Long Street Nights, directed by Nicky Rebelo, weaves together six South Africans and their stories, with a dynamic young cast at the Baxter this May.
Long Street, Cape Town, after midnight. No boundaries exist, and anything can happen. It’s a place rich in history, where dreams can come true or be brutally shattered. This is theatre based on reality - raw, dangerous and alive.
In the tradition of theatre legend Barney Simon, Long Street Nights, directed by Nicky Rebelo, and set in the heart of Cape Town’s vibrant party district, premieres at the Baxter Golden Arrow Studio from 8 May to 1 June 2013 at 7pm nightly except on 18 May at 8pm and 30 May to 1 June at 6pm with a matinee performance on Thursday May 16 at 11am.
Rebelo directs an ensemble cast of young, raw talent from diverse cultural backgrounds comprising Thami Mbongo, Thando Doni, Riana Alfreds, Daneel van der Walt, Natasha Dryden and Antonio Fisher. Design and lighting is by Patrick Curtis.
The play revives the legacy of theatre great Barney Simon, co-founder and artistic director of the Market Theatre from the late 70s to late 80s, and his workshopping techniques which left such a huge imprint on South African theatre. He was responsible for some of the strongest stage work that this country has ever produced, including Cincinnati, Black Dog, Inj'emnjama, Score Me the Ages and Born in the RSA. Now the Baxter is reviving the tradition with this brand-new production under the steady hand of writer/director Rebelo, who worked closely with Simon on the workshopped production Outers in 1985.
Long Street, Cape Town, after midnight. No boundaries exist, and anything can happen. It’s a place rich in history, where dreams can come true or be brutally shattered. Six young South Africans, all very different, find themselves sharing the street and interacting in strange, unforeseen ways one hot summer night.
The company spent two weeks exploring Long Street until the early hours of the morning to discover the underbelly and vibrant, pulsating life of the street, and creating a theatre play in the style made famous by the late Simon. From 10pm to 2am every single night they wandered up and down the street, into clubs, bars and shops, meeting people, observing, dancing, singing and taking it all in. Their assignment was to find characters, archetypes who make up the unique flavour of Long Street and to record everything that they remembered. This is theatre based on reality - raw, dangerous and alive.
At the end of the two weeks, the actors each had a character and a story that they were ready to share with the world. Rebelo assembled all the stories and wove them together to create a working script. Then the director and cast began the three-week-long process of turning the script into a play.
Jasmine (Riana Alfreds) is a single mother and a businesswoman with a suspicious ‘import/export’ business. Catherine (Daneel van der Walt) is a desperate and lonely karaoke DJ with fading dreams, while Mia (Natasha Dryden) is a wild, headstrong girl from the ‘now’ generation. Meanwhile Duma (Thami Mbongo) is a young politician and tenderpreneur with a chip on his shoulder, Sizwe (Thando Doni) is a naïve young man from the Eastern Cape and Fabian (Antonio Fisher) is a sensitive barman with fantasies of being a rent boy.
The award-winning Mbongo and Doni have established themselves firmly as dynamic and versatile young theatre-makers in South Africa. Thami is the Artistic Director of the Baxter’s Zabalaza Theatre Festival with Thando as panel advisor and participant, and both young guns continue to impress as actors, directors and writers.
Director Rebelo delighted Cape Town audiences at the Baxter in recent years with his productions ofTeacher in the Bushveld starring David Butler and, before that, Molly Bloom, starring his wife Jennifer Steyn in the title role.
The couple moved to Cape Town a year ago from Johannesburg where he was born grew up and went on to study drama at Wits University. He has acted in numerous local and international films and television productions which include Darryl Roodt’s Sarafina, Peakviewing’s The Little Unicorn, Bravo Two Zero directed by Tom Clegg, The Floating Outfit, Sweepers, Crime in Gabon, Hearts and Minds andBorderline.
His leading roles in comedy series range from Louis Motors, The Big Time and The Hidden City to the popular local sitcom Madam and Eve. In the BBC production of Rhodes he played the role of Solly Joel. Among his theatrical highlights are Mamet’s American Buffalo, Berkoff’s West (nominated for best supporting actor), Kushner’s Angels in America and Frayn’s Copenhagen. In 1990 he won the Dalro Best Actor Award for his performance in Hasek’s The Good Soldier Sjvek and in 1995 he was awarded the Vita Comedy Award for his performance in Paul Slabolepszy’s Heel Against the Head.
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| Thami Mbongo, Natasha Dryden, Daneel van der Walt, Antonio Fisher, director Nicky Rebelo, Riana Alfreds, Thando Doni from Long Street Nights |
| Photo: Fahiem Stellenboom |
Long Street is an iconic playground for Capetonians and tourists alike. With its funky bohemian atmosphere, beautiful Victorian architecture and ever-shifting nightlife it has rapidly gained a reputation as the go-to party destination in this city. The street is awash with clubs, bars, boutiques, restaurants and it attracts a wide cross-section of people who will party into the early hours of the morning. Interestingly Long Street was also the site for some of the most progressive and radical protest theatre in the late 70s and 80s in South Africa.
Long Street Nights previews at the Baxter Golden Arrow Studio on 8, 9, 10 May, opens 11 May and runs until 1 June at 7pm except on 18 May at 8pm and 30 May to 1 June at 6pm with a matinee performance on Thursday May 16 at 11am. Ticket prices are R120 with the preview special of two for the price of one and the same for Tuesdays 14 and 21 May. The Baxter Mondays package of a buffet-style delicious vegetarian Indian and Mediterranean dinner options, followed by the show at 7pm for R100, applies. There is a student special until 18 May of R45 for a samoosa, drink and show on producing a valid student card.
Booking is through Computicket on 0861 915 8000, on-line at www.computicket.co.za or at any Shoprite Checkers outlet. For discounted block and corporate bookings please contact. For discounted block bookings, charities, corporate bookings and fundraisers please contact Sharon Ward on 021 680 3962, e-mail sharon.ward@uct.ac.za, or Carmen Kearns on 021 680 3993, e-mail carmen.kearns@uct.ac.za.