Novelist Alexander McCall Smith last year penned the lyrics for an operetta, Fergus of Galloway, which was staged in Edinburgh.
Fergus is a Scottish knight and a folk hero who, legend has it, lived in the 13th century in Galloway, near present-day Edinburgh. Nicholas Ellenbogen saw Fergus of Galloway when he was at the Edinburgh Festival - two of his shows were staged there. He thought it would work well at The Rosebank Theatre, with some changes. It started its run on Wednesday.
Ellenbogen has mashed up dance and voice with riffs and refrains that include reggae, flamenco and harmonies. It's become a mini-musical, shaped by the musical input of its energetic performers, Daniel Richards, Jessica Munna, Jono Tait and Sne Dladla. Ellenbogen, working with Davis Scales as co-director, has extended the production and provided a backstory to frame the narrative of Fergus: a troupe of transient actors are squatting in a barn.
Once part of a large company, they are now battling to survive. Fergus of Galloway is part of the company's repertoire and they are performing as payment to the farmer for using his barn. After telling us their story, they launch into the tales of Fergus. "He was a hero - a Scottish hero," says Ellenbogen. "He defeated the black knight who was a tyrannical character. It's a_ tale of good over evil. It's romantic. It's fun."
I watched a rehearsal and was captivated. Richards who has shown his diversity as a performer is delicious as Fergus, garbed in velvet. elvet. Munna has a stunning voice and stage presence. She is an American who came to Cape Town to study music and stayed. The charismatic Dlada is a Rhodes University trained actor who has worked as a comic.
Tait plays the guitar and is very much part of the performance. In my interviews with Ellenbogen, Scales and the cast, the word "fun" was repeated and it looks like a lark as the four romp around the stage, telling this madcap story through a wacky musical score.
McCall Smith hasn't seen Ellenbogen's staging but he is expected to like what his friend has cooked up. He and Ellenbogen were neighbours and schoolmates in Bulawayo. "I've known him since I was five and I am 65 now," says Ellenbogen. They've worked on many projects together.
Ellenbogen built the No 1 Ladies' Opera House - a tiny opera theatre in Botswana for McCall Smith. Last year, McCall Smith established a trust which enabled Ellenbogen and his wife Liz, to acquire the building in Alma Road which they renovated and turned into The Rosebank Theatre.
In between Fergus of Galloway, Ellenbogen is working on the 25th edition of Raiders, his popular comedic franchise. It will be on in August at the Rosebank Theatre.
Fergus of Galloway is at The Rosebank Theatre until June 28. Tickets cost from R60 to R100 at wwwwebtickets.co.za or call 0741015066. cohenry0netactive.co.za
Caption: FULL OF FUN: Co-directors David Scales and Nicholas Ellenbogen stage another entertaining play.
PICTURE By: DAVID SCALES
By: Robyn Cohen
Article Source: SATURDAY WEEKEND ARGUS