Spoof Full of Sugar in the most delightful way

By Lesley Stones

Is there anything more uplifting for the soul than a good uninhibited laugh out loud? Well, sex, perhaps, but this wickedly funny musical revue gets you laughing with plenty of naughty innuendos, giving you two good things wrapped up in one.

It’s tough to write a consistently funny show made up of numerous little pieces, but this script fizzes almost all the way through as it takes the mickey out of local show business personalities, plonkers and utter air-heads. The loose plot involves a mediocre actress who draws her biggest headlines through her untimely death.

It’s written and directed by theatre stalwart Malcolm Terrey, who can’t resist getting in on the act too by providing some voice-over narratives. You can’t blame him really. It’s such fresh and original entertainment that he’s shown enormous restraint in not jumping up on stage with them.

Every sketch is sung to the tune of a hit musical, with immensely clever new words making the songs far more entertaining than some of the rather prissy originals.

Elaine Paige would blush to hear what Dianne Simpson makes of that old classic “I Blow Him So Well” - yep, you read that right, which is why there’s an age restriction for the audience. But for me the highlight is the delightful and buxom Ntsepa Pitjeng giving a heartfelt rendition of “Mammories” as she bemoans the ravages of time.

Since the plot is only a vague guideline rather than a stern direction, Terrey can include all sorts of not-strictly related bits and pieces. That lets him combine the antics of Joost van der Westhuizen and Steve Hofmeyr in a sassy rewrite of Chicago’s “Cell Block Tango”, again with Pitjeng bursting out all over the place.

Somehow we later move to a spoof of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, with the actors playing geriatric transvestites as the tired old musical gets revived for yet another time warp.

The four actors are equally excellent, and my favourite changed with every scene. There’s eye-candy in the form of Brandon Auret, who’s back on the stage after a stint in the movies. He’s a good singer too, with some wicked facial expressions. In fact, it’s worth grabbing a seat near the front because all four are so expressive I’d hate you to miss a thing.

The fourth cast member is Pieter Bosch Botha, who proves equally able to perform a variety of roles in quick succession. Pianist Dawid Boverhoff keeps it all together as the front-of-stage pianist and the whole event zips along at a cracking pace with slick costume and character changes.

But the main applause must go to the lyrics, which are even more bitchy and cutting than the characters they’re lampooning.

Opening night of Spoof Full of Sugar

For more pics from opening night, Click Here.


Submitted by MySandton on Mon, 30/11/2009 - 11:21.

Annelize Pretorious and At Botha.

The opening night of Spoof Full of Sugar took place at the Old Mutual Theatre on the Square in Sandton on November 29, Guests thoroughly enjoyed themselves and laughed throughout the show.
Take a slice of musical theatre, a healthy dollop of broad humor and a pinch of murder mystery and you have the recipe for this Christmas’s remedy Spoof Full of Sugar which will run until December 31, 2009.

Acclaimed performer Malcolm Terrey directs the crème de la crème of South African talent in this hilarious and totally irreverent satirical musical revue where familiar show tunes blend with outrageous comedy in this tongue-in-cheek look at the seedier side of South African Show Business and Celebrities.

Nothing in sacred in the razor sharp look at the Entertainment industry, with a crooked finger being pointed at models, agents, critics, celebrities, large scale musicals, sex shows, TV presenters, socialites, the SABC, the tabloid press… and more!

No one is safe from the eagle eye of the SPOOF team – if they're famous and they're in the public eye they'll make it into the show. Some of the South African Celebrities making it into the script include Noelene, Barry Ronge, Nicky Greenwall, Debra Patta, FHM Models, Joost vd Westhuizen, Steve Hofmeyr, Gwen Gill to name but a few.

Tickets are R160 and available through Strictly Tickets www.strictlytickets.com or directly from the theatre at 011-883-8606.

Sweet satire

SHOW: Spoof Full Of Sugar - When it comes to send-up there is no business quite like show business to mine for inspiration, writes Annette Bayne
CAST: Brandon Auret, Ntsepa Pitjeng, Dianne Simpson
DIRECTOR: Malcolm Terrey
VENUE: Old Mutual Theatre on the Square, Nelson Mandela Square, until December 31

And what with everyone wanting a little bit of celebrity status for themselves or getting themselves caught on compromising video tapes, there is enough for at least a couple of good spoof-filled hours.

