WHEN ROXMOUTH MEETS BORGE

Jonathan Roxmouth in “Back to Borge, to be seen at Durban’s Rhumbelow Theatre in Umbilo next month. (Article by Billy Suter, courtesy of The Mercury)

Strapping young Joburg actor Jonathan Roxmouth, one of the most exciting stage personalities this country has spawned in years, is heading for Durban soon with what will be his first one-man show. It’s a tribute to the late Danish comedian, conductor and pianist Victor Borge, who was affectionately known as The Clown Prince of Denmark. Arts editor Billy Suter reports

Jonathan Roxmouth has always enjoyed loud and deserved applause for his sterling talents as a singer, actor and pianist, his accolades having included two Naledi awards for his excellent performance as Gaston in the SA touring production of Beauty and the Beast (best comedy performance and also best male in a musical).

He is also noted, of course, for his performances alongside Roelof Colyn in the hugely popular A Handful Of Keys, as the romantic lead in Gauteng’s The King and I and, for the Barnyard Theatre circuit, cameo roles in Grease, the lead in The Buddy Holly Story and the fun title character in Rock Me Amadeus.

Local audiences might also recall Roxmouth’s standout roles, as a teenager, in the popular musicals staged locally by Gauteng’s Northcliff High School. These shows are of such a high standard that they are annually performed at Durban’s Playhouse Drama. Roxmouth starred there in such Northcliff successes as The Mikado, Oklahoma and The Pirates of Penzance. And if one thinks back even further, one might recall his showbiz debut, at the age of three – playing the cute financial administrator in the Sanlam baby adverts of the late 80s.

Most recently this amiable actor starred in Joburg and Cape Town as narrator Munkustrap, a tabby feline, in the touring production of Cats.

Now, however, he’s taking a break from large casts and flamboyant costumes to bathe in a smaller spotlight, in a more intimate show. He has conceived and is starring in Back to Borge, a salute to the Danish comedian and pianist who died in December 2000 at the age of 91.

The show will be seen at Durban’s quaint Rhumbelow Theatre in Umbilo – at 20h00 on January 22, 23, 29 and 30, then at 18h30 on January 24, and at 14h00 and 18h30 on Sunday, January 31. The venue opens 90 minutes before the performance for a bring-your-own picnic dinner, although beverages have to be bought at the cash bar at the venue.

The show came about after Roxmouth caught Borge on DVD, performed some of his material in both Rock Me Amadeus and A Handful of Keys, then had an audience member plant a seed in his mind after suggesting he consider devising a one-man show. Roxmouth adds his own comedic twist to Borge’s wit and popular sketches such as Inflationary Language and Phonetic Punctuation. He also picks up from where Borge left off and goes off on a tangent with some hysterical new material of his own. Add to that some dazzling prowess on piano, with music from Rachmaninoff to Paul Simon, and a vocal tour de force in his own Phantom of the Opera in 10 Minutes, and you have an evening that’s sure to be a delight.

Getting serious for a moment, how does this rising star see the future of theatre in South Africa?

The greatest enemy to our stages, he believes, are the acceptance and the celebration of mediocrity. “We need to go back to basics and become the extraordinary industry we deserve to be,” he adds, emphasising that he has a very positive outlook. “People have been saying theatre is dying since it began and yet it is still here. The fabulous ‘invalid’ has always struggled along, but stayed just as bright. “The ideal of near enough is good enough is the reason bad theatre exists and cannot be tolerated.”

Roxmouth believes we are on the brink of an exciting era: “The generation that is coming into the theatre now doesn’t know Joan Brickhill, Richard Haines or Rex Garner, but is taking over the reins, so to speak. “The fundamental way to move forward is to acknowledge the past and take certain principles from it – like the pursuit of brilliance. After all, the theatre of the 80s and 90s is the reason we have the theatre of today.” Theatre has long been a passion for Roxmouth and he has had many career highs. Also some lows, but amusing in retrospect, he recalls, mentioning an embarrassing, yet funny, moment during the run of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.

“In Beauty and the Beast, I played Gaston, a hunter with a gun. During my entrance, I shoot at a duck. I hit it and it falls to the stage. The surrounding villagers all react on cue with a collective ‘EEW!’, then exit. “At one performance, however, I pull the trigger, the gun fires … but no duck. The villagers, on cue, only manage a confused ‘AAHH!’ through stifled shrieks of laughter, then bolt offstage. They leave me only with my sidekick, whose first line is, ‘Wow, you didn’t miss a shot, Gaston! You’re the greatest hunter in the whole world!’ To compound this, in the following scene I try to woo the heroine, Belle. Halfway through my speech of bravado and seduction, sans rifle, a stuffed false duck hurtles to the stage and misses Belle by inches. It stopped the show!”

Most memorable moment on stage ever? - “That has to be my first performance of A Handful of Keys with Roelof Colyn. I looked up at him during the finale and the full realisation of being in such an iconic piece of theatre hit me . . . and I burst into tears – along with the audience.”

Any odd fan requests over the years? - “A woman once asked me for a few of my chest hairs. It was when I played Teen Angel in the Barnyard Theatre production of Grease. “

Plans for 2010 and beyond? - “Believe it or not, A Handful of Keys is due for a return to Joburg and Cape Town by insane public demand at the end of 2010 and early 2011. There are also negotiations for a possible overseas transfer, but only time will tell.”

Roxmouth is also excitedly anticipating playing “a role very close to my heart in a ‘beeg’ musical in 2010” – but mum’s the word on further information there until the press launch. Watch this space!

Tickets for Back to Borge cost R100 each and booking is essential. Contact Roland at 031 205 7602 or 082 499 8636. - Billy Suter