Fiona Gordon: One wouldn’t expect an English-speaking audience to understand a show performed (almost) entirely in French, but such is the power of physical theatre.
However, the little lesson in French vocabulary, given by the performer before the show actually begins, certainly helps a lot. So does the use of terms like ‘escargot’ and ‘bouillabaisse’, which have become a familiar part of (not even highfalutin) foodie vocabulary. And actually, the finer details of the menu are not that important (to one watching, anyway), as one is taken through the behind-the-scenes dramas of rush-hour in the kitchen of a French restaurant by extremely entertaining ‘chef’ Gaëtan Schmid.
The remarkable thing about the performance is not only is it all in a language the audience is not particularly familiar with, but also that the story is told by one man, on one square metre of space – with the use (I am told – I didn’t actually count them) of eight hundred sound effects!
James Webb is the master designer whose sound is featured, and performs his ‘foley artist’ role with the expertise we have come to expect from him.
By the end of the show, our appetites having been more than sufficiently whet, the wander across the road to fire-warmed cosiness at Societi Bistro and a sample of some of their wonderful fare was exactly what the … er … chef, ordered!
Rumpsteak runs at the Intimate Theatre on Hiddingh Campus, Tuesdays to Saturday at 8pm nightly, until 29 May. Bookings can be made by calling 072 367 6878, or e-mailing thepinkcouch@gmail.com
This is followed by a run on the fringe at the National Arts Festival, under the (pink) umbrella of ‘Cape Town Edge’. Bookings can be made through Computicket.
Fiona Gordon
fiona@artslink.co.za
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