Two one-man shows at The Baxter

Three theatre-makers from Muizenberg are behind two one-man productions opening at The Baxter Masambe Theatre this July.

- ERIN CARELSE

Fred Abrahamse, David Muller and Bizo Maxegwana have collaborated on Blood & Silver and Adaptation of Nikolai Gogol’s Diary of a Madman, both of which will have their premieres at The Baxter.

Blood & Silver, adapted from the memoir of environmental lawyer Jan Glazewski, runs from Tuesday, July 8 to Saturday, July 12.

It is directed by Mr Abrahamse and performed by Mr Muller.

The story follows Glazewski’s journey to fulfil a promise to his late father by locating a family treasure buried in a Polish forest before World War II.

“Adapting Blood and Silver for the stage has been both a challenge and a privilege,” said Mr Abrahamse.

“Theatrical adaptation always walks a fine line: staying faithful to the spirit of the original while embracing the creative freedom that theatre allows. Condensing an entire book into a 90-minute, one-person show meant making tough decisions, but we aimed to retain the emotional heart of Jan’s story.”

Mr Muller described the process as “creatively tough fun” and said more than ten drafts were written before reaching the final version.

“To be the protagonist of someone who is still alive is a daunting, humbling task,” he said.

“Never before have I felt so deeply about the material as what we found in Blood and Silver.”