What’s good? The Critter’s guide to #NAF17 Fringe
Time waits for no person. In less than a week, good people, we’ll be scurrying from venue to chilly venue, scarf trailing in the breeze, eager to find that magical gem that transports, awakens, stirs or perhaps warms us.
Yes, the National Arts Festival is upon us.
Grahamstown, often called the sleepy town although it’s anything but, is facing a couple of worrying troubles – dams are dangerously low and Eskom threatens to switch it off. But we’re here to allay at least one concern: how to navigate the un-curated, fabulously full-of-life fringe.
Stage fright sometimes sets in when I’m just chillin’ enjoying a G&T at the Long Table or standing in the box office queue… and an innocently enthusiastic, (likely) lovely stranger turns to me and says, “now, what have you seen? Tell me, what’s good?”
Eeek! Sound informed! Remember names! I look to other rosy-cheeked revellers for an idea, or to the box office poster-lined walls for my cue… “Um, I’ve heard Rob van Vuuren is really good…”
He is. But there are 300+ other productions (including visual art exhibitions) on the fringe besides.
For your convenience, The Critter has pored over the monstrous 2017 NAF fringe programme, to save you from being put on the spot or making snap judgements about an eager festino-to-be asking for guidance. Don’t simply suggest late-night comedy to the jocks; what about a heartwarming drama? Why not send the tannies in fleece zip-ups to hardcore performance art instead of their usual cabaret? As well as the arthouse film fest selection (which is great), perhaps the hipsters might enjoy a light-hearted, flashy, modern dance work?
So, to the shows:
Critters Steve Kretzmann, Mike Loewe, and I, have previously vetted some returning productions, or we recommend artists we dig who’re here with something fresh. Have a look-see:
Agony
Featuring Craig Morris, directed by Megan Willson. Morris is one of the best in the biz; we’ve loved him alone on stage before here and here. The last time we saw them work together was in the three-part Simply Sapiens, which was “strange, bold and something to behold.” Read here.
(Coincidentally, Sylvaine Strike directed one of the three parts, and this year directs Moliere’s Tartuffe, in which Morris plays the title role. Steve thought Tartuffe so nice, he reviewed it twice. Read here & here.)
Burn
Last year Burn won an ovation award. It’s choreographed by previous SBYA award winner Bailey Snyman, so there’s good street cred. Also, I’ve enjoyed young artists Daniel Geddes and Mark Tatham’s previous work, in Ira at NAF 2014 (read here) & Naked Knitting & Other Contradictory Acts at the Cape Town Fringe (read here).
Dangled
OK, so here’s some Rob van Vuuren for you after all – he’s bladdy good in Dangled, ‘a dark psychosexual horror comedy’. Steve writes, he “harnesses his considerable expressive physicality to infuse the dense text with emotion that reaches out to us”. More here.
Dear Mr Government, please may I have a meeting with you even though I’m six years old?
We saw Cherae Halley and loved her in What the Water Gave Me (read here) a few years back. Now she’s co-written and performs in Dear Mr Government – ‘a tender retelling of what children are saying about their governments’ – worth a look-see I reckon.
Down to a Sunless Sea
Lexi Meier’s unique worlds are a real trip. And they’ve won awards at fest too. An AHa award for Sipping Lapping Slap (2015) and an ovation award for Fabric of the Universe last year. We got wrapped up in crocheting and nestling in Meier’s intricately hand-stitched, womb-like creation. Steve wrote about here.
NIL
Gavin Krastin has asked uncomfortable questions a few nafs in a row, and keeps audiences asking questions too –Mike has said Krastin’s stuff “roams the outer realm of dystopian freedom of creativity and expression in South Africa”. Check what we’ve had to say before here and here and an interview of sorts here.
Out of Bounds
An ovation award winner last year, Out of Bounds is the story of an Indian family transitioning from apartheid into democracy. Rajesh Gopie wrote it a few years after the birth of democratic SA – “It’s sublime to see and feel how such a retro-80s-90s work has made it through to now, and still knocks on your chest, draws in the breath sharply, and blows the mind”, writes Mike. More here.
