It’s a full circle moment for childhood friends Theodore Jantjies, Maurice Paige and Christo Davids as they celebrate their brotherhood, heritage and success in a comedy production, “Platform 9: Coming Home”, now being staged at the Baxter Theatre.
The two-man show had its first run at the Baxter Theatre nine years ago.
Written and directed by Davids, the comedy showcase is performed in Afrikaans and English by Jantjies and Paige.
“The Baxter has always been where my heart resides,” shared Davids.
“We are honoured to bring the last instalment of the trilogy to Baxter. Even more so, we are humbled to be back on stage entertaining Cape Town.”
The production is a symbol of the love shared among the trio, and a celebration of how far they have come in their respective careers.
“This production has always been personal to the three of us. It is an ode to the people we grew up with, characters who have influenced us just by watching them live.
“At the core of it, it’s a story about a brotherhood formed many years ago, three boys with a common dream. This is entrenched in the themes of ‘Platform 9’. Most of the stories in the play are biographical,” he added.
“Platform 9: Coming Home,” is a collaboration between friends who coincidentally all first gained popularity as local soapie stars.
Davids became well-known for his role as Errol in “7de Laan”, Jantjies as Xander in the same soapie and Paige as Calvin in “Isidingo”. They have all gone on to pursue different endeavours but the stage is still a shared first love.
The new instalment of the show involves a love story that goes wrong when some pills get mixed up. There is also a guard with a dark secret and a blind man on his way to Parliament to correct the injustices of the past.
All this hysterical chaos must be managed by the duo as their friendship is once again put to the test.
“This is the last leg of the show, and we are super excited to conclude at the Baxter. I believe we've built a good audience base for ‘Platform 9’ who will be back for more. The show speaks about dreams, friendship, culture, humanity and love,” said Jantjies.
Echoing Jantjies’s sentiments, Paige said: “We portray multiple characters in ‘Platform 9’, based on people that we know or grew up with. The best part for me is when we can capture the audience with the honesty of each character.”
“I think people should come and take away the joy of laughter and enjoy being back in theatres while being reminded of how important friendship is,” he added.
“Platform 9: Coming Home” will run at The Golden Arrow Studio at the Baxter Theatre until January 7.
Tickets are R144 to R180 via Webtickets.
DURBAN
“Comedy Explosion with Dance”
Where: The Playhouse Company.
When: December 22 and 23.
In this glittering new Playhouse production, the Nateshwar Dance Academy and Kathak dancer Manesh Maharaj ring the changes in the magic of Bollywood and classical Indian dance, spiced with the levity of stage and screen star Jailoshini Naidoo.
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Presented in association with South African National Dance Trust it features leading SA dancers performing works by choreographers Veronica Paeper, Adele Blank, Sean Bovim and Dale Hurst, accompanied by the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra.
CAPE TOWN
“The Nutcracker”
When: Until December 23.
Where: Artscape in the Opera House.
The dancers of Cape Town City Ballet present this extraordinary Christmas narrative of Clara, her brother Fritz, the handsome Nutcracker Prince, and the Mouse King.
Celebrating the 130th anniversary of the premiere of this charming ballet, the dancers will be accompanied by the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Brandon Phillips at select performances.
A captivating journey of magic and wonderment.
JOBURG
“The ABBA Show – A Cinderella Story“
Where: Pieter Toerien’s Montecasino Theatre.
When: December 28 – January 22.
A modern retelling of the classic tale of “Cinderella” set to the timeless music of Abba, featuring choreography by Angela Revie, Xola Willie and Michael Revie.
Costumes and sets are by fashion designer David Hutt. The show stars special guest Cathy Specific and a cast of world-class dancers that includes Angela Revie, Xola Willie, Michael Revie, Aviwe November, Veronica Louw, Tsebang Sipambo and Alison Sischy.
Come dressed in your Abba regalia to compete and be crowned on stage as best dressed at the ball.