RAIDERS: THE GREAT WAR. Written by Nicholas Ellenbogen with Daniel Richards. Directed by Nicholas Ellenbogen, with Nicholas Ellenbogen, Daniel Richards and Sne Dladla. Set design Nicholas Ellenbogen. Lighting Sean Whitehead. At the Rosebank Theatre, from Tuesday to Saturday at 8pm until September 6. TRACEY SAUNDERS reviews
A FRENCH spy, a Swiss fertility expert, a Cossack royalist and a Russian general walk into a bar, well not a bar, more of a stage, and they leap and cavort rather than walk but such is the nature of Raiders: The Great War that a punchline is always only a heartbeat away.
Not for the first time has this crazy concept show returned from the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown bearing the accolade of the best-selling production. Since the initial piece, Raiders of the Lost Aardvark in 1990 with Ellis Pearson, Ellenbogen has created 25 versions with a revision of the first performance to celebrate the 21st anniversary of the concept.
Themes for the shows are based on historical or topical events and have included Raiders of the Lost Count(1995), Raiders of the Freudian Slip(1998), Raiders of Potty Harry(2001), and Raiders of the Daily Lama(2008). The zany combination of characters, not all, of whom are professional actors, and inventive props are the trademark of this theatrical institution. In this rendition he returns to a favourite theme, war.
Not World War II as in the initial offering but to mark the centenary of the Great War, World War I. One would be hard-pressed to imagine that a guffawing Russian general and a fumbling spy would provide much in the way of commemoration but you would be wrong.
In addition to being highly amusing, as well as downright silly, the play has some poignant moments and the proliferation of red poppies in the fields of Flanders is not the least of them.
Ellenbogen’s official cast join an illustrious role of previous performers including David Kramer, Andrew Buckland, James Ngcobo, Liz Szymczak, Nhlanhla Mavundla Mkhwanazi, Stephen Jennings, Jody Abrahams and Rob van Vuuren, to name a few. Both Richards and Dladla are superb and have impeccable comic timing.
Following their success in Fergus of Galloway this is a theatrical partnership that is destined to thrive.
It is the unofficial cast however who are responsible for some show-breaking or heart-stopping moments: will they follow instructions, will they dance, will they die, will you be next? A seat in the back corner of the theatre is recommended if audience participation is not your preferred activity.
Raiders: The Great War is a mystery-spy-thriller-love-story which unfolds across Europe during the final days of battle. There are puns aplenty and even the most cynical theatregoer is bound to crack a smile or three.
This is great family fare and given that there are matinée performances on Saturdays, a wonderful opportunity to share war stories across generations and create some new memories at the same time.
l Tickets are R100 and R60 for students and the matinée performances at 3pm on Saturdays. To book, see www.webtickets.co.za or call 074 101 5066.