With only a glimpse of a storyline, Spoof Full Of Sugar has an all- singing, all-dancing cast cheekily flit from one medium to the next, doling out large doses of sometimes dirty humour at the expense of those whose bank balances rely on being entertaining.

No one is safe, from the instant celebrity (just add reality TV), or the seasoned professional playing a cat or a spoon or transvestite alien in yet another run of that old musical.

The SABC catch the rough end of the shoe and the critics aren’t given a break. From Noeleen Maholwana- Sangqu to Barry Ronge, from the Top Billing hosts to Joost van der Westhuizen, the whole gamut of South Africa celebrities is well and truly spoofed.

Musical director Dawid Boverhoff and director Malcom Terrey have made some of those far too familiar show tunes bend to their will, drawing out funny lines that come dangerously close to causing offence, but are nothing more than a little harmless fun.

The cast work tremendously hard through a large number of costume, character and voice changes.

Of course, some songs are far more memorable than others and I would return just to hear Ntsepa Pitjeng’s ode to cosmetic surgery, The Socialite’s Dilemma, sung to the tune of Memory.

Although the final number We Can Stand The Heat is a great shout out to South Africa and leaves one feeling proud of sticking around, it is a little out of character with the rest of performance.

Still, it makes a good ending to a production that will lighten one’s seasonal spirits.

Due to the adult nature of some of the content in the show it is not recommended for under-16s.

Terrey prescribes the best medicine in town

December 1, 2009
By Diane de Beer

Spoof Full Of Sugar
DIRECTOR: Malcolm Terrey
CAST: Brandon Auret, Ntsepa Pitjeng, Dianne Simpson, Pieter Bosch Botha
MUSICAL DIRECTOR/PIANIST: Dawid Boverhoff
VENUE: Old Mutual Theatre on the Square
UNTIL: December 31
RATING: ****

A few too many years back, Malcolm Terrey's Joburg Follies was an institution of the Johannesburg theatre calendar. But the break was good for everyone, it appears.

He's back, but this time it's in the director's chair and with a wonderful cast. In fact, they're a huge part of the success of this spoof because of their energy, commitment and sheer talent. Each one of them has a star turn, from Bosch Botha's brilliant Tannie Evita knock-off, Auret and Pitjeng's kvetching pyjama babes, Simpson's spot-on accents and caricatures and, as a final show-stopper, Pitjeng's unique and knock-out rendition of Memories.

It all began, says Terrey, because of the South African lust for celebrity. They can't get enough, yet no one ever confesses to reading Heat or Huisgenoot. And this is where they dig in - deliciously deliberately.

It's not the usual old hobby horses of crime, politicians or even taxis. It's not that they steer clear completely, but for this show we're dealing in Steve and Joost rather than Jackie and Jacob.

It's sharp, sophisticated and naughty fun, because these are actors jousting mainly with those in front rather than behind the cameras. They know how the game is played and the games people play, so they let rip.

They don't spare a soul. From the name changes of the Civic Theatre, now settled as the Joburg Theatre, to the snoringly boring Barnyard shows that come by as if on a factory conveyor belt, to the titillating banter between critics or TV hosts, all names we recognise.

There's the news reader with "hair", another fine take by Bosch Botha, the sex kitten and her cooking, a melancholy Mr Instant Fame, with most of the spoofing relying on familiar show tunes to do the trick.

These are given fresh lyrics, but as we recognise the song, we're immediately part of the action.

Terrey has gathered his cast, given them spectacular guidance and they're up for the task. He is a director who knows the delicate balancing point, when to push and when to let go and more than most, how to make them laugh.

Spoof Full of Sugar is a sweet success

Peter Feldman
11/30/2009 11:49:50

Peter Feldman: Malcolm Terrey is an extremely gifted performer whose comic skills have been seen in a huge number of productions. His innate ability to home in on a subject and extract something funny from it has always been a strong factor in his theatrical make-up.

He contributed material to the ever-popular "Jo'burg Follies" series and in this new production, which has echoes of "Follies," Terrey puts the world of show business under his microscope and emerges with an extremely witty, fun-filled roller-coaster ride with a splendid group of home-grown talent.

