The Dr Hokaspokas Show: Down the dassie hole for royal take-out
MIKE LOEWE
A farcical play about power when we have none.
The huge doors either side of the Glennie Hall throw light on the egg yolk-yellow showman pants and glittering bowtie.
It is fucking freezing but our crew onstage from the Emalahleni Civic Theatre are going at it nonplussed. There is king Panda and queen Aishani kitted in classic Afro-chic outfits and glinty-silver Anglo-Saxon crowns. It’s all surface chintz an froth.
As we slip so warmly with great clowning and satire into the dassie hole of life in some nondescript post-colonial presidential-royal cave, dark, sordid discoveries are made.
On the surface it’s all fairy tale, about the king having lost his laughter, but it’s a modern take-out of the hypocritical skokiaan of corrupt, flaky post-democracy culture and tribal, ethnic opportunism.
Could do with a bit more projection from the show host and I loved the creepy clown DJ!
In spite of no electricity, lights and the howling wasteland nipping through the open side doors, this was a fun piece of layered satire.
Well done to the cast for giving it when the theatre conditions were so harsh.
At the Glennie, 2pm and 8pm today, Thursday, July 1; and 4pm tomorrow, Friday, July 2.