Showbiz extraordinaire Alistair Izobell promises audiences Cape Town’s favourite songs in his production “Kaapse Jol” this festive season.
Following a six-year hiatus from producing shows, Izobell is back and cannot wait to entertain the audience this December.
“The show’s name is embracing and encompassing and tells you immediately what you can expect. Nothing can remind you that there is time to enjoy the fun as a ‘Kaapse Jol’ can,” he said.
Kaapse Jol will present a curated mix of evergreen songs from the Cape that have been penned over the years.
Izobell said his latest production is an essence and a feeling that cannot be summed up in words but can be felt.
“People huddled around fires or in their homes during the worst of apartheid’s political history, singing and playing the guitar or other instruments,” he said.
“It honours our ability to endure and the knowledge that music is the universal language of humanity.”
Izobell said returning to the arts industry after six years at a time when the sector was returning to pre-Covid levels was an opportunity he does not take for granted.
“I chose to do a production after six years in honour of celebrating the survival and tenacity of the human spirit in these times,” he said.
Kaapse Jol will feature a four-piece band and four singers who will belt out tunes that will have the audience grooving.
Songstress Edith Plaatjies, Kashiefa Blaauw are among the talented line-up.
Izobell said it was both daunting and thrilling to be back in the creative space.
“I love that creativity will always inform you of what a piece wants to become and who must be part of it,” he said.
“The process is just me. I am rediscovering the songs as I remind myself of the process of putting together a celebration.”
Izobell said after Volume 1 of Kaapse Jo was performed at the Baxter Theatre in 2016, he went through a cathartic experience.
“I was navigating my life and finding myself outside the career and experiences that I had,” he said.
“Making my comeback at my own theatre is a completely cathartic experience. Volume 2 is a reminder to myself about how much better things can be,” he added.
In the ’90s, Izobell formed part of the cast of Kat and the Kings, a David Kramer and Taliep Petersen production. He received a Sir Laurence Olivier Award for best actor in a musical.
Izobell said being a theatre child as well as Kramer and Petersen’s protégé meant he was surrounded by legendary theatrical practitioners.
“This helped me realise the value of sharing stories and how collating stories shapes history, and it is the driving force behind who I am,” he said.
He continued: “Theatre is a responsible means of keeping history alive. I want to keep making people’s hearts smile, and believe that it is my responsibility wherever I am.”
Izobell is one of South Africa’s renowned artists and producers famed for his productions of Music Alla Kaap, Kaapse Stoep Stories, Just Me – Net So and Remembering the Lux.
Kaapse Jol will be hosted at The Wave Theatre, which is in part a joint business venture with Izobell, radio veteran Clarence Ford and two other partners.
Ford said Kaapse Jol was the ultimate “free at last celebration”.
“It’s a quintessential Cape Town party replete with all the music, dancing and funny quirks befitting a Covid-19-free festive season,” he said.
“We owe it to ourselves to celebrate this festive season.”
The show will run from December 6 to 31.
Early-bird tickets are on sale for R130 from December 6 to December 10. For the remainder of the show, tickets are charged at R180.