Rafiek Mammon
FOR thespian husband and wife team Vanessa Harris and Ash Searle it all started when the former owner of Kalk Bay Theatre called them to a fateful meeting. “We were nearing the end of a run in the venue and because it was doing well, we thought he wanted to talk about an extension. Instead he offered us the business,” they explain almost in unison. “And, as vexing as the thought was of being business owners, it was also like a dream come true for us,” says Searle.
Not many people in the city can boast being an entrepreneur, a parent, a spouse, a theatre producer, a theatre director, an actor and a dancer in equal measure. “Well, perhaps not in equal measure,” interjects Harris, adding: “Running a business is hard work.”
Searle and Harris both started their careers in show business, with Searle dancing since he was nine and having had a stint on So You Think You Can Dance and having danced in Chicago and F ame: The Musical. He and Harris danced together in We Will Rock You and she is also well known for her leading role in the hit Bill Flynn feature film, Running Riot. Now they do not only own Followspot productions and Kalk Bay Theatre but they are also the writers, directors, choreographers, producers and performers of a re-imagined version of their original production Love At First Fight, staged at Kalk Bay Theatre until May 14.
“It really is the very first Followspot Production, which had its world premiere in 2009,” says Searle. The production has had many metamorphoses, and has been adapted accordingly, changing “as their lives change”, and as they, “experience new things” within theirs and others’ relationships.
Love at First Fight was the first production the two tackled together as a married couple. And, as the title suggests, it deals with relationships. Naturally the next question was if it is based on their own relationship?
“Some of it is,” replies Searle. “And some of it is commentary on what we observe as we watch friends and family going through pretty much the same trials and tribulations that our and many other relationships and marriages go through. Whether you are young or old, people will be able to relate,” explains Harris.
They believe that the fact that the content will resonate with people is what makes the production accessible. “People love seeing themselves being portrayed on the stage, often nudging one another in the theatre saying ‘that is so like you’,” says Harris. “And they marvel at what we are able to do with the small, intimate space,” adds Searle.
They categorise the piece as a “two-hander comedy, punctuated with dance.” And the dance styles, according to the pair, span many genres – from disco to contemporary and from jazz to hip hop, and even some Latin.
And why should people see this production? Says Harris: “It is like a mocumentary – looking at relationships realistically but with a comical twist. It is real but fictional. Isn’t that exactly how life sometimes feels? Sometimes reality can feel infinitely stranger than fiction.” Searle responds. “People will get to see me dance with my wife again. I can do intricate lifts with her again. There was a time when she was too heavy for me to do that.”
Harris, who started her young adult life post matric as an Architecture student at UCT responds: “I am a Gemini. The variation of running the theatre and then being a performer in a show or a director of another, or cooking a new recipe for the restaurant, is just the perfect gig for me.”
Patrons can expect new décor at the venue. “We have to keep things fresh and new especially for our returning patrons. And with this being an incarnation of our own show we thought this is a great time to bring out the new,” says Searle.
As a parting shot they remind audiences that Love at First Fight is not really suitable for young children because of the many sexual ambiguities. “It is quite naughty, so if you bring your children it means you’re bad parents,” they laugh.
l 021 7887257