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Jailoshini Naidoo

Kickstart’s don’t Dress for Dinner opened at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre on Friday, just in time for Valentine’s Day.

The comedy farce about double adultery is a welcome departure from the norm for those not into sentimental Valentine’s Day stories.

It is set in a stylish private game lodge somewhere near the Kruger Park.

Bernie is hoping to entertain his chic Joburg celebrity mistress, Suzy, for the weekend.

He has arranged for a cordon bleu cook to furnish gourmet delights, is in the process of packing off his wife, Jackie, to her mother’s for the weekend and has even invited along his best friend, Rob, as a suitable alibi.

The production features an all-star local cast, headed by Tim Wells as the naughty ladies’ man Bernie, and Bryan Hiles as the hapless Rob. Two of Durban’s best-loved actresses, Clare Mortimer and Jailoshini Naidoo, play Bernie’s wife and mistress respectively, while the talented Janna Ramos-Violante plays the spunky Afrikaans chef, Suzette.

Her husband, the slightly sinister George, is played by exciting young actor Nhlakanipho Manqele, named Best Male Newcomer at last year’s Mercury Durban Theatre Awards.

On stage the performers may poke fun at old-fashioned relationships and the notion of love. However, as The Mercury discovered, most of them are romantics at heart.

Omeshnie Naidoo asked a few of the cast members if they believed in love and what they thought was the cornerstone of a good relationship.

The heart of the matter

Nhlakanipho Manqele:

“I celebrate Valentine’s Day solely because my partner makes a big deal of it, admits Manqele. “Love, on the other hand, I believe in. It’s got me to where I am in life. My family raised me with love, and it is love and passion for my work that has helped me with my career. I am also surrounded and supported by love from my friends and partner. The thing about relationships is that you walk in feeling complete only to discover you were not. Should you leave, you feel incomplete.”

Tim Wells: “My wife and I do not bother with Valentine’s Day. We tend to avoid being prescribed to by most conventions. We are not huge soppy romantics, but we are very close and I do believe in love, especially in it’s fully evolved multi-dimensional forms. At 15 I went in search of romantic love and was lucky enough to meet my wife, Debi, when we were 21 and 18 respectively. We are now 44 and 41, and have weathered many storms. Life’s lesson in relationships for me has been learning to know when I am wrong and being able to apologise. Not taking oneself too seriously and keeping a sense of humour is imperative. I consider myself extremely privileged to have such a completely amazing life partner who has put up with my various madnesses and given me infinite and priceless support when it has counted most.”

Jailoshini Naidoo: “Of course I believe in love. I love shoes. I love chocolates and I love French champagne. All the things money can buy. Seriously though, every single person responds to love or an act of love. Imagine a world without that warm, fuzzy feeling. Love can literally leave you glowing and super delirious. All human beings thrive on love. In a way, that is what we are suggesting in the play, although it is very light-hearted. “I believe that respect and being able to laugh together are key ingredients to the success of a relationship.”

Byran Hiles: “Love is when my cat yells at me for food. I can’t tell whether it’s love for me or for the food, but it is love nonetheless,” jokes Hiles, who cant seem to be serious about the topic. “On Valentine’s Day I usually wake up in the morning, spend about an hour trying to find a date or two (or three) for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Get distracted by coffee and Facebook and find myself surprisingly unsuccessful in my quest,” he says.

Janna Ramos-Violante: “We sometimes celebrate Valentine’s Day... It depends if my husband remembers. When he does I get spoilt rotten; once he gave me a blue rose. Personally, I think every day should be a celebration of love, I’m an old romantic. I know it is cheesey but I really believe that love conquers all. In relationships communication is key.”