(Clockwise from top
left: Bheki Mqadi, Michael Gritten; Louise
Saint-Claire; Michael Richard; Paul Slabolepszy; and Sibu Radebe with Bronwyn
van Graan in the centre)
After taking Grahamstown Festival, Johannesburg and Cape
Town audiences by storm, the hilarious Paul Slabolepszy comedy, For Your Ears Only, will be presented byThe
Playhouse Company, previewing in the Playhouse Drama from December 9, 2015.
Taking the form of a live radio play on stage, the
production stars Paul Slabolepszy himself as Nigel the crusty old maintenance
man, as well as favourite actors Michael Richard as Denton, a magniloquent
(grandiose, bombastic) radio producer; Louise Saint-Claire as ‘theatrical
legend’, Veronica; Sibu Radebe as Tumi,
a young TV star; Michael Gritten as Harold,
an ageing ‘matinee idol’; Bheki Mqadi as
Bra Doc, a middle-aged actor-playwright; and Bronwyn van Graan as Pearl, a
spunky ‘voice artist’. If some of these characters seem familiar to radio
listeners, this is because Paul Slab, as he is affectionately known, is also
Head Writer of Radio Vuka, the
intriguing and highly-amusing Safm radio play that airs on weekdays at 15h45.
Some of the play’s characters feature in Radio
Vuka.
Directed by giant of South African theatre, Ralph Lawson, For Your Ears Only offers a
side-splitting look into what happens behind the scenes in a radio studio, and
sees a group of actors, a producer and a writer assemble in a radio studio to
record a weekly ‘soapie’ called The Soul
of Sister Serious. Sub-titled What
you hear is only half the story …, as the narrative unfolds, we find the
producer in hysterics, the writing wracked with paranoia, and two of the actors
heading for the divorce courts. The result is a comedy that crackles with
hilarity and intrigue.
“With For Your Ears
Only, we are pleased to welcome Paul Slabolepszy back to The Playhouse
Company after quite some time,” said Linda Bukhosini, CEO and Artistic Director
of The Playhouse Company. “The production’s all-star cast is sure to entertain
both local and visiting festive season audiences. This unusual ‘play within a
play’ is very different from what we have come to accept as conventional
theatre, but it’s exciting, intriguing, creative and puts your imagination into
full drive,”. We trust that patrons book early to avoid
disappointment.”
The fascinating set for the production comprises a large
sound studio equipped with all the paraphernalia associated with live recording
for radio, including the obligatory hanging microphones, as well as loads of
different items for sound effects, such as different-sized doors (locks, bolts,
chains), windows, a ‘creaky’ garden gate, an old-fashioned cash register,
telephones, cups and saucers, glasses, a bucket of water, assorted bunches of
keys, a bicycle bell on a stick, a large punch bag (with a baseball bat to one
side!), cowhide drums, a battered roller-skate, an antiquated wind machine, a
cuckoo clock, a vuvuzela and, literally, all the bells and whistles imaginable,
all coming together for a sneak peek into the world of recording a radio show.
For Your Ears Only
promises a therapeutic dose of laughter this festive season, The show opens
officially on December 12 but discounted tickets at R80 are available for the
previews on December 9, 10 and 11 . Contact Dawn Haddon on 031 369 9407. This
is the contact number for block bookings which offer a discount of up to 20%
off the usual ticket price.
From December 12, tickets are available via Computicket on www.computicket.co.za or from the
Playhouse Box Office on 031 369 9596. Pensioners and scholars under 18 secure
discounted tickets on presentation of ID. The production runs until December
23.
Playhouse patrons receive discounted parking at the Royal
Hotel Parking and at the Albany Grove Parkade. The Playhouse coffee shop offers
a variety of light meals and drinks, while the Playhouse bar is open for every
performance.
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