This Week & Beyond
March 24-30: Breathe deeply
Do not miss this! Cape Ballet Africa’s Breathwords, at Artscape for just 3 nights this week, features an expanded version of South African choreographer Kirsten Isenberg’s Reverie (set to Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2), alongside two pieces by international creators: Whispers From Within by Dutch choreographer Wubkje Kuindersma (set to Summer and Spring of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons recomposed by Max Richter) and Nacho Duato’s Remanso. Tickets
It is going to be spectacular! How do we know, I hear you ask … Read: South Africans rock in Salt
Something else that might also just leave you breathless (if you already have tickets) is Ami Faku and Simmy closing out the Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset Concert season on March 30 with a soulful fusion of Afro-soul and Afro-house. SOLD OUT.
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The folks at the Book Lounge are just so excited about Stag Dance, Torrey Peters’ follow-up to her debut novel, Detransition, Baby that we had to mention their in-person and virtual trans-continental book launch on Thursday March 27. Peters, joining remotely from the US, will be in conversation with Lukhanyiso Skosana and Zoey Black. Please RSVP (they need numbers and not just because there will be wine from Spier)
🌟⭐🌟Another event we can’t personally vouch for is Cirque Du Rosé, but we can confirm that the folks at the Kalk Bay Theatre are people of exceptional taste (and talent). This is what they told us: the enthralling Stella Rosé returns to the Kalk Bay Theatre stage. Hold on tight as the Cirque Du Rosé delivers a high-octane performance that will keep you on the edge of your seat. From drag to burlesque to death-defying aerial spectacle, the Cirque brings you a show like you’ve never seen before. Thursday March 27 Tickets 🌟⭐🌟
If death-defying spectacles are your thing, book your tickets to the 10-year anniversary screening (and Q and A with two of the crew!) of a documentary that follows six women as they set out to row over 8,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean, from America to Australia. Buy your tickets for Losing Sight of the Shore at the Labia Theatre on March 28, and stay after the show for a chat with crew members, Natalia Cohen and Lizanne van Vuuren.
Stepping into the shoes of everyone’s favourite pint-sized singing sensation takes a different kind of guts. On Friday March 28, FreshlyGround, with their new lead vocalist Mbali Makhoba, will be playing at Café Roux at Noordhoek Farm Village. Mbali has a beautiful voice and we look forward to hearing her put her stamp on some new material. Word on the street is that Zolani Mahola herself has said that she hopes FreshlyGround fans give Mbali the chance she deserves. Tickets
Alan Committie has stepped into Hercule Poirot’s shoes for Agatha Christie's murder mystery Black Coffee at Theatre on the Bay from 19 March to 26 April. This three-act Poirot thriller, a superbly crafted mystery with endless red herrings, subplots of infamous spies and an astonishingly prophetic storyline about weapons created through “bombarding the atom”, is one of Christie’s most gripping country house murder mysteries. Tickets
(We will definitely be going to see Black Coffee at Theatre in the Bay; just not this week … since every breath we take is reserved for the one and only Sting, who performs at GrandWest this week (there are still tickets for Wednesday’s show!) and Breathwords at Artscape).
🕵️🕵️♂️🕵️♀️While on the subject of mysteries … Saturday March 29 (allegedly) sees the first edition of Silo Sounds, which looks intriguing but not quite intriguing enough to make us book tickets for R350 even if the ticket link actually worked. Maybe it is a secret insiders' event and the teasers (“where art, music, fashion and culture unite … against the iconic backdrop of Zeitz MOCAA … Cape Town’s creative vanguard gathers for a night where sound ignites the soul, and art shapes the atmosphere” and etc) are simply designed to make us feel green with envy. #NotConvinced. Would love to hear more. 🕵️🕵️♂️🕵️♀️
Here is something green to shout about …
More info: Hack your way to happiness
If you like the sound of that, here is something to consider for the Easter Weekend. Greenpop’s Reforest Fest (April 18-21 at the Bodhi Khaya Nature Retreat) is an annual restoration celebration that brings people together to plant thousands of trees and have a great time. In addition to getting active for the environment, festival-goers will enjoy a variety of entertainment, including live music and DJs, interactive art and theatre for the whole family, workshops, talks and a wholesome food village.
Greenpop’s biggest tree-planting event of the year, which has been going since 2011, the Reforest Fest contributes to Greenpop’s Uilenkraal Forest Restoration Project, which aims to restore degraded forest patches at the Platbos Forest Reserve and Bodhi Khaya Nature Retreat in the Overberg. So far, more than 150,000 trees have been planted, restoring the forest that is home to many (often endangered) species, such as our elusive apex predator, the Cape Leopard. Tickets