Theatre veteran Nicholas Ellenbogen, together with partner Liz Szymczak and his sons Matthew and Luke, must constitute one of the last surviving classic Actor Manager Families in South Africa and possibly one of the last such entities in the world. In the great 19th Century tradition of people such as Henry Irving or of the Dibdin family, Ellenbogen, writes, directs, casts himself and family in his shows and presides over his own theatre – The Post Box Theatre, just opposite CCFM on the Muizenberg Main Road.
A few years ago he started with the quirky Olympia Café with its tiny bucket-seat theatre, then transformed the landmark church on Main Road Kalk Bay into a two level gourmet-restaurant and performance venue. It continues now as the Kalk Bay Theatre under the sensitive and discerning patronage of Simon and Helen Cooper
Currently on at the Post Box Theatre is Second Slip – a review of which cannot appear in the M&G due to lack of space (the PANSA play reading festival gets the pick of the week this time) – and has all the hallmarks that characterize Ellenbogen’s work. The characters are always affable sorts, the stories empathetic and particular, but reflecting the wider currents in our society. The players are funny and entertaining, occasionally they border on clowning, but never slapstick. They may even be bawdy, but are not lewd. The scripts are all deeply affirming of our humanity, without being sentimental. They are didactic, but never pedantic. Ellenbogen’s direction keeps the pace fast, the action lively and the comic timing slick. One thing about Ellenbogen is that he is always up to date with his humour and social commentary.
His productions as a whole succeed on a par with the fair served up by our much larger and much bigger-budgeted theatre organisations. The current production – on until November 19 – is Second Slip a charming, delightful comedy about the changes in the members’ stand at Newlands. Contrast this with the sitcom fare often dished up at Theatre on the Bay- the truly awful Breakfast with Dad (on this time last year) springs to mind – with dear old Rex Garner. Ellenbogen’s Second Slip is far more interesting and a way better production on almost every level. The central character played by Nicholas Ellenbogen is pretty Rex “Garnerish”.
The theatre of the Ellenbogens – though not what might spring to mind as obviously groundbreaking and cutting edge – continues to subtly open up new themes and fresh fertile territory for our South African drama that should be edifying to many would-be theatre-makers. It’s that combined ability to both find and tell a good story – in Hamlet’s words – with “as much modesty as cunning” – that usually makes for a unique and rewarding experience at the Post Box Theatre.
Below is a summary of recent Ellenbogen works I’ve reviewed that will give you an idea about his kind of theatre:
Elephant of Africa – set against the backdrop of the broader conflict of the colonial suppression of Africa, which involved the forced resettlement of villages and the disruption of a respectful truce between man and the natural kingdom, Elephant of Africa is a tale of destructive, vengeful obsession.
A great tusker tramples a villager’s wife to death while raiding her maize field. Her husband-to-be seeks revenge and quarrels with the hateful colonial district commissioner who is spurred primarily by greed then megalomania to kill the lone bull. The story is told to us by the ancestral spirits of the bush invading the dreams of young musician who has come to cut wood to make a marimba.
Mistakes of an African Knight – The Ellenbogen team mounted on their tiny stage a full-scale nine-character play in period costume. African Knight is an adaptation of Irish playwright Oliver Goldsmith’s 1773 Restoration comedy She Stoops to Conquer. It’s a farce about young romance up against norms and society. Ellenbogen has reset it on a farm in Natal in the mid-1800s. Thick South African accents and romantic love cleave through prim and proper Queen’s English, colonial pretensions and class expectations.
Mud River – a gentle romance set in a small Karoo town during the depression period as told through the eyes of a young Jewish trader. Luke Ellenbogen scripted this play from a short story by his father. Against a backdrop of the real horror caused by the depression, the story asserts – most importantly without idealism – that integrity can triumph and dignity be upheld even in dire poverty.
Nguni, A Love Story- a pair of star-crossed lovers must pick their way through the dilemmas of the ancient Nguni cattle-keeping traditions and the pressures of contemporary lifestyles. It’s a self-reflecting deconstructed work combining traditional African story-telling and physical theatre.
Scrums – If only our Bokke would perform as well as Ellenbogen and team we’d all be in better shape. The plot revolves around the cheeky but clever dramatic ploy of a female coach taking control of the Boks. Pinkie Craven is the official charged with finding a new coach who is not a white male. He happens upon Sissie Doom the coach of an undefeated local team in Malmesbury.
Mute – created and performed by Luke Ellenbogen, who returned to the Ellenbogen family fold from performing in Denmark. It tells the tender story of a boy who loses his ability to speak after he witnesses the murder of his family. In it young Ellenbogen makes himself emotionally vulnerable without wearing his heart on his sleeve or falling into the traps of sentimentality.
The Agency is a comic sketch written by Nicholas Ellenbogen as a vehicle for a very fine actor, Anthea Thompson. An award-winning actress finds herself doing commercials, playing clowns at children’s parties and doubling as a magician. It’s all too familiar to the local acting fraternity.
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