(Aaron McIlroy & Andy
Turrell. Pic by Val Adamson)
The announcement of a new show from comedian Aaron McIlroy
traditionally spells a Red-Letter Event on the entertainment calendar for
thousands of fans. The epithet ‘Red’ takes on a special significance in the
case of the popular star’s latest stage escapade, The Ranga, to be seen over the festive season at the Playhouse in
Durban.
Presented by MacBob Productions in association with The
Playhouse Company, an Agency of the Department of Arts and Culture, The Ranga is a new one-man comedy
written and performed by madcap McIlroy.
Originally directed by Steven Stead for the 2014 Hilton Arts
Festival, this musical comedy takes a tongue-in-cheek look at prejudice as seen
through the eyes of a man tormented with pigmentation issues.
The word ‘Ranga’ is derived from ‘Orang-utan’ (red haired
monkeys) and is a term used to describe people with varying shades of red hair,
from strawberry blond to auburn.
In The Ranga,
McIlroy, in his inimitably whacky style, takes the scalpel to the preconceived
ideas around ‘ranga-ism’ - highlighting how this recessive gene is the primary
cause of most the world’s woes! Inspired by the Australian sitcom, Summer Heights High, and the Youtube
sensation Rage of the Redhead,
McIlroy descends into the gritty underbelly of ginger prejudice with hilarious
results.
“For many years, we tried to blend in with other people and
pretend we weren’t rangas,” quips McIlroy. “We even tried to disguise ourselves
with the use of hair dye and sunscreen, and by taking the mac out of our names.
This made rangas harder and harder to identify. As time went by, with the Ranga
Rights Movement getting underway, we began celebrating our connectedness with
rest of Homo Sapiens. We even began leaving our Red Rover Reserve and Coming
Out. We put forward a list of demands to Government. These included recognition
that Rangas have souls... That you may not own a Ranga… That a Ranga is not
just for Christmas...”
“We began lobbying for better work opportunities for Rangas
beyond the reserve. Rangas have always been sidelined in the work place (right
back to the days of Angus the great, the famous Glaswegian sewer diver of the
1800’s who specialised in jewel retrieval and fungal development). My own jobs
included menial responsibilities like Arm Pit Sniffing, Pet Food Tasting, even
Whale Snot Gathering, which I must say I enjoyed once I learned to swim.”
Get the picture? Vintage McIlroy material flows forth
copiously in The Ranga in which
Durban’s multi-award-winning comic appears alongside well-known Durban muso,
Andy Turrell, on musical accompaniment. Hit songs to be heard in the show
include, among others, covers of Duelling
Banjos (Deliverance), Hey Brother
(Avicii), Money’s Too Tight To Mention
(Simply Red) and Moves Like Jagger (Maroon
5 and Christina Aguilera).
Celebrating 20 years of South Africa’s Democracy, The Ranga marks Aaron McIlroy’s return,
after two decades, to the Playhouse stage, where his professional career began
as a member of the Loft Theatre Company in the early 1990’s.
The Ranga runs in
the Playhouse Drama from December 3 to 14. Performances Tuesdays to Saturdays
at 19h30 with 15h00 matinees on Saturdays and Sundays. The duration of the show
is 95 minutes including a 20 minute interval. Tickets R150 booked through
Computicket on 0861 915 8000 or online at www.computicket.com
as well as via the Playhouse Box Office on 031 369 9540 (office hours).
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