My Cape Town

Kurt Schoonraad

After all these years I should be used to it... but the Cape accent still makes me grin every time.  Each word is charged with power and passion, and consonants - particularly Rs - are rolled and caressed in a manner that is frankly lascivious. The best is when amazement is being expressed.  Then the high notes can head right off the scale, with the whole face and body animated from the effort. I love it, and despite my best efforts I find my eyebrows lifting higher and higher and my chin going up and my head starting to judder in an attempt to show a worthy amount of listening.

It’s an accent that lends itself deliciously to comedy, and two masters of its every melodic twist are Kurt Schoonraad and Marc Lottering, both born and bred Capetonians with a wicked line in observational humour.  Their shows quickly sell out, so I was thrilled to be able to get tickets to see them both recently.  I have since become slightly obsessed with the necessity for every visitor to Cape Town to take in one of their shows.  Not only are they extremely entertaining, but they give the visitor to this city an insight into Capetonian life. And what nicer way to taste a bit of Cape Town culture than through comedy?

Marc Lottering

After all, soaking up another culture doesn’t just mean visiting SUSHI (Sites of Unilaterally Significant and Historical Importance – or did I make that up?).  Culture is there in the stories that are told, in the way that opinions are expressed.   Schoonraad and Lottering specialise in stories of their childhood, of the community in which they grew up, of the codes and habits and the common practices of their parents and friends and neighbours.  They are not the blatantly crude or patently weird type of comedian, but are thoroughly nice people with a quirky view of life and a natural talent for telling a good story.  And fantastically expressive faces.  And great hair too, but I guess that’s just a bonus.

In a subtler way, it is of immense value for a visitor to Cape Town to experience a local audience that is so diverse in terms of race and creed and colour. Schoonraad and Lottering clearly delight in playing up the differences between the various cultures present, to roars and screams and hoots of laughter from their audience.  In a society as recently fragmented as South Africa’s, that kind of laughter speaks volumes.  This kind of comedy is surely a great indicator of a healthy culture.  If a society can hold up a mirror to itself and laugh at what it sees, all must be fairly good. 

So I’ll see you there then, shall I?  I’ll be the one in the corner with the juddering head and the silly grin.

Daisy

                                            www.capeconcierge.co.za

Various bars and clubs host comedy evenings in and around Cape Town.  On Broadway , a restaurant cabaret venue in Shortmarket Street just off Long Street, is hosting the following: 
Kurt Schoonraad until 11 August 
Marc Lottering 14 to 19 August 
Another show not to miss is Riaad Moosa , also at On Broadway 6,13,17, 20 and 27 August

Villa of the Month

CAMPS BAY
4 BEDROOMS / 4 BATHROOMS

The magnificent mountain and ocean views were of paramount importance in the planning of this contemporary three level house.

The upper floor inevitably offers the best views, and has therefore been designated as the main living area.  Open plan, it comprises the kitchen, lounge and dining room. Wall-to-wall windows maximise the feeling of space and light, emphasising the fabulous flow of the interior while perfectly framing the mountain and the ocean views. To the front of the upper level is the lounge and dining area which open onto a deck/balcony.  This encircles the front of the house and has a small, heated plunge pool on the ocean side of the house. At the back of the upper level is a super-modern kitchen area.

Downstairs, the ground floor offers a second spacious entertainment/TV lounge with a plasma screen, Hifi, PVR and a mini kitchen/bar area. Expansive floor to ceiling windows and a corner balcony make the most of the dramatic panorama outside. This corner balcony leads onto a small garden, which in turn leads down to the fourth  bedroom, which has a separate entrance below the house.

The remaining three bedrooms are on the ground floor. The large master bedroom has a stylish combination of carved wooden furniture with soothing neutral colours, and its designer en-suite bathroom is a romantic refuge with breathtaking views of the Twelve Apostles mountain range.

Outside there is a small landscaped courtyard area facing towards the sea. Another heated pool with a water feature and a decked area for sunbathing is set in a further sheltered garden courtyard on the mountain side of the house.

The photos tell all – this is a supremely stylish contemporary house, and a fabulous base for a luxurious holiday.

