| What: Rocking the Bar When: Finishes August 3, 2024 Where: Kalk Bay Theatre at Brass Bell Restaurants & Pubs, Main Rd, Kalk Bay Featuring: Ash Searle, Brad Searle, Alex Tops, Lucy Tops, Line Koen Director: Vanessa Harris Musical director: Ash Searle Choreographer: Anna Oliver Sound, lighting, set and costumes: Vanessa Harris and Nicki Sisson Booking: Quicket – go via Kalk Bay Theatre website at http://www.kalkbaytheatre.co.za and then https://www.kalkbaytheatre.co.za/rocking-the-bar/ or if you get stuck, WhatsApp on 066 205 5063 Good to know: Those who dine at the Brass Bell in its Theatre Restaurant on the Captain’s Deck, get preferential seats |
It has taken me a while to see Rocking the Bar at the Kalk Bay Theatre because the show has been solidly sold out. I finally got there on the weekend. The season wraps up on August 3, 2024 – next weekend- so this is a quickie review. Rocking the Bar is a gem, a bonsai musical with an elegiac narrative. I loved this gentle show which invites one to reflect on life and love. It is set in Bar None, a generic bar with sticky floors and tables which one finds all over the world. It is more than a place to drink. It is a place to connect. I don’t want to plot spoil. Part of the joy of experiencing Rocking the Bar is seeing what materialises in the spirited space. A father and a daughter are at odds with each other. Assorted characters inhabit Bar None. What transpires may be real or urban myth but it doesn’t matter. We live by our stories and the hope that we have to love and to form friendships and relationships.
Rocking the Bar has been beautifully crafted and rendered and is cantilevered on a bitter sweet premise of life – which has its ups and downs. We need to all be in the moment and enjoy what we can, because who knows what is around the corner in this world. The ensemble cast is terrific: Ash Searle, Brad Searle, Alex Tops, Lucy Tops and Line Koen. Alex Tops and Lucy Tops who are husband and wife in real life conjure up a tender love story. There is some signature Kalk Bay physical theatre (lovely choreography by Anna Oliver) with the bar’s pool table cleverly used as a stage but dance is not the focus. The story is key and whilst the songs get one singing, tapping and dancing along, it is a story which has sombre and serious undertones.
Bravo to Followspot Productions for staging this highly considered production. Rocking the Bar is lots of fun. The set and lighting is stunning – a full-on kitted bar/saloon. I was fascinated by the numerous wardrobe changes- particularly by Lucy Tops. There is a beer promotion – with entrants going in a draw to win tickets to a show at the theatre. Get there early. Relax and get into the spirit of Rocking the Bar.
✳ Rocking the Bar at the Kalk Bay Theatre, 2024. Pic supplied.
