Apologies to Broadway songstress Christine Pedi, currently performing Great Dames, as I am devoting a sizeable portion of this blog entry to comments about the NewSpace Theatre.
After opening with great promise and a considerable amount of goodwill from the theatre community of Cape Town and beyond, who were expecting an independent theatre focusing on dramatic plays in continuation of the venerable tradition of the People’s Space, what we appear to have ended up with is another tribute show and comedy revue venue. And the line-up ahead looks as unpromising. We have enough of these style venues.
The NewSpace is a theatre with a great history, but apparently now in search of an identity. We’re glad the lights are on, even if it is thanks to some mediocre programming choices. Add to this technical incompetence, and the whole project is in serious danger of failing. After the opening production of Assassins, I have yet to see a production here without mishaps. Pedi’s show is a technical no-brainer, but backstage couldn’t even get a stand and a microphone to work. After interval we sat in darkness because she hadn’t been cued properly. The following night, upstairs in the other theatre, all the sound cues were missed leaving the cast to improvise. Etcetera.
Pedi is a natural Broadway belter, an innate comic and a versatile actor. Her repertoire includes refined vocal mimicry of female legends and amusing parodies by Forbidden Broadway lyricist Gerard Alessandrini. Her best impersonations are of Bette Davis, Judy Dench, Ethel Merman and Liza Minnelli. There is slightly too much rambling editorial between the songs; the name-dropping doesn’t have much cachet with local audiences
It’s an accomplished show, but better suited to a relaxed venue such as On Broadway where Pedi would be better served, far more at home and where the audience for this genre already exists.
