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LIVEWIRE: Fresh from being outed from Saturday show, funnyman back at familiar territory – stand-up comedy…
By Gugu Sibiya
Looking back on his surprise appearance on The Masked Singer SA, comedian David Kau is still reeling from the thrill of being part of the show.
“I’d do it in a heartbeat if he had another chance,” Kau muses, days after became the fifth personality to be unmasked and sent packing from the popular reality series, The Masked Singer SA, last Saturday.
No matter how much the celebrity detectives attempted to hazard guesses on who was behind the mask and elaborate costume, the hippo’s identity eluded Skhumba, J Something, Sithelo Shozi and Boity Thulo, who was standing in for Somizi.
David Kau was the biggest surprise to be unmasked on Saturday night since the start of The Masked Singer SA. None of the detectives came close to nailing who was sweating in the hippo’s costume. “Wow, first of all, when I heard of the The Masked Singer SA concept, I thought what a brilliant idea,” gushes Kau in his typical funny way. “Anele Mdoda is the executive producer, so she called me about being in the show.
“After a bit of consideration I thought, what a dope idea. It’s been a while since television had an exciting show like that. Since Pop Idols, The Voice or You ThInk You’re Funny? It’s probably 12 or 13 years ago. So, it’s an awesome and refreshing idea,” he says warming to the conversation.
“I love music, singing and dancing, which is probably why I was drawn to the show. I think the producers genuinely don’t know anything when the celebrities get asked to come on the show. They obviously ask a celebrity and those who are able to avail themselves, to rock up.
“In terms of the song choice, there’s a list available to choose from. By the time I got in, contestants had already chosen most of the songs I like. Khaya Mthethwa is an amazing music director who ensures that our songs match the voice range. He insisted that we need to strike a balance between the song and what we can realistically pull off, to go as far as we can in the show”. Looking back, Kau says he’d do it in a heartbeat if he had another chance. “I don’t know if it would be possible, because, when people have seen you once before, it’s easy for them to rat you out fast. Truth is, I really had fun doing the show” he confesses.
Turning to his passion, he enthuses: “Comedy is still my first love. I’ve just come back from a show in Cape Town. Amazingly, three weeks back I had a marvellous performance in Nairobi, Kenya, for the very first time. My focus is firmly on staging shows from smaller venues to massive ones like Blacks Only Comedy Show, which attracts thousands of people.
“I just want to be on stage, release more comedy specials on TV and streaming platforms. On Saturday (July 15), I’ll be at Protea’s Fire and Ice Menlyn Hotel at 8pm. Tickets are available via Webtickets. On September 15 and 16, I’ll be in the Blacks Only Comedy Show in Johannesburg and Savoy Theatre in Port Elizabeth. I just want to be on stage especially in other parts of Africa. My information is always on me social platforms” he says, excited about life and comedy.
CELEBRATING 1789 FRENCH REVOLUTION
MASTERPIECE: Opportunity for locals to engage with Liberty, Equality and Fraternity this July as the world-renowned play 1789 plays at Sibikwa Arts Centre for a limited Season
By Own Correspondent
After six years in the making, Sibikwa Arts Centre in association with the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS) and Théâtre du Soleil finally bring Ariane Mnouchkine’s epic theatre piece 1789 to life on stage in Johannesburg for a limited season this year.
The production received support from the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, the French Institute in Paris and the City of Paris.
For this production, veteran directors (and founders of the Centre), Phyllis Klotz and Small Ndaba have assembled the talented cast and crew to bring this historical masterpiece to life at the Sibikwa Arts Centre for a short season this July 14 to 23.
1789, so named for the year of the French Revolution, transports its audience to the streets of Paris – to a country in turmoil on the brink of a revolution and follows the journey of a range of citizens and the rise against an oppressive regime in the quest for Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. The piece opens to the public on Bastille Day, July 14, which remains a commemorative celebration on the French calendar, to this day.
Sibikwa is an award-winning multi-disciplinary centre established in 1988 by renowned playwrights, directors, arts educators and stalwarts Ndaba and Klotz. Based in the City of Ekurhuleni, Sibikwa’s vision envisages transformed, vibrant and connected communities with access to arts and culture.
“This is not a South African adaptation of a French play”, says co-director Klotz. “We’ve chosen to allow the themes of the piece to speak for themselves while staying true to the original work of commentary and satire developed by Ariane Mnouchkine and the Théâtre du Soleil all those years ago. We have no doubt that the audience will feel the echoes of resonance ripple in another revolution.”
With musical theatre and physical style being part of the common language between Théâtre du Soleil and indeed South African theatre, the creative team features opera stars Lehlongonolo ‘Bapi’ Musa and Bongiwe Musa at the helm of musical direction, and multi-award-winning theatre practitioner Toni Morkel as the production’s movement coach.
Wilhelm Disbergen takes on the mammoth task of recreating the look and feel of the streets and people of Paris in 1789 with costume, music and set design.
The cast features a host of talented individuals, including Joel Zuma, Mlindeli Zondi, Nomsa Mbatha, Khanyisile Ngwabe, Siphiwe Nkabinde, Snenhlanhla Mgeyi, Masiza Mbali and Zevangeli Mamppofu. The cast is joined in chorus by students from Sibikwa.
This collaboration also brings with it the École Nomade also involved a two-week immersive workshop series presented by Théâtre du Soleil, which ended on July 1. Six artists from the French avant-garde stage ensemble will share their methodology of collective theatre-making with 50 South African creatives of all ages and interests from all over the country.
“We had a huge response to the open call and are pleased that we have been able to accommodate so many delegates from all over Southern Africa. We can’t wait to see what connections and exchanges the workshops bring about,” says Caryn Green, CEO at Sibikwa.
Sophie Boulé, Cultural Attachée and deputy director at the IFAS, adds “We are proud and excited to help make Phyllis’ dream come true: to bring the Théâtre du Soleil to South Africa and recreate 1789, in the hope that this project will help change lives.
It is the first time in its history that the Théâtre du Soleil will be on the African continent. This iconic institution is known in France for its revolutionary theatre techniques that immerse, transport and inspire the cast as well as the audience.”
Following the workshops, it’s straight back to the rehearsal room for the cast and crew to be ready in time to open to the public on Bastille Day, July 14.
The run will also feature day time performances to accommodate schools – for whom the French Revolution of 1789 is a vital part of the syllabus. Tickets are available online at Quicket. – City LifeArts
