Diane de Beer
Annabel Linder refers to her two cohorts as “the boys”, and when they, Keith Smith and Michael de Pinna, remind her that they aren’t young anymore, she simply shrugs them off.
“For me, you’re young,” she says.
These three musical chums have pooled their individual skills for their show opening tonight and running until May 28 at Sandton’s Theatre on the Square.
“We need to recognise that big word ‘nostalgia’,” says Linder about their American Songbook approach in Three’s a Show and the music they will be performing.
“People recognise the music and it takes them to that time and that ethos…” and she lets that linger a little.
Linder is nothing if not the consummate artist, even when just having a chat. She’s been around and knows how to ooze that charm, but with real authenticity. And she happily discusses the elephant in the room – age – and looks fantastic while doing that.
It is the younger De Pinna and Smith, the baby, who are still finding their feet in this world of hip replacements, diminishing twinkle toes and more soft shuffle.
But their accumulated showbiz genes are a powerful cocktail. Linder is simply Linder, a singer, comic and serious dramatic actress. Da Pinna simply wants to sing and Smith is the dancer, but also has amazing vocals. It’s the full package for these entertainers and that’s precisely what Three’s the Show is about.
“We are celebrating age, a coming-of-age history,” she exclaims.
This is longevity flexing its muscles and all three can attest to that. Linder and De Pinna first performed together in Edith Piaf No Regrets in the ’70s, but those were the days when these seasons lasted for seven months. All kinds of things could be learnt in the process, but no longer.
It is this history that has stuck like a kind of glue. “It’s all quite bonding,” says De Pinna, while Linder responds with: “I can say that the three of us love one another!”
Add to that tight circle, Linder’s husband, Sam Sklair, clarinet master who will be guest artist. “I tell him to practise,” laughs Linder, “and he says he’s never practiced, he simply plays. I retort with: ‘But you’ve never been in your 90s!’”
But there’s more to it than that. They know all the tricks, are proudly disciplined and remember some of the heyday (or were close enough to still have it in their musical repertoire) of the songs they will perform,
They’re not saying too much, and I don’t want them to. Because of their familiarity, Smith has also stepped in as director. He has the experience and listening to them chatter, Linder and De Pinna would speak their mind when needed. But obviously, all three know how the story goes and how to pull it off.
“I’m familiar and comfortable with telling people what to do,” says the ad hoc director.
And their connective tissue is too strong not to make this work
Linder is especially keen that a younger audience should see their show. But a young colleague, Khabonina Qubeka from The Table cast, saw an earlier version and loved it.
“She brought her mom, and she raved,” says Linder.
But realistically they know their audience will be an older crowd who’ll love and revere the music, and their hearts will be happy as they listen to the soundtrack of their lives.
All three of them have done a variety of things, but music is what kept them alive and passionate about what they do. They all come from performing royalty across the world which steered them down a particular path and they still adore the stage and pay homage to it constantly.
The first time Smith won an acting accolade as a scholar at Pretoria Boys High, all the stars of the school paid attention. He knew this was the life for him.
And while all three agree, ageing isn’t for sissies, they know there are benefits with the best, an acceptance of yourself. That’s why they’re celebrating. That’s why they’re doing it for themselves – together – and that’s why the show is all about their strengths and even some weaknesses.
Leave your cynicism at the door, kick back and it will leave you with a big thank you for the music. That’s their promise.
Three’s a Show, tonight until May 28 at Sandton’s Theatre on the Square.