……BILLY SUTER……
DURBAN performers are pooling talents for a special, once-off fundraiser variety show in support of the family whose legendary Delfi Greek Taverna in Morningside, as well as their home above it, was destroyed by fire recently. The show, titled Durban Loves Delfi, will be presented at the Milkwood Theatre at Danville Park Girls’ High School, Durban North, at 7pm on Monday, October 19.
The event is hosted and MC’d by Hello Poppy – an NPC headed by Jane Linley-Thomas. Working alongside psychologist Dr Paul Bushell, Hello Poppy hopes to collaborate with like-minded partners in creating and offering interventions, activations and events that foster joy activism for elders.
The Durban Loves Delfi line-up includes hit musical theatre trio The Glitter Girls, featuring Lisa Bobbert, Liesl Coppin and Marion Loudon; and also South African magician, mentalist and MC, Mo Magic, who is noted for blending world-class illusion, mind reading and family-friendly comedy.
Also on the bill are Rory Petzer, a storyteller and multi-talented entertainer whose content is equal parts hilarious and heart-filled, and the talented young performers from Durban’s International School of Performing Arts (ISPA)..
Members of the creative industries have offered their time and talents free, and Danville Park school principal Linda Scholtz has made Milkwood Theatre available under the leadership of Liesl Coppin. Black Coffee has provided technical infrastructure. All monies raised through ticket sales will go directly to the Delfi family.
The fire started at the back of the Delfi Greek Taverna and spread to the entire building. Restaurant owners and family members Doddy, Maria and Manuel Teranes have lived upstairs from the venue since 1964.
The fire on September 3 took away not only the beloved Delfi restaurant, but all
the family’s lifelong possessions. “Their home of six decades is gone, along with all the beautiful
memories. It was not only a restaurant. It was a home filled with love, kindness and warmth.
They were left with the clothes on their backs,” said family member, Linda Landzanakis.
Ayakha Godlwana, 32, a chef at the Palm Terrace Cafe, was regarded as the hero of the
day after he rescued Doddy Teranes from her room while the flames were spreading through
the upstairs home and the restaurant.
“We honestly never expected anything like this.To see performers giving their time and so
many people coming together for us has been incredibly moving. Since the fire, we have been
overwhelmed by the love and generosity of the community. We are so grateful to each and
every person who has reached out, helped and supported us,” said Maria Teranes, talking to the show’s publicist, Illa Thompson of Publicity Matters.
Tickets for the show cost R220 (R200 for students and pensioners) and are available via Webtickets. The theatre is at Danville Park Girls High School at 21 Middlebrook Avenue, Durban North. Parking is available on the school grounds, accessed via Newport Avenue in Durban North, specifically through the gates situated between the astro turf and the church. Refreshments will be on sale in the foyer before the show.
