THIS PRODUCTION HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO UNAVOIDABLE CIRCUMSTANCES.
People who have booked to see this show are being contacted
by Computicket call centre.
Apologies for inconvenience caused by this cancellation. (Melanie Kisten, Leigh Kalidin, Warrick Frank & Courtney Smith. Pic by Val Adamson)
The Warrick Frank Drama Academy presents What a Crack!, a new stage comedy which will
run from August 27 to 30 at Catalina Theatre.
Audiences can expect a blend of East Meets West in
modern-day Durban in this fun-filled family stage four-hander co-written by
Courtney Smith and Warrick Frank, who also directs the piece.
Through the medium of comedy, What a Crack! explores racial stereotypes and the impact they have
on everyday life. Drawing on personal experiences, the show’s creators conjure
up a scenario in which disparate backgrounds unite in an explosive clash of
cultures. Set between the home of Wasseem (played by Frank) and the restaurant
in which his girlfriend Lattrice works, the drama that unfolds proves be a
‘cracker’.
Lattrice is played by Leigh Kalidin (another debut
performance), while established actress Melanie Kisten plays Wasseem’s mother,
Ms Thangavelu. The latter character tries to relinquish the hold she has over
her son, a hold which unbeknown to her, she lost a long time ago. Her blood
pressure rises, however, when her seemingly perfect Indian son falls in love
with a slightly uncouth coloured girl who is trying her best to break away from
her own cultural background to become a modern day citizen for whom race is
nothing but history. Trying to deal with her son’s break with traditions, Ms
Thangavelu seeks the advice of quack psychologist, Dr Phutuma (Courtney Smith)
whose seemingly sound advice turns out to be quite the unhinged crack!
A Social Science student at the University of KwaZulu-Natal,
Courtney Smith has always had a love for the arts, especially theatre and
music. While playing three instruments, he is also drawn to stand-up comedy.
Besides her work in theatre, dance choreographer Melanie
Kisten, founder of the Melanie Kisten Dance Academy, was featured in the movie The Curse of Highway Sheila. Her
experience in the entertainment industry includes show promoting, directing,
acting and dancing.
A performing arts student who has been acting since a young
age, Leigh Kalidin has a passion and willingness to learn about the industry
that has seen her performing in student productions at the National Arts
Festival in Grahamstown as well as the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland. She
makes her mainstream debut in What A
Crack!
A performing arts graduate, Durban-born actor and all-round
entertainer Warrick Frank has fast made a name for himself with audiences. He
appeared in the SABC 2 TV drama series Snake
Park or was heard in Lotus FM’s radio drama, Sunshine Mall. He runs the Warrick Frank Drama Academy and has
extensive knowledge of the workings in the entertainment industry, having
toured nationally for the past five years with Ekma Productions. He also
appears in Ronnie Govender’s play, Your
Own Dog Won't Bite, coming to the iZulu Theatre at Sibaya.
What A Crack! runs
at Catalina Theatre from August 27 to 30 with evening performances at 19h00 from
August 27 to 29 (with a 15h00 matinee on August 29) and the final performance
on August 30 at 15h00. The duration of the show is 80 minutes. Tickets R100 booked
through Computicket outlets. For phone bookings, call 0861 915 8000 and online
bookings are at www.computicket.com
Posts
