(Left: Barbie
Meyer in “Marico Moon”. Pic by Gordon Date)
“It does strange things to your mind, the
Marico moon, and in your heart are wild and fragrant fancies …” Herman Charles
Bosman
Brace yourself for hilarious storytelling
and witty entertainment at the hands of the spirited, sassy, veldskoen-clad
Bosman teller of tales, Barbie Meyer, in Marico
Moon. Presented by Rhumbelow Theatre, the show takes place on February 9,
2020, at the Allan Wilson Shellhole in Pietermaritzburg.
Compiled and performed Barbie Meyer and directed
by Marke Meyer, Marico Moon is
Meyer’s eagerly awaited sixth show on one of South Africa’s finest literary
masters, Herman Charles Bosman.
“His work gets under your skin – I’ve been
hooked since I was a little girl,” says Meyer.
Herman Charles Bosman (1905-1951) was a
South African writer and journalist who became famous for capturing the rhythms
of backveld Afrikaans speech even though he wrote in English. He is widely
regarded as the greatest short story writer to come out of this country. His
books are some of the finest in the field of South-African literature.
Whether you have read Bosman’s works or
not, Meyer’s compilation of his stories in Marico
Moon will no doubt delight and surprise you. It is challenging,
delightfully written and eminently entertaining.
Meyer has succeeded in mastering the
distinctive flat accent of the Groot Marico. Her use of pauses and impeccable
comedic timing are what sets her apart as a top storyteller – “despite being a
woman”, she laughs, “boy, have I heard that a number of times!”
Her unpretentious style, tangible passion
for these stories and love for this genre of storytelling simply oozes out of
her every pore when she is on the stage, pulling the audience right into the
veld with her.
Meyer has been recognised as something of a
Bosman fundi and has performed her plays at many venues, festivals and intimate
settings around the country.
Jacques Sellschop, who for several years
was the presenter of the weekly Arts and Culture programme Galaxy on SABC Television had this to say about Barbie’s
performance:
“Having greatly admired Patrick Mynhardt’s
iconic interpretations of the Bosman stories, I had reservations about a female
challenging the role. More especially so since the lady in question was an
attractive young blonde with a refined English accent that would not raise a
single eyebrow at the annual Windsor Castle garden party.
But despite having neither the roughhewn
exterior of Mynhardt’s character nor the naturally coarse, serrated edges of
his enunciation, Barbie Meyer kept her audience enthralled with her sheer
energy and consummate dramatic skill. The piece she compiled was demanding in
substance, yet she did not falter once in delivering it. From the outset she
revealed a range of facial expressions, tonal varieties and gifts for gesture
and mime that more than made up for the absence of elaborate stage and costume
props.
Her fine sense of dramatic pause and climax
brought emphasis to the sly innuendo and the irreverent humour that is the
essence of the Bosman narrative.”
Marico
Moon has a performance at 14h00 on February 9, 2020.
(Venue opens 90 minutes before show for picnic). Tickets R160 (R140 pensioners,
students with a valid student card & R130pp block bookings of 8 or more)
(R80 under 13s). Bring food picnic baskets and a bar is available (no alcohol
may be brought on to the premises). There is limited secure parking.
Booking is through Computicket or contact
Roland on 031 205 7602 or 082 499 8636, email roland@stansell.za.net or visit
www.rhumbelow.za.net
The Allan Wilson Shellhole is situated at 5
Durban Road in Pietermaritzburg.
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