and among the best offerings is an hour-long delight of a show called Cottonwool Kid, which has its final two local performances this weekend. Truly superb, it is one of the best things I have seen on stage so far this year.
Cottonwool Kid is a solo work by seasoned Johannesburg actress Toni Morkel, who has so very deservedly received wide acclaim for her performance in this semi-autobiographical play, created by her and one of my favourite theatre directors, Sylvaine Strike.
The production revolves around a childhood laden with anxiety, tension, traumas and neglect, but don’t think it is all gloom and doom, as there is a ton of humour and some inspired direction in its focus on a little girl, CK, who battles to cope with her then-undiagnosed Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Besides contending with this problem, CK also struggles with an escalating skin condition that has her scratching continuously – and which is complained about often by her older sister, chain-smoking and self-absorbed mother, and blustering father.
For all their complaints however, the family does very little to get to the root of the child’s health problems, other than provide her with a tub or five of skin cream.
Set in the 1960s and 1970s, the work unfolds over an uninterrupted 60 minutes. It plays out on a stage bare but for five white shopping bags Morkel arrives with and constantly manouevres as, through changes in voice and actions, she portrays all her family members. She also plays, quite delightfully, CK’s faithful Dalmation pet, Luigi, which clearly has more compassion for the child than anyone else in a household where pathological carelessness abounds.
Morkel is truly marvellous, holding the audience tightly in her grip as she skips through a slick production that highlights physical theatre, clowning, touches of mime, fun use of snippets of popular music, and some delicious humour.. but becoming increasingly poignant and more thought-provoking as it builds to its bittwersweet conclusion.
Do all you can to not miss this terrific piece of theatre. Final performances are at the Seabrooke’s Theatre at 8pm today (Friday) and 2pm tomorrow (Saturday). Tickets cost R180 (R160 for pensioners) and booking is at Webtickets. Or buy tickets in the theatre foyer before the performance.
Other shows to be seen at the Seabrooke’s Theatre, where the 031 Festival closes on Sunday, are:
Ms B-haved – Written and performed by Sue Diepeveen, and directed by Natasha Sutherland, this work focuses on Sally Burkett, who is suspended from Littleman Junior School, rocking the small school and town to its core.
(Fri 12 June @ 6pm; Sat 13 @ 4pm; Sun 14 @ noon – Tickets R160 / R180 / 60 mins)
Britney in the Underworld – A one-woman cabaret starring Kaylee McIlroy, in a fresh tale centred on the music of Britney Spears. Directed by Kaylee’s mom, Lisa Bobbert.
(Sat 13 June @ noon; Sun 14 @ 4pm – Tix R160 / R180 / 60 mins)
Rugby Mad – Rugby takes centre stage in this high-energy, laugh-out-loud, one-man show. Written and performed by fuunyman Aaron McIlroy.
(Sat 13 @ 6pm; Sun 14 @ 2pm – Tickets R160 / R180 / 60 mins)
Roti Queen – A fun solo comedy by Shika Budhoo, directed by Dhaveshan Govender. Marriage is a dance between love, sacrifice and personal identity… and making roti!
(Sat 13 June @ 8pm; Sun 14 @ 6pm – Tickets R160 / R180 / 60 mins)
.....SoSuterBill..... 