One Last Visit for MY BOETIE SE BOETIE SE BOETIE SE BABA at the Atterbury Theatre

Lefra Productions is well-known for its hilarious farces, with MY BOETIE SE BOETIE SE BOETIE SE BABA by Ray Cooney and his son, Michael, coming to the end of its 2015/2016 touring season. One of Cooney's most successful shows on London's West End, MY BOETIE SE BOETIE SE BOETIE SE BABA has been translated into Afrikaans and adapted by Frans Swart, who has also directed the production, which is staged with the support of Stuttafords Van Lines, RSG, Sounds Good and McCarthy Volkswagen Arcadia.

In MY BOETIE SE BOETIE SE BOETIE SE BABA, Tom Koekemoer (Cobus Venter) and his wife Linda (Cindy Swanepoel), are excited about the prospect of adopting a baby. All that remains is a visit from the social worker (Marga van Rooy), answering a few questions, and the baby will be theirs. But things are just too complicated to work out that simply. While Tom is living a respected middle-class life, the same cannot be said of his brothers Dick (Botha Enslin) and Harry (Francois van Rensburg). It is not that the brothers are not close - but one might say that the threesome is clearly two-thirds dysfunctional. Dick has just returned from Zimbabwe with contraband cigarettes and brandy, while Harry is trying to bury a body in Tom's garden. To make matters worse, two illegal immigrants (Ana van Achterbergh and Dirk Vermeulen) appear on the scene just as the prudish social worker arrives, a never-say-die police constable (Duncan Johnson) becomes suspicious and the scoundrel Boris (Phillru van Achterbergh) comes to fetch his payment. What follows is a huge, hysterical mix-up.

Frans Swart says MY BOETIE SE BOETIE SE BOETIE SE BABA has all manner of farcical elements to get people laughing and keep them in stitches:

It's that laugh per minute kind of show. And that is exactly what we want to achieve with MY BOETIE SE BOETIE SE BOETIE SE BABA - we want people to come and laugh and relax while watching the doings of the Koekemoers. It is not for nothing that scientists say that nothing can make one relax like laughter. This is why it is such an honour for Lefra Productions to be putting on this production. People are sick and tired of being sick and tired! We get enough of that from the political scene. So that is what MY BOETIE SE BOETIE SE BOETIE SE BABA will do - BABA is an exciting brand new project which has never been done in South Africa before. A totally new plot with many interesting twists and lots of laughter!

Swart adds that it has always been important to Lefra Productions that shows should go on tour, in this case with a full set by Hugo Hewitt:

Yes, it is a logistic nightmare to tour with such a big cast and the set, but we are nevertheless determined to hit the road, so that the whole country can see the production.

MY BOETIE SE BOETIE SE BOETIE SE BABA will play The Atterbury Theatre from 19 - 23 January, with performances at 20:00 nightly and a Saturday matinee at 15:00. Bookings can be made at Computicket (0861 915 8000). Groups of more than 10 will receive substantial discounts by telephoning Lefra Productions on (011) 815-3000, or contacting the company by e-mail.

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