JUKEBOX JIVE
By the time I arrived, the biker gang was there already, hanging around the counter of Molly’s Diner. In spite of them swigging on their milk shakes, I did not feel intimidated. I’m not that easily intimidated by 8-year olds, see.
The atmosphere held a palpable excitement, a mixture of parents and younger siblings getting ready for the show to begin. This year Durbanville Prep School celebrated their 50th year with their annual concert, this time titled Jukebox Jive. And what a show it was!
At the hop
The audience was captivated by the opening scene just as the biker gang was captivated by an (ageing) Molly, listening to her tales of the diner and its Jukebox that had been there since 1966, when she’d been there. Which, of course, explains why she is by now slightly ageing. Not that one would have noticed it, though.
Obladi oblada…
But speaking of age, you ain’t seen nothing yet. The next moment an actor burst through onto the scene, with a just as captivating a dance. I thought he might be slightly too old to be a learner of a school that only goes to grade 3. I have difficulties guessing age, though.
I was thus relieved to be advised that coach Sampie was indeed somewhat closer to retirement age than to primary phase school going age. But he ain’t lost none of his agility, I can tell you that. I assume him to be the hip-hop coach.
With the help of the right song from the jukebox, the laaities in leathers then got tele-trans-time-sported back to the Cove of 1966.
Good golly, miss Molly….!
Impress them with your moves, bro.
Which the kids on stage duly did. Jailhouse Rock, strait outa the fifties, ek sê.
And then Jimmy spotted her.
Would you be my girl? Ba-ba-ba-barbara Ann…
Oh, and cleverly, Molly is suddenly her young 1966 self.
Time it was…
Barbara-Ann’s fun was then duly spoiled by her brother. That’s mos the thing about siblings.
Dad says it’s time to go home, and “if my dad says it is ten o’clock, then it is ten o’clock”, Barbara-Ann explained. Seriaas? That’s clearly 1966. Current day thinking considers “if my dad says it is ten o’clock” to simply mean the opening bet that sets in motion intricate negotiations regarding the true time to come home.
Enter Chi-Chi van der Merwe and Betty. Man, need I say more….
Under the Boardwalk
Now Micky the sixties surfer started strutting his stuff. Cool shirt. Cool moves. Cool hair. Anything goes to get Barbara-Ann’s attention. Which he duly does with some measure of success.
Then followed a cacophony of colours and dances.
Sonbrilletjies (no, not Al Debbo. And if you don’t know who Al Debbo is, you are too young to read this anyway). Followed by the Ossewa Jive (I kid you not), and then whole Hawai Huppelkind brigade joined in the fun.
The missing link
Around here somewhere I missed a chapter which was called Limbo. Or actually, I did see it, I just missed when it started. But worse than that, I realised I got the characters totally confused. I was sure that Jimmy, the biker dude chasing Barbara-Ann, got switched!
Turns out he was indeed switched! Jimmy the biker dude who is chasing Barbara-Ann #1 got taken ill. So between scenes Jimmy the biker dude who is chasing Barbara-Ann#2 seemlessly took his place.
Sommer just like that. The show must go on. And it did!
Candyman
Now here’s a tip for future business opportunities. Everything in this scene had to do with sugar and sweets of all kinds. Imagine you take a break here and open up the tuck shop for 10 minutes. Just a thought, nuh?
Ok, I must say the Drakensberg Boys Choir ensemble at the back threw me out a bit, but I take this as a clever anachronism.
Surfs up
When surfer meets biker.
Jimmy’s bike, he sang, can’t be touched. Meanwhile in the corner at Molly’s, his chum Vince/Freddy? duly donned blow up arms and an orange tjoepie around the middle. Haarh-haarh funny!
Jimmy took his Harley for a spin. The convincing sound causes the fact that he actually had to push his bike across the stage to go virtually unnoticed.
Ok, by now you should have noticed that the play is based on the Grease story.
So Jimmy and company needed to get back to 2016, fifty years in the future.
Wherever you are
In this scene the two eras got split with dancers dressed in white and red dancing on opposite sides of the stage. Then as they kept on dancing, the two eras began to blend into each other. I thought it was rather cleverly done.
This little car of mine
Meanwhile the biker dudes were back into the future, tinkering on a car. The mechanics went about their business with spanners the size of crowbars. The dancing scene included a number of guys running around with car tyres. One of them I would describe a slightly bigger than the rest. This caused him to very casually and effortlessly go about with his tyre, with some deadpan facial expression to show just how effortless it was.
In the meantime Jimmy confided in (the now older again) Molly how he missed Barbara-Ann. And then Molly comes up with this pearl of wisdom:
“Strange things happen if you believe. But you must love rock and roll”.
Aah, man! My faith has been restored!
Predictably, Jimmy decided to go back to Barbara-Ann in 1966.
“Me too,” reckoned his one mate.
“Ja, me three,” chirped the other grapgat.
Forget him
Not to be outdone, the surfer dude also arrived in a sun yellow car to woo Barbara-Ann with.
Aah, Mickey, you’re so pretty.
His mates showed off their sixpacks – neatly koki drawn on their torsos!
And then reality struck. Barbara-Ann’s boet came to fetch her again, berating her for her room that looked like a pig sty. Nuh? I thought that only happens in 2016? Thank you, I feel better now.
Bad moon rising
Well, you know mos, it had to happen. The bikers and the surfers met up again, and not madly in love with each other. With Barbara-Ann, of course, the object of affection for both Mickey and Jimmy.
After a fierce dance-off (jis, daai Jimmy kan dans, ek sê) young Molly intervened to prevent a blood bath. And to dispense some further solid advice:
“Be a true gentleman.”
This is as good as going to church, man.
Enter Nigel. Eisj. He took the stage by storm with his moves. Oorgawe. I was wondering how they were going to subdue him back into school going mode before Monday!
Molly offered Mickey some consolation,
I’ll be your substitute…
In the subsequent dance scene cool hand Jimmy took off his jacket, swung it around, and threw it to Vince/Freddy? He missed the target though, momentarily blinding one of the other dancers who suddenly found himself in darkness with a jacket draped around his head.
Best summer ever
Nou ja, all ends well with yet another few rounds of amazing dancing (sporting Nigel very prominently) ending in hugs all around.
The show ended with the audience joining in in some happy clapping (I told you it’s like going to church) enjoying old time rock and roll.
Man, daai was nou great gewees!