Rave reviews are plentiful with many shows achieving critical acclaim and popular glory. There are, of course, also many shows that appeal to smaller niches and particular tastes, sometimes making others upset or even angry. It is fascinating to see, however, that somehow every show appeals to someone, has fans even.
I have had an excellent run of great shows, mostly dance and drama, and many’s the time that I have wanted to run up to the stage and hand over a bouquet. I have also seen what I consider to be a couple of duds but am happy to report that: a) My good manners have made me desist from throwing onions on to the stage, and b) there are always some people clapping and cheering loudly, taking the heat off me.
Applause is always cheering, even when it is not your own. This is not the only way the rest of the audience can change your experience, in good ways and bad. On Sunday evening, for example, a bunch of clowns sitting in the row behind me could have spoiled a most delightful show, Tiger Lilly, featuring Laurie Levine and Josie Field, two South African folk singer-songwriters.
The vibe at the Graham Hotel was very intimate, with the two ladies singing mostly their own tracks with a few covers, a little bit of Dolly Parton and even a jump to the left for a touch of Rocky Horror Picture Show thrown in for fun. Heavy trade at the table outside selling the CD, Tiger Lilly, after the show was testament to the success of the show, the fools who insisted on singing along and clapping slightly out of time forgotten as we haggled for the ladies to sign our CDs. I will be looking out for these two names, Laurie Levine and Josie Fields.
There are lots of schoolchildren in uniform attending shows, and they frequently make great audience-fellows. In Ceci n’est pas de deux, a solo-duet with a life-size foam puppet created and performed by dancer and puppeteer Ester Natzijl, a group of schoolgirls sitting behind me were the highlight of the show.
First, in the interests of balance, let me say that some members of the audience made it clear that they loved the show. It was described by Amsterdam Fringe Festival Jury, 2015, as a "mesmerising, beautifully produced performance that provides different views of what a relationship can be, that shifts perspectives by shifting our view on what is alive and what is not, who is charge of whom… Some called it sublime, some called it surreal, some called it superb".
But I didn’t enjoy it at all. I found it to be unpleasant and at times grotesque. The teenaged girls behind me seemed to agree with my distaste for what seemed to be a woman dancing with an overgrown demon-baby of a puppet in a way that suggested a psycho-sexual struggle. Of course that might say more about me than the show.
I thought it was a courageous performance but found it to be disturbing and not in a way that leads to introspection or raises interesting questions. It just made me want to pull a face and turn away, a slightly teenaged response, I admit. By the sounds of the gasps and whispered pleas behind me there was clearly much face-pulling going on.
"Oh no, please don’t," the girls begged. "Oh m’god, oh m’god … Please don’t do it … don’t touch it there."
And so it continued, bringing me some respite in an otherwise joyless situation.
The festival runs until July 10.
– African News Agency (ANA)
