‘Common and Class’ cabaret-style revue a hoot
● Get ready for two of PE’s best in side-splitting show
It’s a rare treat for two such superb entertainers to unite for such a class act but that’s what Centrestage has done in pairing Ian von Memerty with Gino Fabbri in a new show.
And although Von Memerty is in theory the bigger name, both expressive performers in Common and Class have a long pedigree.
SA television shows like Strictly Come Dancing and SA’s Got Talent have given Von Memerty a national profile, but here in Nelson Mandela Bay, Fabbri is well-known and much loved.
The show is named after the characters – Fabbri is raw, rough and ready, while Von Memerty is super-smooth.
If you’ve ever seen Von Memerty perform Mr Bojangles, you know how silky he can sound – and if you’ve been to a Centrestage show you probably also know that Fabbri is a wildcard just itching to cut loose.
The two together are genius, generating music, madness and heaps of belly-laughs.
Television’s “Mr Fantastic” has a sense of humour that matches crazy chameleon Fabbri but the two are also talented musicians.
The keyboard skills of Von Memerty are legendary, as seen in his amazing versatility in the long-running (and then revived) A Handful of Keys for two pianists.
However, the guitar skills of Fabbri have only recently been unearthed after years of battering the drums and tickling the funny bones. Toss in a few dance moves and it’s hilarious chaos.
In fact, it may be worth the price of a ticket just to see Fabbri thrust his hips through the Floss, not to mention the delectable sight of Von Memerty doing the Timewarp.
His take on the sweet transvestite of The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a peachy role for this triple threat of the theatre.
The cabaret-style revue has a rather naughty script which is quick and clever. It also includes musical medleys where Common and Class battle out their respective cultural backgrounds in song. Linking mellow ballads with rock stadium belters, they gallop through their repertoire with brisk and bouncy joie de vivre.
As it’s a brand new show, they are still settling into their interactive dialogue and in one scene – the “Boet and Swaer” skit on ageing – Fabbri slipped up on a line but even then it was clear the gents on stage were having a ball.
As were the audience, and the interval is much needed, not only to refresh the energies of the cast over a show which lasts two hours and 20 minutes, but also to give your stomach muscles a break.
Common’s threat to take their show on a tour of the country leads to a sarcastic “oh goodie” from the stuffy Class. ● ‘Common and Class’ is at the Hellenic Hall in PE from September 19-22 and the Guild Theatre in East London in November. Booking is at Computicket.