Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
A feast of fabulous stage craft
Inthe
HUSBAND and wife team Ashley Searle and Vanessa Harris know how to get audiences bopping and have staged a string of phenomenally successful shows driven by dance, song and comedy.
Last festive season they were at the Kalk Bay Theatre (KBT) with the fabulously fun Big Boys Don’t Dance, and this year they are back at the KBT with the sequel Big Boys II. Once again it stars Ashley and his brother Bradley. Both are superlative dancers.
Big Boys II opened on Wednesday and is on until January 5, with a New Year’s Eve performance that includes dinner and dancing after the show. The big news is that the couple’s theatre company, Follow Spot, is now operating the theatre restaurant.
I love the Kalk Bay Theatre, but for the most part dining has been pitched on the higher scale. Two courses were served before the show, then coffee and dessert after the performance.
It added up to an expensive evening out. It was also not possible to have coffee before the show or have coffee only.
Now, for R80, there’s an eat-asmuch-as-you-want spread, with loads of dips like hummus and tzatziki, breads, stews and salads. Coffee (about R20 depending on what you select) and dessert (from R35) are charged for separately. Those not dining may order coffee and dessert or just coffee.
The chef is Candice Konig (ex-La Colombe and other eateries).
As to the leap from theatre to food, Harris says: “Our two passions have always been theatre and great food. After creating the popular Follow Spot Collective at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, we realised that we might have a knack for managing a venue and creating a vibe, so when we heard that the previous chef ’s contract at the Kalk Bay Theatre was ending, we approached Simon Cooper (owner of the KBT) and he was excited with our ideas.
Coffee is a key part of the new enterprise. “We are using Deluxe coffee. We fell in love with this microroaster when we visited their headquarters in town.”
As for Big Boys II, Harris explains: “We pick up from where the first show left off, with the continuation of the storyline.”
They are amped about the New Year’s Eve performance, which starts at 9.30pm, with doors opening at 7.30pm. Tickets include a Big Boy cocktail, dinner and dessert.
● Tickets for show cost R100 and on New Year’s Eve R330, and that includes dinner, dessert and cocktail.
Book for the show only online at www.kalkbaytheatre.co.za
To book a table for any dinner, contact Vanessa at 071 471 2291 or e-mail info@kalkbaytheatre.co.za
Big Boys II is on until January 5 ( shows start 8pm, dinner from 6.30pm), but check online for the schedule as there are no performances on some nights.