(Godfrey
Johnson)
The Rhumbelow Theatre is proud to present
the theatrical tour-de-force that is Godfrey Johnson in Vaslav. Harnessing the potential of three arts in one, Johnson
ignites the spirit of Nijinsky in this celebration of the magnificent power of
sheer performance.
Nominated for three Fleur du Cap Awards in
2015, Vaslav is directed by Lara Bye
and has been hailed by critics and audiences alike, with demand for this
one-person play extending theatrical runs on more than one occasion.
Award-winning actor, singer and pianist, Johnson delivers an astonishing
performance, seamlessly piloting his audiences across the vast plains of a
Europe at war with itself, as experienced by the one man to have ever caused a
riot through dancing: the elusive icon of both the Imperial Russian ballet and
the Western avant-garde, Vaslav Nijinsky.
Seen as both genius and curiosity, Vaslav
Nijinsky remains an intriguing figure today, with numerous biopics and
biographies shedding light on this revolutionary of the dance. Powerful in this
respect alone, Nijinsky’s inner world could be as disruptive and spectacular as
his animalistic choreography suggests. “Gigantic leaps across the stage, he
flew, so to speak, to the skies…” gasped Marcel Proust. “Can life be so rich,
so splendid, so passionate”, said a haunted Jean Cocteau.
Vaslav is an extreme portrait of our humanity, drawing much from the
diaries Nijinsky kept over the six weeks of his treatment in a mental asylum,
being one of the first individuals to have received the psychiatric diagnosis
of schizophrenia. A rare document revealing the fragile borders that define our
sanity, Vaslav marries the dancer and
the mental patient with the social and cultural upheavals of a world struggling
with its own borders.
It is no coincidence that Mikhail
Baryshnikov is currently playing Nijinsky in Letter to a Man on European and US stages; debuting a year after Vaslav and a very different take on the
character, these two masterpieces suggest the enduring humanity of our
collective experience.
A unique integration of cabaret, one-person
show and classical theatre, Vaslav is
based on a text written by Johnson and
Bye and writer Karen Jeynes. The power of this play makes the highest
demands of its performer and has earned Johnson nominations at the Fleur du Cap
Awards across three, diverse categories: Best Actor in a Musical; Best
Performance in a One Person Show; and, Best Composer.
The play is a choreography of dialogue,
music and movement, with Johnson drawing on the works of Stravinsky,
Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, Debussy, Satie and his own compositions, weaving the
magic of this world directly from the piano.
Performances take place at Rhumbelow
Theatre in Durban on May 29 at 19h30, on May 31 at 20h00 and on June 2
at 14h00. The running time is 65 minutes. The venue opens 90 minutes before
show for picnic dinner.
Tickets R150 (R130 pensioners, students
with a valid student card and tables of eight or more and R75 for under 13s).
Family Pack Pricing (R300 for two adults and two children free)
Take along food picnic baskets. Braais will
be available. There is limited secure parking and booking is essential. A cash
bar is available (no alcohol may be brought on to the premises). Rhumbelow
Durban is situated at 42 Cunningham Road off Bartle Road in Umbilo.
Booking is through Computicket or contact
Roland on 082 499 8636, email roland@stansell.za.net (also for group booking
discounts of 20 or more) or visit http://events.durbantheatre.com
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