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Beverley Brommert
David Kramer's seemingly inexhaustible fund of creativity in the sphere of musical theatre delivers yet another impressive production with VER IN DIE WÊRELD KITTIE, which entertains, moves and stimulates its audience with catchy tunes and thought-provoking content.
It marks an auspicious inauguration for Cape Town's newest theatre venue: The Blik, centrally located in relation to all quarters of the Mother City and offering comfort for patrons, clarity of acoustics for performers, and sophisticated amenities for directors, set designers and lighting technicians, all in a spacious and welcoming auditorium.
Sited in the heart of the Cape Town Market, it suggests inclusiveness in purveying food for both body and mind, and as such could hardly provide a more fitting venue for a multilayered show like VER IN DIE WÊRELD KITTIE, devised to satisfy heart and soul.
Kramer's latest gem is the stuff of which great musicals are wrought: it combines familiar and much-loved vintage music with nostalgia, sentiment and a bracing morality that is subtly seasoned with political comment.
The protagonists of its simple, linear narrative are strongly characterised and at the same time archetypal - a true-hearted heroine, victim of lowly birth; her privileged suitor who sacrifices love on the altar of wealth, prestige and glamour; a resourceful refugee fleeing anti-Semitism with her young family; and an engaging, humble farm lad whose talent lifts him above his circumstances...
In lesser hands, this could easily degenerate into mere cliché, but a skilful metering of emotional heat, together with pointers to the relevance of South Africa's unedifying colonial legacy in the evolution of the plot, steer VER IN DIE WÊRELD KITTIE firmly away from any facile romanticism.
The fine calibre of acting assists Kramer significantly in this production. Rushney Ferguson as Kittie sings up a storm, both passionate and plausible. Her co-lead Andre Terblanche portrays his antipathetic persona (Joey/Josef/Joseph/Joe, depending on whichever is expedient) with controlled confidence to offer a suitable foil to Ferguson's unforced warmth.
Not for the first time, Jenny Stead brings a wealth of intelligence and insight to her role as the woman who steals the love of Kittie's life - arguably the most difficult of the quartet, since she is morally ambiguous, and as vulnerable in her way as the long-suffering Kittie.
Show-stealer par excellence is Dean Balie as Koos, the naïve lad who became an unknowing conduit for popular, traditional South African music and songs of the mid-20th century, naturalised in the northern hemisphere through plagiarism.
His escape from a farm near Worcester to ever-wider horizons in pursuit of a musical career unifies the plot, and through his several metamorphoses Balie admirably retains and conveys the integrity of this character.
Staging and costumes are true to period, evoking the years before, during, and after WW2; a delightful touch is the projection, courtesy of Julian Davids, of old-fashioned woodcuts to indicate changes of scene as the action shifts seamlessly from rustic Cape winelands to London, New York and Hollywood.
Musicianship from the trio of instrumentalists in the background is consistently pleasing throughout the show's duration, and kept at a volume designed to enhance rather than drown the singers' performance.
As the curtain falls on the unexpected dénouement of Kittie's story, one is left with a sense that this is musical entertainment at its most satisfying... Kramer has done it again.
VER IN DIE WÊRELD KITTIE:
Written, Composed and Directed by David Kramer
Cast: Dean Balie, Rushney Ferguson, Jenny Stead, André Terblanche
Musical Accompaniment: Kerryn Bailey Torrance, Yvan Potts, Nick Turner
Venue: The Blik
Dates: 3, 4, 9, 10 and 11 August 2024
Bookings: Webtickets