In the spirit of the Day of Reconciliation, celebrated yesterday, we wish readers a chilled long weekend. Harness the spirit of harmony and goodwill and get to the Baxter to enjoy its upbeat festive season shows.
Part of the amazing lineup (see below for details), is Tuesday’s opening of the award-winning rom-com Whistle Stop, performed by Ameera Patel and Jaques de Silva, in the Golden Arrow Studio until January 7 at 8pm, with two 4pm matinees on December 24 and January 7 and a 10.30pm start on New Years’ Eve.
Patel and de Silva are a real-life couple. In her consummate direction of Whistle Stop, Frances Slabolepszy (daughter of legendary writer/director/actor Paul Slabolepszy), harnesses the intimacy and energy between the two. It is thrilling to watch this couple as they interact in this physically charged comedic gem.
Patel, 32 grew up in Joburg but studied at UCT and then went back to Joburg. The Port Elizabeth-born de Silva, 31, studied at Rhodes. They met in Joburg in 2011; married in 2012. His craft was rooted in physical theatre. Hers veered to text-based Shakespeare and classical theatre. Patel decided to write Whistle Stop to bring their skills together. Patel said: “He wanted a play where he actually spoke and I wanted to something different - and more physical.”
In Whistle Stop, a man and woman meet. Everything plays out on a bench. Patel said: “She is whistling and the man walks past and says he hates whistling. She stops whistling and the relationship develops. It is an archetypal relationship that everyone can relate to: the way we can mis-communicate with each other. They go through a lifetime of things -falling in love, fights, moves etc.”
De Silva said: “There’s a sense of it taking place over years but it plays out in one meeting on a bench It’s a park bench - a place that is both public and private. During our research, we looked at benches in Joburg - Zoo Lake, Emmerentia Dam.
“I think that is a great date-night piece. We always see couples in the audiences whispering to each other,” said Patel.
“By the end couples are almost sitting in each other’s laps. There’s a lot to think about and to identify with. It’s about not being afraid of taking a chance (on love). Take the chance: the other person might be feeling like you - too scared to make a move. It’s a sexy piece of theatre. It’s got characters who are quirky, goofy and relatable - and Fran’s direction is slick. She understands us well and has allowed our individual strengths to come through. And there are no cellphones used so the focus is very much on the relationship between the characters, said De Silva. “No cellphones. No Snapchat. Not one hashtag. No Tinder swipes.”
Whistle Stop premiered in 2014 in Joburg and had a successful run at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown.
It and nabbed a Silver Ovation award and Patel won a PANSA new writer’s award for the script.
Then a run at the 2014 Cape Fringe followed. I saw it at the Fringe and look forward to seeing this superb piece again. It’s a tonic. The run at the Baxter is its first full season at a mainstream venue in Cape Town.
In addition to Whistle Stop, there are other great shows at the Baxter.
Last chance tonight to see Pieter Dirk Uys’s one-person memoir, An Echo of a Nosie at 8.15pm.
Alistair Izobell’s Kaapse Jol is on until January 14.
Nik Rabinowitz is hamming it up in Fortyfied until January 14.
For the small fry, there is Elton John Duffy’s Cinderella, which is on for a short season, from Monday until December 24 at 10.30am.
Tickets for Whistle Stop are R110-R120, with concessions available for seniors and students. On New Year’s Eve, tickets are R195 and include an after-party in the Baxter foyer; music under the directorship of Camillo Lombard; balloon drop, bubbly or juice. The other Baxter shows also start late on New Year’s Eve. Ticket prices vary. Patrons from all the shows have access to the party. Book at Computicket.