Have The Last Word

Cape Town has been quite chilly and wet this past week which can make one rather reluctant to venture outdoors…  But this weekend is the Good Food and Wine Show at the ICC in town and it promises to be a spectacular year.

Gordon Ramsey will be strutting his stuff along with other big names in the food world, some of which include the chocolate wizard Willie Harcourt-Cooze, Reza Mahammad  and master patisserie Eric Lanlard.  There are 9 state of the art kitchen theatres where the international celebrity chefs will dazzle audiences with their culinary skills and battle it out with local chefs to see who is the most creative.

Spectacular gastronomic delights will be prepared throughout the weekend for people to come taste and even learn how to prepare.  Beer & food paring will be available for the discerning man out there who believes that the only compliment to this staple South African brew is the Boereworse roll.   A slow food market will showcase products and produce which have been grown, picked and in some cases produced by the owners themselves.  A  brandy theatre and wine sales area will also be available at the expo as well as a childcare facility if you would prefer to poke around the exhibits without having to share whatever is on offer.

There will also be an area outside, dedicated to the fine art of cooking outdoors which will help those still trying to master the art of the perfect braai to see how it is done by experts.  Tickets to the Good Food and Wine Show are R80 for general admission; you can get them online or at the door.  Happy nibbling :)

The New Space Theatre, heralded as a National Gem and famous for being the first fringe theatre in the country, is re-emerging onto the Cape Town theatre scene.  Originally called The Space, it was opened on Bloem Street in 1972 by Brian Astbury a theatre photographer and his wife Yvonne Bryceland.  In 1976 it was relocated to where it is now on 44 Long Street and defiantly established as a non-racial venue in a racially segregated country.

Having staged around 300 shows since then The Space faded away as the larger theatres took over.  Recently however, the need became apparent for Independent theatres in Cape Town with the capacity to stage mid-sized productions in a cost effective way, allowing The Space to make a welcome comeback.

Their opening show, The Golden Crooners is a tribute to Frank Sinatra, Shirley Bassey, Matt Monro, Nat “King” Cole, Ella Fitzgerald and other singers which followed this particular type of singing style.  The production which is set in the living room of ordinary people on the Cape Flats comes alive and transforms itself into a spectacular cabaret show which is sure to lift your spirits and leave you with music on your mind for the rest of the evening.

Actors and writers which include Athol Fugard, Pieter Dirk Uys, David Kramer, Barney Simon, Winston Ntshona, John Kani, Bill Flynn and Richard E Grant, to name but a few, have all called The Space Theatre home at some stage in their careers – I think it’s about time I explore this venue and what it has to offer, come and join me if you like…