Big experience in intimate setting

BON SOIR. Directed by Vanessa Harris, with Lucy Tops, Alex Tops, Ashley Searle, Bradley Searle, Nadine Theron, Ruby Burton and James Harris. At The Kalk Bay Theatre until January 24. RAFIEK MAMMON reviews.

WE all know the Kalk Bay Theatre is a small, intimate venue, yet from the minute one walks into the space to see Bon Soir one gets the feeling something big is brewing.

And that is exactly what happens: a big experience in an intimate setting.

To transform the cosy space into what is tantamount to a big top, with an atmosphere of the offbeat, the avant-garde, the out of kilter is a feat in itself.

At this point one does wonder: are they able to live up to these “promises” and “teasers”? And when they do deliver, with absolute aplomb, one drives home very fulfilled, with pretty images and beautiful noises filling one’s head.

How refreshing to see a show with a cast that takes their artistry very seriously, yet the show does not take itself too seriously.

It is what it is: a mélange of acts – from tantalising tunes to acrobatics and from sensual dancing to engaging tomfoolery (or should that read Alexfoolery, as it is mainly provided by the very adroit Alex Tops).

Tops sets the tone for the show with his caricatures that leave one feeling almost child-like before the show takes one on a ride that easily sways from very welcomed and considered asinine to penetratingly serious acts.

Tops is joined by wife, Lucy Tops who always delivers sublimely in the vocal department, and a less impressive James Harris. As a singer, Lucy Tops is one of the most underrated live performers in the city.

She is a favourite in the Kalk Bay Theatre corral, always well received by audiences and famous for putting her own spin on songs. This time she does a few, notably Bjork’s It’s Oh So Quiet gets a good working over.

The dancing constituent is made up of Ashley and Bradley Searle, Nadine Theron and Ruby Burton. And one has to pause here for a moment and pay homage to a formidable foursome who are no two-bit chancers.

In a small space like The Kalk Bay Theatre you had better know your stuff. Your audience, remember, is sitting right on your nose.

Not only will they know their flexes from their pointes and their pirouettes from their arabesques; they will also easily notice when a lift is not executed well enough, or if you are puckering under the pressure. And with the kinds of routines these four dancers tackle, it is indeed a spectacle to see the agility, the seamless transformations, the sensuality and the strength of these funambulists.

These kinds of routines require some serious timing and focus.

And if you are a traditionalist looking for a storyline a plot, or a through line, then this is not for you. In fact they do make it very clear at the start of the show – it is about letting the imagination go, and allowing the senses to roam freely.

Costumes and lighting play a huge role in the success of this execution. It is all dark and mysterious, clandestine even, as if you were in someone’s dungeon and these beautiful creatures popped up from the netherworld to do a show especially for you.

The use of a black, white with a hint of colour or stripes makes for interesting, effective costume choices, and, lighting up what is essentially a small production, but that needs to complement the stature of the acts, could not have been an easy task.

Again, kudos to director, Vanessa Harris and her team for using clever, effective lighting design to embody the look and feel of a Vaudeville-type floorshow.

Bon Soir is categorised as a cirque comedy.

If at this point you are still asking yourself, but what is it really about, you may want to take a trip to The Kalk Bay Theatre to find out?

Also diarise the venue’s upcoming production, A Beautiful Wreckage.

The one-hour musical stars Grant Jacobs and Liam Mcdermott, with dirction by Liam Magner.

l 021 788 7257, www.kalkbaythe atre.co.za