Funny flight has comforting landing

Published Dec 10, 2014

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THIS IS CAPTAIN LOTTERING SPEAKING

CAST: Marc Lottering

VENUE: Baxter Concert Hall

UNTIL: January 17

RATING: ***

“I WISH I was making it up,” says Marc Lottering very early on in his latest show at the Baxter.

But, he is not making it up – this is real life as seen through his eyes. Which means it is him pointing out the ridiculous side of things. Like, the lies Hollywood tells us that we swallow regardless, or problem children.

Being Lottering, it is sharp and funny without denigrating anyone. He doesn’t take the piss out of people, it revolves around the preposterous behaviour of people. Or rather, the bizarre behaviour we accept as everyday and normal, until someone like Lottering puts the behaviour under a stage light.

Lottering’s humour is very culture specific, and a more than nodding acquaintance with Afrikaans really helps.

At one point he makes use of a grand piano parked on one side of the stage, making up a funny ditty about being a soap star in South Africa. He only does this once, which is too bad because he has a facility with the words and can keep a tune.

Then there’s a chair midstage which morphs into everything from a seat in a taxi to a customs desk at the airport.

He uses a lightbox on the other side of the stage as a change room, to facilitate several costume changes which herald the appearance of the favourite Lottering alter egos.

Aunty Merle puts in an appearance, as does Colleen the cashier with anger management issues and even Pastor Brandon.

Smiley’s terrible puns are what make you laugh, while with someone like Galatia Geduld it is his spot-on characterisation of the vacuous wanna-be pop star that is so funny, so Lottering isn’t just a one-trick pony, but uses various techniques.

The characters’ narratives are linked so the thread running through the sketches creates a cohesive whole, but at almost two hours it starts becoming too much.

While the show is slickly produced, it is bloated because making a decision to leave something out messes up the narrative. There is comfort in familiarity – the jokes are new, but the characters we know.

This show is Christmas fare – though not for children because of some swearing and ribald jokes – because it is like a box of Quality Street chocolates. You know what you are going to get, it is going to be worth your money and you are going eat the whole box.

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