Age is not really a factor. What might become one, depends on what you have done with the years you have had. On that level there are only a handful of theatrical practitioners in South Africa who can vie with the versatility of the inspiring work of the Von Memertys: Ian and Vivienne, née Lawrence, who were born to be on stage, but did not get there without hard work and continuous dedication.
Fantastic 50 is a family celebration, also featuring their two surviving children, in which they look back on their challenged lives, their disappointments and triumphs, while filling the stage with the real glories that left a mark on it: musical theatre.
There were many of their performances in this pulsating genre this reviewer was fortunate to attend. The one that stayed with me was Ian’s performance of Bobby in Crazy for You, staged in 1994 by the then Pact, with Vivienne leading the dance corps with the kind of professionalism, grace and chutzpah, which characterised and clarified her rare appearances. With Fantastic 50 she gloriously returns as a dancer with a still-amazing youthful flair and pizzazz about her.
This programme is varied, driven and built up by a range of challenging emotional experiences and other more exhilarating ones in which the family’s history as a whole is reflected. Under headings like “Communication, Travel, Forty, Television, Injury, Bipolar, Tension, Resolution” and others, all the facets of life as the Von Memertys experienced it, pass the parade.
With great honesty these feelings are often close to the bone in biographical detail. It can and does make the audience feel somewhat uncomfortable – especially when the lyrics of some well-known songs like Something Stupid or Favourite Things are inventively changed to fit their story. In this process, however, humour and the more bright side of life stand central.
Fantastic 50 is an explosion of diverse forms of entertainment, cleverly packaged into a two-hour show. Ian has polished his stand-up comedy style to the best it ever was, while his voice is still one of the most entertaining and expressive in the industry.
In his dance duos with Vivienne, the show’s sophisticated level rises – except when Ian plays the part of a suffering clown with fitness problems. The performances by Oscar, demonstrating in his dance routine that he has all the makings of a great entertainer, and his younger sister, Kasvia, who chose to sing an opera aria and a romantic ballad, round off the show which is a travelogue through a family’s quest to overcome every obstruction to live life to the full.
The production has a few weak spots, but it should not withhold anyone to experience something quite different and also very entertaining on the live stage.