Delightful
and often hilarious madcap piece is a perfect choice for youngsters over the
festive season. (Review by Caroline Smart)
Skungpoomery is written by English
writer, actor, director and comedian Kenneth Campbell who is known for his cutting
edge and zany work. And “zany” is certainly the word that fits Skungpoomery. For at start, its title is
way off the wall and, secondly, it has its own language entirely. “Skungpoomery” is simply the art
of thinking up a new word, deciding what it means, then doing it.
Produced
by the Playhouse Company and directed by Ralph Lawson, this delightful and
often hilarious madcap piece is a perfect choice for youngsters over the
festive season. The show is aimed at children between 6 and 13 but today’s
audience averaged around five years old and they loved every minute, squealing
and laughing at the characters’ antics.
Basically,
it’s the story of Faz and Twoo who couldn’t be more different if they tried.
Faz is highly articulate and inventive while Twoo follows in his own sweet
time. They are dressed in clown-like outfits and are later tagged The Pyjama
Gang by the police when they start creating havoc in the town. As Faz,
Zenzelisphesihle “Sparky” Xulu impresses with his impeccable diction and
modulation and Adam Doré brings an endearing charm to
the dof Twoo.
Faz is
on a mission. He has decided that he is not happy with the world. Everything is
wrong. He starts pontificating about words and decides that the vocabulary needs
to be reinvented. Words must come through the back gums – not from the front of
the mouth. Therefore “snickerslop” is far more interesting than ”coffee” as is
“shankplanker” a whole lot better than “table”. “Bunk jam jarmaring” means smearing
jam on your pyjamas and then “bunking” (bouncing) into the street.
At the start of the play, we meet the
long-suffering Mrs Wibble, delightfully played by Samkelisiwe Hlophe, who is not-so-patiently trying
to get her son suitably prepared for his day at work. He has chosen a career as
a policeman which couldn’t be further from his abilities. Constable Wibble has
a tendency to petulance and is much under his mother’s thumb. It was a delight
to see Nhlakanipho Manqele showing such a strong grasp of comedy. The scene
where Wibble and Twoo have an argument over sandwiches and a discussion about
knees was utterly hilarious.
Into the
crazy equation come Mr and Mrs Humbotton, ably played by Michael Gritten and Krystle
Temmerman, the latter going so far as to tie her husband up so she could join
Faz and Twoo in their word games.
Representing
the police force are Belinda Henwood as the stylish
Lady Inspector Snatchem, Yateen Dhayaram as the perplexed Sergeant Stuff
and Bongani Mbatha
as Constable Bunkett who tries valiantly to make sense
of it all.
Lawson has done a splendid job of pulling off
this delightful high energy theatre piece. Good luck to parents whose children
see the show and then proceed to invent their own vocabulary! Not to mention
exploring their skills at prannocking (dancing silly)!
Skungpoomery runs in the Playhouse Loft until December
21 at 12h00 and 14h00. Tickets R100 booked at Computicket. The children each
receive an innovative gift after the show which should keep them occupied for
many an hour.
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