Gallows humour delivered with flair

LOCAL actor Barbie Meyer is well known for her adaptations of the works of South African writer Herman Charles Bosman and her five previous productions, wrapped mostly around the writer’s hilarious short stories, have been well received here and further afield.

While her humorous ‘Oom Schalk Lourens’ stories have always been popular, her sixth and latest adaptation focuses on Bosman’s darker side. It is based on the book ‘Cold Stone Jug’ which describes the writer’s experiences on death row and, when his death sentence was commuted, his time in jail. Bosman was found guilty of murder.

In spite of the dark subject material, the story is lightened by Bosman’s deft use of humour and by Barbie’s light touch. Her two debut performances of ‘Bosman in the Gallows’ were so well received she put on two more shows at Riverbend Conference Centre last week. Word had spread and she played to full houses and resounding applause.

Compiled and presented by Barbie, ‘Bosman in the Gallows’ was directed by her husband, Marke Meyer and Bets Basson. Jacques Sellschop, for several years the presenter of the weekly Arts and Culture programme Galaxy on SABC Television, offers his views of Barbie’s new show:

“Having greatly admired Patrick Mynhardt’s iconic interpretations of the Bosman stories, I had reservations about a female challenging the role. More especially so since the lady in question was an attractive young blonde with a refined English accent that would not raise a single eyebrow at the annual Windsor Castle garden party.

“But despite having neither the rough hewn exterior of Mynhardt’s character nor the naturally coarse, serrated edges of his enunciation, Barbie Meyer kept her audience enthralled with her sheer energy and consummate dramatic skill. The piece she compiled was demanding in both length and substance, yet she did not falter once in delivering it. From the outset she revealed a range of facial expressions, tonal varieties and gifts for gesture and mime that more than made up for the absence of elaborate stage and costume props.

“Her fine sense of dramatic pause and climax brought emphasis to the sly innuendo and the irreverent humour that is the essence of the Bosman narrative. In an age where extravagant theatre productions have mostly become too expensive to be self-sustaining, Marke and Barbie demonstrated how inventiveness can complement the most frugal set.

Their creative thinking delivered a set with props that could be seamlessly manipulated to embrace the action. It is a pity that on the first night the lighting did not do justice to the finely-honed and energetic performance but given the talent on display, one hopes that an investment can be made in this respect for future ventures.

“It is refreshing to know that the Hibiscus Coast region has a resident talent that can inspire both young and old to appreciate and participate in the refinements of the dramatic arts.”

Barbie is now taking ‘Bosman in the Gallows’ to the Midlands. It will be staged at the Yellowwood Theatre in Howick on August 1 and 2, so you can take a trip there to see it if you missed it at home.