The four-strong cast, comprising Brandon Auret, Ntsepa Pitjeng, Dianne Simpson and Pieter Bosch Botha, make an indelible impression as they switch roles and characters to bring a dazzlingly demonic look at the South African entertainment scene.

Nothing escapes the eagle-eye of Terrey whose rapier-like wit helps spoof most of today's high maintenance celebs, soapies, TV show, high-profile critics and anything to do with that show business thing. It's an often hilarious assault on the senses as the well-oiled cast, decked out in zany costumes and wigs, and singing famous show numbers appropriately adapted for the occasion, produce the goods.

There are 30 different sketches paraded before the audience and these are slickly handled, though on opening night a sketch around film fundi Barry Ronge came somewhat unstuck when the two players broke into hysterical laughter as they began corpsing.

Dianne Simpson and Ntsepa Pitjeng, with her infectious laugh, perhaps shaded the men in the vocal department. Simpson has a wonderful voice and fine comic timing, while Pitjeng made a meal out of almost every scene in which she appeared

Pitjang brought the house down with a wonderfully acerbic version of "Memory" called "Mammary" while Simpson hit the right notes with "Cooking with Sex," a "new late-night show on e.tv, and a brilliant parody of Top Billing.

The men, Auret and Bosch Botha, show their mettle with Auret outstanding in a sketch entitled "My Least Favourite Things," and Bosch Botha doing a striking take-off, word for word, of Tannie Evita Buizenhout.

The show has a loosely woven story about a once famous South African actress found murdered during a performance of "Beauty and the Beast" and how an inept police force is simply not interested in solving the case. They would rather read gossip magazines in the safety of their control room.

Providing faultless accompaniment is lone pianist Dawid Boverhoof who certainly caught the eye of Tannie Evita.

"Spoof Full of Sugar" is the ideal sweetener for the holiday season and when we can forget our woes and indulge in a healthy dose of laughter.

Spoof Full of Sugar is on at the Old Mutual Theatre on the Square until December 31.

On the Stage

MARY JORDAN

THE revue is a particularly English form of entertainment which, for over a century, was to remain a staple of the London theatrical scene. The short sketches and songs first produced by Charles Cochran in 1893 were, over time, to evolve into the witty, sophisticated lyrics of Flanders and Swann, and the waspish satire of Beyond the Fringe.

In our own country, the mercurial Adam Leslie — remembered for his skit on The Ladies of Rosebank — Leon Gluckman and the Tracey brothers who created Wait a Minim, and the acerbic Robert Kirby continued in the use of those same skills: a mercilessly accurate and wickedly funny tweaking of conventional attitudes.

Then, in 1985, Kevin Feather and Malcolm Terrey collaborated on Jo’burg Follies, a two-hour send-up of South African figures in every field, which became an annual fixture for Pieter Toerien.

Now, in SPOOF FULL OF SUGAR, showing at the Old Mutual Theatre on the Square in Sandton until December 31, Terrey gives recognisable hits from well-known musicals a thoroughly modernist thrashing. The effect is hilarious.

Terrey is a devastatingly acute observer of adults behaving badly.

He is aware of those flaws that fascinate and understands those ambitious people who tear one another apart in gestures of playfulness or boredom.

Here, in a mocking and dismembering that unpicks our ongoing obsession with the cult of celebrity and our skewed value systems, he conveys the eccentricity of being human.

Part of the fun lies in recognising the musical numbers and then listening to Terrey’s splendidly startling reworking of the lyrics. Brandon Auret, Pieter Bosch Botha, Dianne Simpson and Ntsepa Pitjeng perform with vocal virtuosity and disarming gusto.

Each has an individual compelling moment — Cutting it Short, Rent and Barnyard Blues are really very clever — and the company’s Warped by Time is a show stopper.

On keyboards, Dawid Boverhoff is quite superb.

All the way through, you will surely feel that slow gurgle in the base of the diaphragm which recognises truth in laughter: and laugh you surely will, at the world of the living and our irritating conceits.

Backstage baby gets in on the act

November 17, 2009
By Diane de Beer

It's tough being an artist, so when you're offered more than one job, you grab it. Fortunately for actor/director Pieter Bosch Botha the schedules for two new shows did not clash.

On weekends he directs Noises off, which will be staged at the Breytenbach Theatre in Pretoria from November 25 until 28.

