Von-Tastic!
Ian von Memerty and his wife Vivienne are making magic together on stage in Synergy, writes Orielle Berry
AS EVERYONE knows, some of the greatest stage collaborations are created by couples who are married or live together. To this end, veteran entertainer duo Ian and Vivienne von Memerty are touring the country and will soon be seen on stage at the Theatre on the Bay, performing the aptly named Synergy.
Combining 26 years of showbiz, they create magic as they show what happens when couples, romantic or otherwise, get to work together as one.
Speaking on the phone from East London, where the couple are performing, Ian says: “The starting point is finding the vehicle of where we are as a couple. Often when there is a partnership it becomes something else – sometimes it creates the most amazing chemistry. Vivienne and I look at how we can interpret it and show it to others.
“Our aim is to highlight what we have in our particular brand of ‘synergy’, which is glamour and heart and humour, and get that to reflect on others.”
Ian, known as the “king of versatility”, with Vivienne, his wife of 26 years, who is known as the “queen of dance”, say the idea for the show was born late last year.
“Once we have conceived a show we know what we want to say, and we move into the ‘empty house’ and furnish it with all the details. Then we shape it musically – and conceive the choreography, which is the most timeconsuming,” says Ian.
“But because we know each other so well it becomes much easier. And there’s no harsher critic than oneself. You look at it with a greater degree of detail.”
The man who tickles the ivories is Roelof Colyn. Says Ian: “He’s my favourite pianist in the world, and with modern technology, we pre-recorded a 14-piece band that combines beautifully with the piano.”
Ian adds there’s something for everyone, as they perform the glamour of the Gershwin Brothers, the effervescent joy of the Sherman Brothers (Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, The Aristocats), the show-business sizzle of Kander and Ebb (Chicago, Cabaret, New York New York), the musical magic of Lennon and McCartney, the sophisticated drama of Desiree and Frederick in Sondheim and Wheeler’s A Little Night Music, and the laughter-filled poignancy of Tevye and Golde in Bock and Harnick’s Fiddler On the Roof.
“We really are having fun and there has been a heartfelt reaction as we tour the country with the show. Burnishing that synergy is indeed a powerful force in the world.”
Ian says that although he trained as a musical theatre performer, he has his brand of showmanship.
“I am one of those people who really like to work hard – and I realised I love communication with the audience, so I hark back to vaudeville, which is actually what I have been doing for the last 20 years. The kind of work you saw in A Handful of Keys.
“Having found where I can create that magic in the theatre – where I can communicate with the audience, but being able to break the ‘fourth wall’ where the action separates the performer from the audience, where I can create an open space – that’s what I hope to achieve!”
Synergy runs at Theatre on the Bay until July 30, nightly from Tuesdays to Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 5pm and 8pm and Sundays at 3pm. Tickets cost R100 each via Computicket, 0861 915 8000 and 021 438 3301.