After a two-year absence, “Aunty Merle” returns to the Baxter Theatre in Cape Town.
Just in time for the festive season and bringing all the trimmings with it, comedian Marc Lottering presents the latest instalment in the popular “Aunty Merle” series, “Aunty Merle Things Get Real”.
In the new production, which boasts several fresh faces, Merle Abrahams (Lottering) from Belgravia Road has since survived Covid-19 and lockdown restrictions, and she is just about finding her way through the darkness of load shedding.
This time around, however, things are about to get very real as Dennis, her loving husband, has been found to be keeping a secret from her. One which has affected his heart and is about to turn Merle’s world upside down.
Lottering told IOL Entertainment: “The show had enjoyed a fantastic Cape Town season after which Covid happened and the world basically shut down.
“But while considering coming back with that show, we realised that so much has happened in the world since and there was just no way we could simply re-stage the previous show and not take into account what everyone has been going through during and after the pandemic. Surely Aunty Merle’s world was shaken too.”
The new cast includes Royston Stoffels (“Aunty Merle”, “The Musical!”, ”Egoli”, “Erfsondes”), Loukmaan Adams (“Aunty Merle It’s a Girl”, “District 6: The Musical”, “Kat & the Kings”), Carmen Maarman (“The Ellen Pakkies Story”, “Barakat”, “Arendsvlei”), Jawaahier Petersen (“Suidooster”, “Arendsvlei”), Tankiso Mamabolo (“The Fall”, “Aunty Merle The Musical!”, “Tankiso Live”, “The Audacity to Be”), Madeegha Anders (“District 6”), Anzio September (“Rent! The Musical”, “Once upon a Nation”, “Danger in the Dark”), Crystal Finck (“Danger in the Dark”, “Living Coloured”, “Embody You”) and Shaun Oelf (“Adagio for a Hacked Life”, “Fishers of Hope”, “Skemerdans”).
The show is directed by award-winning director and Baxter CEO Lara Foot (“Life and Times of Michael K”, “Inconvenience of Wings”).
With choreography by co-founder of Figure of 8 Dance Collective, Grant van Ster, this spectacular cast is accompanied by a six-piece band, led by musical director Trevino Isaacs.
Lottering added: “I wrote this one at a time when the world seems to have gone mad. I could not avoid having much of that chaos reflected in the story. The challenge has been to remain truthful in this regard, but to still ensure that there’s laughter”.
“Aunty Merle Things Get Real” runs from November 29 to January 21, 2023, at the Baxter Pam Golding Theatre at 7.30pm with Saturday matinées at 3pm. Tickets prices range from R180 to R260. Tickets are available from Webtickets.
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