During the week, he rehearses as one of the cast of the new Peter Terrey review, Spoof Full Of Sugar, which opens at Sandton's Old Mutual Theatre on the Square on Monday.

Pieter's Dad, At Botha (Dryfsand), Shareen Swart (7de Laan), Kaz McFadden (Villa Rosa) and Desire Manthey (Binnelanders)will all perform in Noises Off.

Every year, Swart, who is the head of Pretoria's Performing Arts Lifestyle Institute, puts on a stage production with her students.

As this was such a challenging production, she brought in a group of professional actors, including herself, with less than half the cast filled by students.

For Botha, it has been a particular challenge as he is still testing his directing skills, but having paid his dues with two years of children's theatre at the Roodepoort Civic as well as a physical theatre piece, Hats, which he plans to take to Grahamstown next year, he loves trying different genres.

As an added bonus, directing Dad has also gone without a hitch. Botha sr hasn't been on stage for about 20 years, but father and son say it's been a good experience. "He didn't pull rank," says junior.

Farce isn't an easy one to pull off, but watching Botha at work, it seems that, young as he is (23), he knows what he wants.

"It helps that I am an actor," he says. And one who grew up around actors, with his parents both famous Afrikaans actors (his mom, Annelize Bosch, did mostly stage).

As part of the cast of A Spoof Full of Sugar, Botha will display his singing and acting skills.

"It's a blast," says the performer, "and a send-up of everything from celebrities like Nicky Greenwall, Noelene and Joost to an insider's view of the entertainment industry.

Terrey is an old hand at this kind of writing and, a few years back, he used to present a regular review titled Joburg Follies.

With a cast featuring two men and two women, this sounds like something that runs along similar lines - a reprise in fact.

"We have hectic costume changes," says Botha, who thinks there will be as much fun backstage as in front of the curtain.

Joining him are Brendan Auret ( best known for his role as Dup in Isidingo), Top 10 Idols finalist Ntsepa Pitjeng and Dianne Simpson, who was part of the Sound of Music and My Fair Lady casts.

"It's familiar songs with fresh lyrics," says Botha, who is having as much fun on stage as in the director's chair.

"They always say it takes a good actor to be a good director," he concludes - and that is what he's striving for.

"It's constant andrenalin, that's why I love it so."

Spoof takes a dig at the industry

Jennifer de Klerk
11/30/2009 10:36:26

Jennifer de Klerk: Is Spoof Full of Sugar a farce, a musical revue or just showbiz folk having fun?

The production team tell us they don't really know. Frankly I don't know either, and I'm also not at all sure who the show is aimed at.

Briefly, it is a collection of sketches on the South African entertainment industry and celebrity circuit - for the most part new words put to classic showbiz ditties - delivered by four undoubtedly talented performers - Brandon Auret, Dianne Simpson, Pieter Bosch Botha and the utterly refreshing Ntsepa Pitjeng.

They are supported by musical director Dawid Boverhoff on the piano, supplying the entire musical accompaniment required. The show is directed by Malcolm Terrey who does the odd bit of voice-over narration and also, we are told, wrote much of the material.

It shows - has anyone today heard of Anneline Kriel?

With fond memories of the old Jo'burg Follies, we took ourselves to this one with high expectations. This wasn't it, but perhaps time has cast a rosy hue on past experiences.

There is probably something here for everyone. Some sketches left me cold, others were highlights. Ntsepa's expose of plastic surgery, Mammaries, done to the tune of Memories, was tops for me. Others were the clever Rant, a spoof on Rent; Pieter as a convincing Evita Bezuidenhout; Brandon ditto as Barry Ronge and Dianne's Barnyard Blues.

But who is this aimed at? My neighbour would not have understood a word of the clever Barry Ronge sequence. I doubt if she would have related to most of the theatre-based skits that had the opening night audience, largely from the industry, rocking.

However, the team's poison pen also digs into a fair amount of television, from Top Billing to Third Degree and the Glamour Girls of e.tv. Probably the best is The Plea to the SABC to the tune of I Feel Pretty from West Side Story and the spoof on reality shows, Mr Instant Fame.

Wigs and costumes changes abound and there is a fair amount of cross-dressing and an occasional dropped towel; lots of sexual innuendo, but no action. Quite a lot of this show is clichéd - the acronym song was done well, but it's been done to death and the sexy cooking show ... ouch.

