(Jonathan Cohen. Pic
by Val Adamson)
Copy Dog will present the one-man tragicomedy, White Christmas, at Seabrooke’s theatre
from March 3 to 6. Written and directed by Clinton Marius, it stars the gifted
young Durban-based actor, Jonathan Cohen, making his role debut in this
challenging piece about the Currently Disadvantaged.
Every year the Van Niekerk family go ‘upmarket’ and spend
the festive season at the Margate Caravan Park. But this year’s holiday will be
different. Way different.
Says Marius, known
for his uncanny ability to write across South Africa’s cultural divides in his
bench-mark radio series, Lollipop Lane,
and his multi award-winning stage shows, The
Fantastical Flea Circus, B!*ch Stole My Doek, and Sweetie Darling: “White
Christmas is, ironically, a black comedy about a South African family’s
350-year history in this country, and where they stand today. The play is the
most personal I have written to date, in that it turns a satirical spotlight on
my own family. Certain elements have been tweaked for dramatic effect, but the
bittersweet account is by-and-large a factual one.”
Appraising the content of the piece after a single try-out
performance two years ago, theatre critic Gisele Turner wrote: “White Christmas is a monologue of
remembrance. A family of four, parents and the classic pigeon pair of brother
and sister take their holiday in a caravan by the sea every year and splurge on
the small luxuries their meagre income can afford them. Usually a time of
relaxation and celebration, tragedy strikes and Christmas can never be the same
again for Gerrit Van Niekerk.
Clinton Marius has identified an area of South Africa’s
complex society – that of impoverished white people – and he looks with a kind
yet humorous eye on their plight. Raised during apartheid and therefore still
able to get jobs and take holidays, the Van Niekerks have currently hit harder
times in a cultural environment where being pale skinned works against them and
their future looks bleak.”
artSMart reviewer Keith Millar wrote: “Clinton Marius is a
fine wordsmith. His descriptions of the Van Niekerk family, as related by JP,
introduce some very real and multidimensional people. From the matriarchal and
god-fearing mother, to the kind, gentle and very supportive father, and the
modestly ambitious sister, all have tangible character.”
Jonathan Cohen made his professional debut on the Durban
theatre circuit with KickstArt’s Shrek
The Musical in 2015. He completed his Honour’s degree in Drama and
Performance at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in the same year. Before that in
2013, he appeared in Peter Mitchell’s The
Great American Songbook at the Hexagon Dive Theatre in Pietermaritzburg, a
jukebox musical that solidified Cohen’s love for jazz, as well as singing
onstage.
His dance training
saw him in good stead as he went on to choreograph pieces for St. John’s school
in Pietermaritzburg for the collaborative dance show Millennium FUNK! for three years, establishing himself as a dance
teacher and choreographer. White
Christmas is his first one-man show.
White Christmas runs
at Seabrooke’s Theatre, DHS, from March 3 to 6 with performances at 19h30
(Thursday to Saturday) and at 14h30 on Sunday (March 6). Tickets R90 and booking is through
Computicket on 0861 915 8000 or online at www.computicket.com. Secure parking is provided.
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