| A Vegan Killed my Marriage Featuring: Aaron Mcilroy Writer/director: Craig Freimond Where and when: Baxter Golden Arrow Studio, September 19 to October 8, 2023, at 8pm with Saturday matinees at 2.30pm Tickets: R150 (Tuesdays and Saturday matinees), R165 (seniors, students and block bookings of 10 or more) and R185 (full price). Booking: Webtickets www.webtickets.co.za or at Pick n Pay stores. |
A Vegan Killed my Marriage is one of the most heart-warming comedies that I have seen in a long time. It is soul food and deliciously funny. I left the theatre, on a dark and stormy night in Cape Town, with a smile and feeling uplifted in every way. The one hander, stars Aaron Mcilroy and is written and directed by Craig Freimond. This show received a Bronze Ovation Award at the 2023 National Arts Festival [NAF], Makhanda and is a treat for theatre goers. After seeing this show, I can see why it got the nod for a Bronze Ovation at NAF- a most deserved award. The script is excellent- finely tuned and diced and sliced. The direction by Craig Freimond (he also wrote the script) beautifully teases out the mirth and pathos in this story which uses stand-up comedy style as a medium and yet is structured cleverly around a script which is layered in so many directions and conjures up relationships, the planet and ultimately has a message of being kind and caring to one another. I loved A Vegan Killed my Marriage and I recommend this show as a tonic and upper.
The genre of observational comedy is used but with care and consideration. The narrative arc has been cleverly articulated and therein lies the eye of award winning Craig Freimond in paring the script to an essence which is yummy. Aaron Milroy’s timing and delivery is a tour de force as he prowls around the stage, as James. He is a dude having a mid-life crisis -who goes cold turkey – off meat. Milroy uses his body and voice as the primary means of expression and activates the stage space – from start to finish.
Props are minimal and lighting is fabulous and riffs of stuff that we are dealing with at the moment and I won’t production spoil but I will say that this show is a light in a time of scheduled darkness. As to what it is “about”, A Vegan Killed my Marriage, is a relationship comedy which chews into dietary choices and how that can impact on relationships. At the heart of A Vegan Killed my Marriage is a call-out, for us to not sweat the details of our culinary obsessions. Hold onto our humanity. Be nice to each other. Go and see the awesome Aaron Mcilroy in A Vegan Killed my Marriage, which is on in the Baxter Golden Arrow Studio, until October 8, 2023.
✳Pics of Aaron Mcilroy, by Val Adamson. Supplied.
