THEY’ve been a hit in shows like Buckled, Queens of Comedy and 150 Years and Still Laughing! and now they are back with the new show Old School.
Writers/producers – and popular TV and stage personalities – Krijay Govender and Leeanda Reddy bring the new offering to the Playhouse from December 21 to 30, with the show promising hilarious family entertainment over the festive season.
Tonight caught up with Reddy for more details on the show: “We started creating Old School in April this year. We noticed in our previous comedy shows that people always enjoyed the references to the past, things that were done back then, comments, phrases, etc from ‘back in the day’ always brought the house down with laughter.
“We all do it in conversation – talk about the past with nostalgic delight, compare our experiences and discover that actually there’s so much we did exactly the same. And we thought, well, why not create an entire show where scenarios and characters emanate from the eras gone by like the 1990s, ’80s and even further back?”
The cast features Reddy (Buckled, Isidingo, Mr Bones 2), Meren Reddy (Buckled, City Ses’la) and Kaseran Pillay (Mr Bones 2, Survivor).
Reddy said they would all play an array of characters: space travellers, two guys on a boat arriving from Calcutta (now Kolkata) in the 1800s, two fathers from different cultures addressing their sons on the first day of school, the dominating schoolgirl, submissive schoolboy, narcoleptic teacher, a witty modern-day elderly couple, a stern school principal, neighbours and more.
“We write largely from our own experiences and Old School touches on many things that were significant or poignant in our lives, that of our friends, our relatives or other people we may have come across.
“We made a list of various things that most people would be able to identify with and was a common experience to a large group, we narrowed it down and then wrote humorous scenes around those.
“So you will see school scenes with archetypal kids (the bully, the geek, the delinquent), the typical teachers and principal and the all-too significant sports day. Then there’s a familiar scenario of living in a communal settlement – the joys and woes. We even have a futuristic sci-fi scene, ironically from way back in time. The content is very Durban-inspired and people attending will be able to relate,” she explained.
Old School recently wrapped up its season in Joburg, where, Reddy said, it was a huge success, with people saying that it was nostalgic and highly entertaining.
“We had a recent short run of the same production in Joburg and the response was overwhelming, both in attendance and feedback. Approximately 6 500 patrons attended over six days at the Lyric Theatre.
“The content of the show is ‘Durban heavy’, so we have no doubt that Durbanites, who have yet to see it, will relate even more,” said Reddy.
The makers of Old School, in association with The Playhouse, will bring the show for two weekends only, so book now.
• Old School runs at the Playhouse Opera Theatre from December 21 to 30 with shows on Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays at 3pm. Tickets are available at Computicket or Shoprite from R125 to R135 with group booking discounts available. For more information, call The Playhouse box office at 031 369 9596.