There is a vague storyline pulling things together and attempts at relevant humour, mainly on the Joost level, but the team needs to be a bit sharper to be up to date.

One sketch that appealed was the Rocky Horror Picture Show sequence; resurrected yet again with the actors doing the Time Warp with walking sticks. This had some uncomfortable echoes in the show.

There is much here that is clever and witty. There are some good ideas and good singing. There are moments of genuine humour - there are also moments that are so over the top they should not be there at all.

I'll have to leave it to you to decide whether to buy a ticket. If you are in the circle, an avid theatre, television or industry person who will understand the in-jokes, then go for it, have a ball. If not ... well, it's your choice.


Spoof Full of Sugar, directed by Malcolm Terrey, is at the Old Mutual Theatre on the Square until 31 December.

Sweet but definitely not saccharine

Dec 6, 2009 12:00 AM | By Arts & Entertainment

Send-up of South African entertainment industry is fun and funny without being venomous

As Julie Andrews informed us in the 1964 Disney classic Mary Poppins, "Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down". But it won't have you laughing quite like Malcolm Terrey's satirical musical revue Spoof Full of Sugar.

As the title suggests, Spoof Full of Sugar takes a hilarious and enjoyable look at the South African entertainment industry, sending up everything from popular, big-budget musicals and tribute shows to South Africa's burgeoning celebrity culture.

But, said Terrey, Spoof is not a show full of insider jokes for the enjoyment of those who work in the industry. Even though he has been in showbiz for 37 years, he insisted that he had approached this show with the same eyes as the general public.

"I live alone and I, too, talk back at the television and say, 'what the hell are you saying?! ... why are you doing that?!'"

He said there was "no venom" in his lampooning of the likes of Steve Hofmeyr, Joost van der Westhuizen, the Barnyard Theatre with its unending string of musical tribute shows, and the Sunday Times's very own Barry Ronge. Instead, he said, he does it with a "coating of sugar". Sugar-coated, yes, but not saccharine.

A healthy dose of frivolity, irreverence and humour is served from the outset.

An amateur production of Beauty and the Beast goes awry when a giant, singing teapot is interrupted while performing the musical's title track, made famous as a duet by Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson.

The news is shocking: the lead actress who plays Beauty has just died, but the show must go on. Suddenly the romantic and syrupy Beauty and the Beast becomes a cynical Beauty Is Deceased.

What ensues is a whodunit in which jealous actresses seize their moment in the limelight, agents and producers milk the saga for every cent they can, the media makes itself the main event, the police do precious little to find the killer and housewives love every second of the drama. It does not matter that no one seems to care who killed Beauty; the story line is entertaining but unimportant.

Born in the UK, Terrey links the genre to "the old British 'blackout sketch'" in which a stand-alone comic sketch or scene ends with a sudden blackout or a dropping of the stage curtains. Another sketch that has no relevance or connection to it follows.

The challenge, said Terrey, was not only having a tight and clever script, but finding performers who were good singers and actors, who could do comedy and who, "let's face it, are attractive to look at on stage".

He certainly struck it rich with this cast. Each person not only shines individually, but they work exceptionally well as an ensemble. Brandon Auret, best known for his former role as detective Leon du Plessis on SABC3's Isidingo and more recently in the movies Hansie and District 9, reveals a side that few have seen. Dianne Simpson, who trained at the former Pretoria Technikon and at the TV1 Actors Studio in Los Angeles, impresses with her all-round excellence: an impeccable voice, with range and athleticism, versatility and an ability to make you laugh again and again.

Pieter Bosch Botha wows with his musical theatre-styled voice and Ntsepa Pitjeng is unforgettable. I'm not sure she manages to convey it on television - she starred in SABC2's Muvhango - but on stage she is a bold performer who knows no boundaries, without being over the top.

Ultimately, the secret ingredient is Terrey's "control freak" sensibility. He was not only responsible for directing, adapting the script and rewriting all the lyrics, he also designed the costumes, actually sewing some of the garments and making the many wigs.

In an entertainment industry that Terrey describes as one in which "a person does one episode of a drama series and all of a sudden they're a celebrity", there is only one Malcolm Terrey.

"Some say thank God for that!" he joked.