Review: GAME OF NAMES: SEASON 2 at Novalis Ubuntu Centre Is a Fabulous and Entertaining Night Out

I never saw the first iteration of GAME OF NAMES, which was staged by Pinelands Players in 2017. If you’re in the same boat, this shouldn’t deter you from going to see GAME OF NAMES: SEASON 2.

This musical game show extravaganza combines elements from game shows and musical theatre to create a unique hybrid experience.

Before I get to specifics, I note that this is going to be a bit of a strange review to write – mostly because it would be doing the show a disservice to mention any of the songs performed. Thus, I’m going to keep this as specific as I can while being suitably vague regarding the performances themselves.

One thing I can say is that the theme for this show is music from cinema and television. And I’m not talking scores – I’m talking songs with lyrics that were either written for a specific show or movie, or songs that were used in a song or movie and have become synonymous with that particular piece.

I think it best to begin with a description of the structure of the show itself and the rules thereof. Now, let’s get down to the cast members. First we have Nick Plummer – MC extraordinaire. He runs a tight ship by awarding, deducting and calculating the points (at his discretion by the way) as the show progresses. Plummer is the perfect host; with his crisp British accent, he keeps the audience entertained with a never-ending arsenal of jokes and quick-witted responses to the shenanigans that occur onstage.

There are then two assistants, Hannah McClure and Geoffrey Muller, who are each assigned to a team every show. While they perform in some songs as well, they have extra duties such as spinning the wheel and assisting the MC with logistics and updating the scoreboards. They both have love stage-presence and there’s good banter between them. On the night I watched the show, Muller sang a solo and showed off a marvelous voice.

The remaining nine performers are sorted (at random) into two competing teams: the Emmys and the Oscars. The make-up of the teams differs every night, with four cast members being assigned to one team and five cast members being assigned to the other.

The talented cast comprises Grace Brain, Megan Chetty, Dudonne Diergaardt, Tersia Harely, Kirsty-Jayne Povey, Jared Schaedler, Barend van der Westhuizen, Kerryn Warren, and Lyle Wilson. Each brings their own style to their performances.

The performers have, all in all, prepared more than 40 songs. Ten of these songs (selected at random) are performed in Act I and eight of these songs are performed in Act II.

How do songs get selected? The assistants take turns spinning the wheel on which various categories are listed. These categories include “female solo”, “male solo”, “group song”, “duet”, “MC’s choice”, “table’s choice”, and “pop luck”. Once the wheel has been spun, the relevant box (for example “duet”) is delivered to a randomly selected table, where an audience member picks a number out of the box. This number then corresponds to a song. For such a complicated process, I was wowed by how seamlessly the cast and crew execute this process. What I have described above takes place in a matter of seconds, after which the relevant performer/s get down to business.

More generally, I was impressed by the organisation of the entire evening. From the arrangement of the pre-show dinner service (yup, this is dinner theatre) to the selling of BINGO cards, to the running of the show itself, this was a fantastic evening. The show is super slick and it’s evident that everyone is having a ball but also on the ball, from the cast to the crew to the Production Team to the food servers.

It also makes for an exciting experience because there’s no programme to follow – the cast onstage finds everything out at the same that the audience does – in real time. The only down-side to this format is that you may attend a specific show to go watch a particular friend or family-member and, depending on the luck of the draw, that person may not end up being selected to perform any of their solos or duets. However, even this won’t be a train smash as the group numbers ensure that everyone is involved in at least some numbers. Moreover, if you feel that you didn’t get to experience enough performing from any particular individual, you can simply attend another show – you’re guaranteed an entirely different show to the previous one.

The energy of all performers is high throughout the evening. There is also some really fun choreography in the songs, especially during the group numbers. This keeps audience members tuned in. Additionally, there’s an optional quiz element and that, together with the optional BINGO cards, make for really enjoyable audience participation.

Without being too specific, I must comment on Lyle Wilson and Dudonne Diergaardt’s impressive rapping, Kerryn Warren’s character-song (if it’s on the night you’re there, you’re in for a treat), and beautiful, melodic trilling from the rest of the cast. Kirsty-Jayne Povey and Lyle Wilson provided a tender, gorgeous rendition of one of my favourite movie-songs.

I must also comment on the high quality of the food. Should you choose to book for the dinner option as well, you are essentially paying R150.00 for a two-course meal (mains and dessert). This is an excellent deal and the food is really tasty. The production caters for meat eaters, vegetarians, and vegans, and all food is Halaal.

I had a fantastic time at this engaging and professional night out. The venue really works for the production and I hope it will be utilised again for future shows.

Director Kyla Thorburn and Musical-director Barend van der Westhuizen, alomng with a dedicated cast and crew, have executed another fabulous collaboration.

GAME OF NAMES: SEASON 2 runs from 29 November to 8 December 2024 at the Novalis Ubuntu Centre in Wynberg. There is safe, on-site parking. Tickets cost R200.00 (show-only) and R350.00 (meal inclusive).

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