Catch two riotously hilarious and versatile performers in a laugh-a-minute clash of cultures at The Boardwalk this season of treasures. The ultra-classy Ian von Memerty – of Strictly Come Dancing, SA’s Got Talent and A Handful of Keys fame – reluctantly teams up with the unashamedly Philistine from De Aar, Gino Fabbri for an outrageous musical comedy, Common and Class, which promises to have the audience rolling on the floor and rocking in the aisles.
The uncommon combustible clash of breeding and culture pits drummer-comedian Fabbri’s dynamic drumming and guitar-playing against Von Memerty’s pyrotechnic piano-ism, resulting in a roller-coaster of musical contradictions.
Their mismatched machinations sees ‘the ‘battle of the twits’ moving effortlessly from Rock to Rocky Horror, Boeremusiek to Broadway and Country to Classical, even sharing a master class on how not to look sexy on the dance floor along the way. Class musters all the self-control he can as he is dragged kicking and screaming through Country cowboy-land, whilst the finer expressions of classical music whistle past Common like tumbleweed trundling through a deserted town. The confusion of Ian’s stuck-up Class being forced to work with the dimwitted but moronically enthusiastic Common is the backbone to a show that brings belly laugh after belly laugh.
As owner of the nationally successful production company Centrestage, Fabbri approached Von Memerty last year and the pair produced a terrific Elton John show together which toured the Eastern and Western Cape. With Fabbri himself on drums and Von Memerty bringing down the house each night as the flamboyant Elton John, the pre-show backstage banter and one-upmanship which ensued paved the way for their natural collaboration.
When these two explosive talents combine, hilarity ensues and stomach-muscles are given a strenuous workout as two witty and beloved entertainers take merciless pot shots at each other in the guise of their alter-egos.
Common and Class will be staged at the Boardwalk Amphitheatre on 23 December, starting at 19h30. Tickets costing R140 can be purchased through Computicket, and pensioners’ discounts are available through Wendy on 082 661 6921.
Alan Straton
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