Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
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THE Eulogists – the latest play by double Fleur du Cap award-winning Louis Viljoen – is on from May 30 until June 24 in the Fugard Studio Theatre.
Viljoen often directs his plays, but this time he has handed over to Greg Karvellas and he will direct Emily Child, Pierre Malherbe and Kiroshan Naidoo.
The Eulogists is part of Viljoen’s artist in residency at The Fugard Theatre. Although Viljoen has had several of his plays staged at the Fugard, The Eulogists is his first new play that is part of his residency. Set design is by Rocco Pool; costumes by Widaad Albertus and lighting by Kieran McGregor.
The multi-talented Viljoen is currently performing in the madcap farce, The Play That Goes Wrong, which is on at the Theatre on the Bay until June 17.
His comic timing is brilliant. Mirth snakes through most of his plays and The Eulogists is likely to bring its share of biting jabs.
The setting is a small town in South Africa. The media is holed up waiting for a great statesman to die. Child plays Audrey, a writer who needs a big comeback story. Zee – a researcher played by Naidoo – is trawling through the leader’s life for his big piece. Harris (Malherbe) – a correspondent for a US radio station – is also on the prowl.
Do they want to celebrate the leader’s life – eulogise his life?
“The title, like most of my plays, is meant to conjure up different things for an audience,” said Viljoen. “It’s a selling point; an ersatz identifying mark and, hopefully, a subtle indicator of the play’s ideas. Titles can often also be deliberately misleading. I’ll let the audience figure that out for themselves.”
Title aside, death can be a potent catalyst for all of us: “When are we not personally invested in the death of someone we know or of a public figure? We experience everything in the world in relation to ourselves. We create our own narratives and put ourselves in the position to feel or not feel and justify it either way by making ourselves part of the story.
“That’s what funerals are: a confirmation of our part in someone else’s story… Nostalgia is about us reimagining our place and function in the past and trying to change the story of how we landed up in this moment. The play focuses on that anxious attempt to insert ourselves into historically or personally important moments.”
The Eulogists will be on in the Fugard Studio and we remind readers that downstairs, in the main theatre, the musical Funny Girl is on until June 11.
This superb production stars Joburg-based Ashleigh Harvey as Fanny Brice, who became a sensation, despite not fitting the role of beauty in the 1920s as defined by the showbiz industry. Harvey brings a nuanced reading to Fanny, an independent, driven woman, who couldn’t resist the seductive charms of her gambler husband, Nick (Clyde Berning).
The setting (late Victorian Theatre – designed by Saul Radomsky) and lavishly-detailed costumes (Birrie le Roux) add up to an epic musical.
A big shout out to the casting of two veteran actors: Diane Wilson, 76, and Mike Huff, 67. Wilson brings the house down as Mrs Strakosh. As the yenta (Yiddish for meddler, gossiper) she is hilarious with her acerbic comments.
Huff brings zing and élan to his conjuring up of Florenz Ziegfeld – the famous and influential impresario – and promoter of the famous Ziegfeld Follies.
The Eulogists is on May 30 until June 24 in the Fugard Studio, Tuesdays to Saturdays, at 8pm with 4pm matinees on Saturdays. Tickets are R120-R160. Funny Girl is on in the main theatre until June 11, Tuesday to Friday, at 8pm; Saturdays at 4pm and 8pm and Sunday at 4pm. Tickets R130-R350. Book for both shows at www.computicket. com/ 0861 915 8000 or the Fugard on 021 461 4554.