Bitter Winter — Veteran playwright Paul Slabolepszy's ode to theatre and the art of acting

Daily Maverick

26-05-2025

What goes into getting on stage under the theatre spotlights is what underpins this beautifully philosophical riff, not only on the theatre, but life itself.
The setting is a waiting room with a broken coffee machine somewhere in downtown Johannesburg. On the walls are portraits of some of South Africa's acting greats.
Household names John Kani, Shaleen Surtie-Richards, Bill Flynn and Leleti Khumalo.
Two actors, a once-illustrious Afrikaans professional in his mid-70s and the other an up-and-coming young TV star/celebrity, are here for a callback for an audition for an American Western, Six Guns At Sesriem, to be filmed in South Africa.
Paul Slabololepszy, or Paul Slab as we have pollarded his surname, has chronicled South African life for the stage since 1979. It has been a long and significant stretch in an industry as flighty and insecure as the nightly stagings that go dark at the end.
He is regarded as the country's pre-eminent playwright after the late Athol Fugard and has a particular ear and genius for dialogue and character-driven drama/comedies. And humour, always the humour.
Bitter Winter, now playing at the Baxter Studio until 14 June, is Slabolepszy's latest play, a 'love song' to the theatre, his 'second home' and a space for sharing the human experience with 'audiences hungry for connection'.
Past, present, old, young
Most theatre-going audiences see only the magic and the talent when the lights come up and a piece of drama, dance, poetry, opera or ballet comes to life.
What goes into getting into that spotlight – not only getting there, but staying there in an industry as fraught with insecurity and exploitation as 'the arts' – is what underpins this beautifully philosophical riff, not only on the theatre, but on life itself.
It is the veteran Shakespearean actor, Jean-Louis Lourens (André Odendaal), who arrives first on a freezing Joburg winter afternoon. Once the darling of the stage, Jean-Louis now rents a back room and survives on Theatre Benevolent Fund handouts and a Sassa grant.
He has been called back to play the part of the grizzled sheriff in the movie. It is a part he needs, for the money, more than anything else. This is a man beyond the call of modern technology or fashion fads. You have to call a neighbour to get hold of him.
He wears the same scuffed shirt, jacket and pants to all auditions. No quick fashion fads on his ageing and failing body. Odendaal's portrayal of the vulnerable older actor is searing in its authenticity. Drawing on his own vast experience, Odendaal knows this proud man, carrying on.
This casting, the character believes, could be the role of a lifetime for the bargain-basement Clint Eastwood lookalike.
Enter Prosper Mangane (Orabile Ditsele), vital, full of life, young, with dreams and ambition in 'the industry'. Ditsele is the perfect foil for Odendaal's fragile and failing self. He's a great storyteller, charismatic and cocksure of his future.
Managing the process downtown is the run-off-her-feet Felicia Willemse (played with convincing harried avoidance by Chantal Stanfield), who brings news now and again of when the famous director will be arriving.
Don't put your daughter on the stage
The portrait of the late Shaleen Surtie-Richards on the stage set where the beloved actress so often played before her death at the age of 66 in June 2021, is a haunting reminder of the precariousness of life for those who follow this path.
Surtie-Richards was a multi award-winning actress and beloved national treasure, but she had suffered with health issues for years and could not afford medical aid. This is an ongoing struggle for many in the industry, sadly neglected for years by the national government.
Director Lesedi Job has provided a lively and paced discovery that takes place between Prosper and Jean-Louis, who, while they may be worlds apart in so many ways, are bound by their love of acting and storytelling.
We learn that the creative arts throw up much candyfloss and confetti, but grinding hard work goes into making it happen. It is the irresistible attraction that the theatre, acting, and films hold for those who perform and those who consume it that keeps it going.
The artist's life is not an easy one, but for those who master its demands, its shifting landscape, its financial risks, its capacity for depth and truth, it is the only one worth living.
Slabolepszy, now in his 70s, has never lost the curiosity, the searching, the attempt to make sense of ordinary people in a less than ordinary world. A new play by this master is always a celebration and so worth the mirror it holds to society. DM
Bitter Winter is on at The Golden Arrow Studio at The Baxter from 21 May to 14 June 2025. Performances are Tuesdays to Fridays at 8pm and Saturdays at 3pm and 8pm.