THEATRE REVIEW: Stranger Things Have Happened
JOBURG – Actor Ryan Dittman impresses with his versatility.
Chaos in the kitchen. Chickens running wild and an angry chef screaming, “Get out! Get out of my kitchen!” Besides for the chickens being alive and not dead, stock is mysteriously disappearing from the storeroom and the restaurant’s owner is ready to throw in the towel.
This is the premise of Stranger Things Have Happened, a one-man play which was showing at PopArt at Arts on Main recently. Bronwyn owns and manages the only restaurant at the Vaal and it’s Valentine’s Day. He – that’s right, Bronwyn is a man – has been counting stock for hours and nothing’s adding up. He’s wearing his clothes from the previous day, the chef’s told him he stinks and his staff are, well, strange. Actually, they’re ridiculous. There’s a pirouetting waiter, a promiscuous matradee, an abusive chef, and an over-enthusiastic novice waiter who falls in love with the wanton front-of-house. And that’s not even all of them.
Having previously owned a restaurant and bar, the play’s writer and performer, Ryan Dittman, knows a thing or two about restauranteering and the stresses that come with the job. His representation of the many caricatures that make up the show is impressive not only because he is alone on the stage, but because of the ease with which he slips in and out of their skins. There are no props; there is no chef’s hat or snug-fitting dress to signal a shift in time, space or character. Dittman relies only on his body and its willingness to bend and flex into his various creations.
It is really funny, each scene more outrageous than the next. And, although utterly zany and at times damn annoying, the characters are convincing. And, that the play is somewhat semi-autobiographical makes it all the more endearing.
Poor Bronwyn. If only that his name is Bronwyn was bad enough. Things aren’t looking good and there’s no way the restaurant will manage to wine and dine a full house. And don’t forget the chickens that aren’t dead yet and the mystery of the dwindling stock.
But don’t worry, the mystery does get solved eventually and the story does end happily…for some.
Details: popartcentre.co.za
