(Matthew Ribnick appears as numerous characters)Geraldine Naidoo’s smash-hit play, The Chilli Boy, is back in Durban by overwhelming public demand and opening at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre tomorrow night (April 21).
The Chilli Boy, premiered at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown nine years ago and since then it has enjoyed numerous sell-out seasons in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and even a sold-out season on London’s West End.
The show continues its spiralling success as one of the more successful shows in contemporary South African Theatre. A one-hander featuring Matthew Ribnick, it tells the hysterical story of an old Indian woman reincarnated as a white gangster from Boksburg. At the age of 30, the gangster starts suffering flashbacks from his previous life as an Indian woman. He starts wearing a sari while cooking all sorts of delicious Indian meals including curries and biryanis. He no longer wants to fight or brawl as his newly-discovered maternal instincts start determining his behaviour. His tough reputation is threatened by the resultant turmoil.
The play is a theatrical phenomenon that has had South African audiences flocking to theatres over the past few years. Writer Geraldine Naidoo has cleverly created a play that tackles issues of cultural identity, racial difference and masculinity in an extraordinary and highly entertaining way. The play continues to attract huge audiences from across the vast racial and cultural spectrum that constitutes contemporary South African society.
While Naidoo's conception, writing and direction have been lauded as ground-breaking and brilliant, it is the masterful performance of multi-award winning actor Matthew Ribnick that has had audiences gasping for breath. Many audience members are convinced that the actor is mad. In just over an hour, Ribnick skilfully snaps back and forth between characters ranging from the ordinary to the bizarre. Bouts of raucous laughter are punctuated with poignant moments of absolute sincerity as the audience comes to grips with a remarkable story told by a ‘madman’ with a few hats.
The Chilli Boy will enjoy its 8th Durban season at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre from April 21 to May 1 with bookings through Computicket. There is an age restriction of no under 12’s. Tickets for Thursday and Sunday performances are available at half-price.
This production will be performed ahead of the same team’s Monkey Nuts, a clever mix of situational comedy, storytelling and hilarious (unforgettable) characters which comes to the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre from May 5 to 15.
Posts
