6 Feb - 9 March 2014
Comedy Review

Ever wondered why those perennial New Year’s resolutions we all make to banish bad habits and pull ourselves up once the strains of ‘Auld Lang Syne’ kick in, seldom outlast the fizz, crackle and pop of party time?  In the perception of Durban’s five-star entertainers, Aaron McIlroy and Lisa Bobbert, the answer is not a hard one to crack!  Fans will be treated to a plethora of clues underlying our failure to stick to the straight and narrow path of virtue when MacBob Productions presents the inimitable star duo’s take on The Seven Deadly Sins.

In this, their latest stage showcase of weird and wonderful escapades, billed as ‘A wicked new comedy’, McIlroy and Bobbert probe the why’s and wherefore’s that underpin  the staying power of Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy and Pride.  In a kaleidoscope of side-splitting scenarios set to have audiences clutching their abs and hanging onto their seats, theatre-goers will gain invaluable insights into the lures of these bastions of vice and abandonment. You’ll also get to form a nodding acquaintance with a liberal smattering of their by-products, spawned when any of these vices amalgamate. 

Firm resolves are all fine and dandy, opine the new show’s creators. But cutting to the chase, their bottom line is: it’s the “good old bad stuff” that always gets hung out to dry.  So chances are - courtesy of the MacBob impersonations department - you’ll get to meet a fair number of recognisable icons from today’s opinion-making public arena... A wannabe style police figure, for instance (think Joan Rivers botoxed to the hilt, with a licence to splurge on dirt), dispenses arbitrary titbits from her know-it-all podium.  Or Leshé Degenerate, the oh so socially responsible television chat show host bar none, spearheads an agony aunt session which unravels into an unbridled gossip orgy railroaded by her studio guests…So watch this space, the possibilities are legion. 

Adding value to the evening’s entertainment package will be a line-up of satirical visual production elements as well as a selection of musical items, including MacBob renderings of songs such as Shaggy’s ‘Hey, Sexy Lady’, Britney Spears’  ‘Work B**ch’ and ‘Toxic’, and Daft Punk’s ‘Get Lucky’ among others.  With the award-winning likes of Steven Stead as director, Sue Monteregge as co-writer, lighting designer Michael Broderick, choreographer David Gouldie, and stylists Kevin Ellis and Gareth Greaves of Rocco Kage on board as part of MacBob’s creative team, The Seven Deadly Sins promises to roll out the wow factor quota in the grand tradition of hit shows such as Sex Bugs and Rock ’n Roll, Defending the Planet, Reality Bites and a host of other McIlroy-Bobbert collaborations.

The Seven Deadly Sins plays at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre in Durban from 6 February to 9 March 2014. Shows are at 7.30pm on Tuesdays to Saturdays, and at 6pm on Sundays. Tickets are R140 (R80 for the show’s preview performance on 6 February). Booking is through Computicket on 0861 915 8000 or online at www.computicket.com.