Hats Off! at Theatre on the Bay

Get ready to laugh ‘til you cry with the madcap musical antics of Flanders and Swann

While not everyone may remember the hilarious song and comedy antics of British comedy duo Michael Flanders and Donald Swann, audiences young and old will appreciate Hats Off!, a two-man show which revisits the pair’s madcap musical act on the Theatre on the Bay stage from Wednesday, 26 June to Saturday, 6 July 2013.

Starring Jonathan Roxmouth and Louis Zurnamer, the production takes audiences through the silly songbook of Flanders and Swann, which features ‘G-nu Song’, ‘Madeira M’Dear’ and ‘Hippopatomus’ (otherwise known as ‘Mud, Mud, Glorious Mud Ballad for Piano and Hippo’). With just a baby grand piano (which may or may not be in tune) and their off-beat sense of humour accompanying them on stage, the two South African actors (who have both had roles in productions of Grease, Phantom of the Opera and Cats) give a local twist to the Monty Python-esque tongue-in-cheek wit perfected by the British comedians.

Actor and singer Flanders and composer/pianist Swann had an 11-year performing partnership, which saw them pen countless satirical songs with memorable choruses during the 50s and 60s. Their two long-running multi-act stage performances, At the Drop of a Hat and At the Drop of Another Hat, featured their satirical compositions together with comic monologues, and took them to stages across Britain and abroad.

Though it appears that Roxmouth and Zurnamer have freakishly large shoes to fill, the duo have the act polished with perfect timing and gags that will have audiences laughing for days.

A bit of Flanders and Swann

Tickets for Hats Off! at Theatre on the Bay

Tickets for Hats Off! are available via Computicket.com and at Computicket outlets, and audiences have the option of purchasing a show only ticket or the dinner-and-theatre package, which includes a three-course meal. Show-only tickets cost R100p/p, R125p/p or R160p/p depending on where you’re seated, and the dinner-and-theatre package costs R295p/p. On Tuesdays show-only tickets are sold at a discount price – R90p/p, R110p/p or R130p/p, depending on seats, as are dinner-and-theatre package tickets (sold at R265p/p). Senior citizens, scholars and students pay half price for performances on Wednesday and Thursday at 8pm and Saturday at 5pm, and group bookings of 10 people or more get a R60 deduction (R30 on Tuesday).

The show runs at 8pm from Tuesday to Saturday, and there’s also a 5pm show every Saturday and a 3pm show every Sunday (no performances are scheduled on Mondays).

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If you’re looking for a regular laugh to lift the spirits, check out Jou Ma Se Comedy Club’s weekly Thursday stand-up, or if you like the stage in general, take a look at these theatres in Cape Town that regularly feature top-notch productions. 

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