Madness erupts at Alexander Upstairs Theatre

The wacky absurd realism and farcical melodrama of Dario Fo's explores the sexual politics in marriage, with Larica Schness and Nathan Lynn in top form as a settled Italian couple who decide to play the field. Directed with flare by Christopher Weare, the ebb and flow of the most and worst of their volatile relationship result in high-energy performances that offer hilarious entertainment.

Centred on an extended argument between a womanising husband who enjoys an array of partners and his suicidal wife who wants him for herself, they find themselves faced with unexpected complications when their passion for each other re-emerges. If ever you wanted to be plunged into the middle of a war zone, this is it, where nothing is sacred and intimate details are unravelled without mercy.

A laugh riot

It's a laugh riot watching Schness and Lynn break the conventions of traditional theatre with this imaginative and daring staging. In stark contrast to the hilarity of The Open Couple, Jannes Erasmus' powerful one-man show, Smaarties, is a mind-blowing journey into the mind of a young man who finds himself in a psychiatric ward after the death of both of his parents.

Written by Erasmus and directed and designed by Quintin Wils (with great videography by Jaco Janse van Rensburg), this is live theatre at its most provocative and alluring. It's a compelling journey into the madness that imprisons, and the reality that tortures, with Erasmus delivering a must-see performance that is guaranteed to break your heart.

If ever you questioned the underbelly of emotional and physical abuse, as well as what happens when innocence is corrupted, Smaarties is intelligent theatre that dares to challenge perceptions.

Smaarties is performed in Afrikaans and English and is highly recommended to those seeking entertainment with bite and food for thought.

Something Outrageous

In this world of paranoid insecurity, insincerity and outright lies, two actors are waiting for an important casting to begin in Something Outrageous, written and performed by Wilson Carpenter and Brendan Murray under direction of Greg Karvellas and fight choreography by Alex AnLos.

"Actors are egotistical, pampered shits," states Carpenter and Murray. "In their world, nothing is real: brick walls are made from balsar wood and gunshot wounds are created painlessly in the make-up trailer ... The only way onto this decadent merry-go-round is the casting room, a sterile white chamber where talented and untalented alike scramble for the next role. Rejection is a way of life. No wonder they're bastards, but can you blame them?"

Something Outrageous explores the zany relationship between two rivals, who were friends, and are forced to endure each other's company for the first time in years.

If you are looking for wild entertainment, this it is, but be warned that it carries an age restriction of 'no under-16s' due to strong language, ribald humour and onstage violence.

If you want to share a lively evening at the theatre with friends, Alexander Bar & Café offers something for everyone and a great platform for lengthy discussions.

This is what theatre is all about, a home where a feast of a range of genres are explored, and a vibey place to chat, where you can mingle with the actors and feel the pulse of live entertainment.

The Open Couple is only on until 22 November at 7pm nightly, so make sure not to miss it. Smaarties is on nightly at 9pm on 18 and 19 November, and from 24 to 29 November. Something Outrageous is on from 20 to 22 November at 9pm.

Book online by visiting shows.alexanderbar.co.za or purchase tickets in person at the bar anytime Monday to Saturday, 11am to 1am at Alexander Bar & Café, 76 Strand Street (Corner Loop). For telephone bookings and enquiries: +27 (0)21 300 1652.

For more live theatre, go to www.writingstudio.co.za