10 mins drive from city centre
25 mins drive from Cape Town International Airport
7 mins drive from beach
5 mins drive from nearest shops / bars / restaurants 


The villa is available at a rate from R 2 300 per night (approx $ 355, EUR 260, £ 175) to R 6 300 per night (approx $ 970, EUR 708, £ 477). For more details and pictures, contact me .

Upcoming Events

Selected from  WhatsoninCapeTown.com  - the indispensable guide to all that's happening in Cape Town. Upcoming events include festivals, shows and fairs; music, theatre and dance; rugby and cricket and other sporting events; comedy and concerts and exhibitions, celebrations of wine and whiskey, flowers and freedom... bring it on, Cape Town!

STELLENBOSCH WINE FESTIVAL
2 August - 5 August
A chance to taste more than 500 wines, do comparative varietal tastings at the cultivar table, meet your favourite winemakers and watch super chefs sweat it out. Venue: Paul Roos Centre, Stellenbosch  
Tel: 021 883 3584   E-mail:
www.wineroute.co.za/festival.asp

RUGBY: VODACOM WP v. VALKE
4 August
Venue: Newlands Rugby stadium  Time: 15.00  Tickets: R20 - R50
www.computicket.com

CAPE TOWN FASHION WEEK SPRING/SUMMER 2007/2008
8 August - 11 August
The annual showcase for South African and international designers.
Venue: The International Convention Centre
Tel: 021 422 0390  E-mail:
www.capetownfashionweek.co.za

ALAN COMMITTIE IN DEFENDING THE CAVEMAN
14 August - 9 September
The sell-out one-man show that explores the reasons why men don't like to ask for directions.
www.theatreonthebay.co.za

DARLING VOORKAMERFEST
31 August - 2 September
Performers from South Africa and abroad stage shows in front rooms of the Darling residents’ houses - music, singing, dancing in township houses as well as in the mansions
www.voorkamerfest.co.za

INDIAN SHOPPING FESTIVAL
31 August - 9 September
Venue: Good Hope Centre, Cape Town 
Tel: 021 510 8171   E-mail:

AIR SUPPLY IN CONCERT
6 September
Thirty years after they released their first album, this internationally acclaimed pair perform for the first time in Cape Town.  Venue: His Peoples Centre, Cape Town  Tel: 083 287 3811  E-mail:

PINK IN CONCERT
11 September
The multi-Grammy Award winning, multi-platinum selling songstress is in Cape Town as part of her first ever South African tour. Venue: Bellville Velodrome.
www.computicket.com

ICC WORLD TWENTY20 - AUSTRALIA v. ENGLAND
14 September
An inaugural event offering world class cricket at domestic prices. Essentially a shortened version of the ODI where the overs are reduced from 50 to 20 per side.
www.computicket.com

RUNNING CRAZY ON TABLE MOUNTAIN
15 September
A 35km trail run on fynbos footpaths in a clockwise direction around Table Mountain.
www.trailrunning.co.za

ROCKING THE DAISIES
28 September - 30 September
After the phenomenal success of last year, the first “green” music festival in South Africa takes place at the height of the West Coast flower season.  Venue: Cloof Wine Estate, Darling, Cape West Coast  E-mail:
www.rockingthedaisies.com

MAD HATTER'S TEA PARTY
5 October
The annual fancy dress tea party in aid of the Kids with HIV Foundation. Venue: Mount Nelson Hotel  Tickets: R295 per person (R120 for children under 12). Advance booking essential. 
Phone: 021 483 1737  Email: .

CAPE TOWN INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW
5 October - 7 October
Pretty much what it says...
www.boatshow.co.za

CAPE TOWN FLOWER AND GARDEN SHOW
25 October - 28 October
A showcase of indigenous South African plants alongside exhibits of exotic species, and a marketplace of gardening products and innovations with a botanical theme.
Venue: Lourensford Wine Estate, Somerset West 
Tel: 021 422 0390  E-mail:
www.capetownflower.com

WHISKEY LIVE FESTIVAL
31 October - 2 November
The largest consumer whisky festival on the planet.
www.whiskylivefestival.co.za/static/festival/index.php