| What: Melomania – music comedy quiz When: August 7-24, 2025 Where: Kalk Bay Theatre at Brass Bell Restaurants & Pubs, Main Rd, Kalk Bay Featuring: Ash Searle, Brad Searle, Tarryn Fox, Amy Reed, Line Jordaan Running time: 90 minutes Choreography: Ash Searle Running time: 90 minutes Createdย and produced by:ย Followspot Productions Tickets:ย R320 and R25.53 ย booking fee (Does not include cost of a meal at Brass Bell) Booking:ย Quicket โ go via Kalk Bay Theatre website atย http://www.kalkbaytheatre.co.zaย or if you get stuck, WhatsApp on 066 205 5063 ย Good to know:ย Those who dine at the Brass Bell in its Theatre Restaurant on the Captainโs Deck, get preferential seats Parking:ย The best parking lot is the one opposite the Wetsuit Warehouse. Alex is the car guard, and if you canโt find parking, he will valet park your carย ย ย ย |
Full disclosure: We scored a very measly 18 out of 40 at Melomania – the new live music-comedy quiz at Kalk Bay Theatre at the Brass Bell. Melomania is on August 7-24 and then September 7-30, 2025. It is fabulous. We had so much fun.
The competition was fierce. The tension was palpable- in a good way. Melomania means someone with an avid passion for music – knowing the melodies and lyrics – and by inference someone with a ridiculous amount of general knowledge regarding music. Well, as I say, we were abysmal. The Melomaniac at each show wins a bottle of Amarula and 50 percent discount to dine at the Brass Bell Theatre Restaurant.
Quiz nights have become very popular in Cape Town. Melomania takes Quiz Night to another level, with live performance of songs, across six games: Divas, Disney (Princesses), Movies, Decades, lyrics (Finish the lyrics) and Musicals (Movies which are musicals).
The three divas performing are: Tarryn Fox, Amy Reed and Line Jordaan. Ashley Searle is quiz host. He is on crutches, because of a recent injury. Hobbling on and off stage, he is a hoot as he talks about what happened. He also sings a song and is joined by his brother, Bradley Searle, on piano, for the Complete the Lyrics game. The heat is on with this set.
The show is polished, with gorgeous costumes – different costumes for each game and more for the finale. The artists do a lightening quick change. Wonderful singing with impressive vocal artistry and I cannot reveal the songs, to keep it a surprise. Lovely to see Amy Reed back on stage in Cape Town. She had been performing abroad.
Tremendous care and knowledge has gone into curating the questions, with an intriguing song mix and fascinating tidbits – such as the genre of Disney Princesses. Melomania is not the first Quiz Night presented by the KBT. A precursor was Face the Music but the format has been refined into a โproperโ quiz with Melomania. It requires concentration and gets the competitive juices going. It was interesting to see the young crowd, totally focused on the quiz. I am used to seeing an older demographic at the KBT so it wonderful to see a younger hipster crowd. Melomania is a cool way to decompress and we need that. A lot of fun to go with a crowd and to pool your knowledge on the score chart. There is no pressure to participate and even with our poor efforts, we did not give up. Sheer entertainment.
It was a freezing, rainy night in Cape Town and the theatre was packed. We ate before the show at the Bell – fish – and chips. We were delighted to receive a glass of Steenberg Winery in honour of Womenโs Day. Our husbands had whiskey.
The format of quiz with live music and comedic banter, is a winner. I hope that the KBT will continue with other editions of Melomania. More, please. We will try do better next time. Please do not reveal the songs and questions to others so that the quiz is a surprise.
Melomania runs August 7-24 and then there will be another run September 7-30, but go now. It is a tonic. A wonderful Date Night with significant others and friends.
โ Melomania at the Kalk Bay Theatre, August and September 2025. Pic: Robyn Cohen/TheCapeRobyn.