Plastocracy
Francois Knoetze’s puppets are to be found in Plastocracy, and if his line of work is anything to go by – read us on Cape Mongo here – they’ll be intriguing and creepy (in a good way). Kyla Davis directs what seems will be a critique on plastic pollution (hint in the title?)… with a forlorn, unreal creature at the centre of the story. Sounds interesting.
Rhythm of Makhanda
Ayanda Nondlwana’s Via Kasi Movers – home grown talent from the heart of Grahamstown – dance the history of the Battle of Grahamstown between the amaXhosa and the British soldiers in 1819. Nondlwana has been seen and enjoyed in previous ovation award winning shows (read Waterline review here) and is in The Gruffalo this year too, of which Mike said, “Nondlwana stands out as a fine Gruffalo. He brings energy and edge in his fantastically bearish, Michael-Jackson-goes-bossies multi-piece costume” (here).
Sillage
Penny Youngleson’s “superbly crafted piece of work” was awarded a Gold ovation award last year. Read Steve’s thoughts and feelings on it here. His review says it all.
Undermined and A Man & A Dog
Mike says, “The theatrical techniques are dazzling and Tara Notcutt’s direction is marvellous.” So there. Undermined has its final run this year at fest. Catch this “hot little nugget”. Review here. Performer Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi (who co-wrote the original Undermined script) also wrote and features in A Man & A Dog, believed to be a pretty good one hander – ovation award and fleur du cap nomination, ok – although Steve thought it could be better, here.
Whistle Stop
LOVE – goddamn lovely love and all the niceness and shittyness that accompanies it – is the theme of Whistle Stop, back for a last run at fest. Read here how its premiere wooed us a few years back.
You Suck and Other Inescapable Truths
U mus’ go check dis show. Fanks. It’s so, like, like waking up an’ u fink it’s Monday but den u like remember it’s Sataday, and dere’s no skool! An akchelly u can mos take time to practis ur dan-sing. Dat’s when u dans and sing atta same time. It’s like, awesum cool. See hya whatta cool Critter Steve sayed: click it wif de mouse button.
And just because the fringe is so flippen’ massive, here’s a quick mention of a few premieres on my keen-to-see radar.
Battles! – Iimfazwe!: a storytelling tour by well talented Grahamstown-based artists, about the battles of Grahamstown.
Bayephi: a magical realism work directed by Thembela Madliki, who won the 2016 Best Student Production and Most Promising Director at last year’s NAF.
In(s)kin: explores “how the process of ‘coming into language’ shapes and situates us within specific cultural and political worlds”, based on the story of a black child in an English private school in late 1980s SA.
Kubili (2): a double bill of dance by choreographer Musa Hlatshwayo – part one about black female identity and part two about black male identity and masculinity.
Pink Dollar: queer in style and queer in content, it’s a queer experiment. With a DJ mixing up Euro rap and African song, and a shaking off of the yoke of patriarchy, this promises to be unusual – what we like on the fringe.
Yellowman: Dael Orlandersmith’s story about two African Americans, one light-skinned, one dark-skinned, and the politics and prejudices they navigate daily.
For the nippers and scallywags, and us kiddles-in-spirit who love zany creativity (yes I believe Family Fare is often the most inventive), check these out:
Zina & the Songbird: if you’re all about ‘local is lekker’ then Grahamstown’s homegrown Ubom! should be your first choice – also, they’re always good.
The Nose: get the munchkins into Nikolai Gogol early. They’ll thank you later in life.
Taking Flight: Human beans, take your chidlers down to experience Roald Dahl’s magical worlds.
Rat Race: with Roberto Pombo and Ameera Patel, this has gotta be good. Also, Pombo sings a hilarious song about how to relax.
Space Rocks: directed by the aforementioned Craig Morris. Looks fun, fun, fun.
If you’re needing a good ol’ giggle, check out The Dark Ages – Tyson Ngubeni is hilarious. Full stop. And Broken English – the two comics are individually great, let’s see what Loyiso Madinga and Schalk Bezuidenhout achieve when they team up.
If you’re needing a good ol’ head-bopping session, check out Aminal – Dave Knowles is an exceptional musician and always puts on a good show. Ikati Esengxoweni is on the radar too.
Good people, this is not an exhaustive list. Get a programme (in print or via the app), get out your favourite stationery and pinotage, and a blankie – and take some risks for goodness’ sake!
See you there.
— Sarah Roberson