‘Vincent’ returns to thrill East London audiences

In preparing to give audiences another performance of Vincent at the Guild Theatre, Daniel Anderson has no qualms getting into character for a seventh run of the show.

The show, a Wela Kapela Production, premiered in East London last May during the Umtiza Arts Festival. It has since had six runs across the country where audiences have been inspired, excited and moved by the story of Vincent van Gogh.

Told through the lens of love and the search for it, the show recently enjoyed a two-week run at the Artscape Theatre in Cape Town. It has also travelled to Makhanda, where it received a bronze Standard Bank ovation award at the National Arts Festival, Johannesburg and even Hogsback. And while ultimately it is still Vincent that local audiences will see, Anderson says it has been workshopped and improved.

“We love our East London audience — they are our home and safe space and so that in itself always makes it worth bringing a show back.

“As with all Wela Kapela productions, the show exists in a constant workshopped process and so it is back in East London, yes, but it is something quite different to the Vincent that walked onto the Guild boards last year. It has been an incredible journey and we are grateful to constantly better our product,” says Anderson.

“The show is, indeed, an experience. It is a novel feeling and an amazing fresh moment for me, every time I perform this work and I think audiences can relate to these feelings. It is an hour of complete immersion in the world of Van Gogh — a world characterised by his paintings, which still mesmerise even the most sophisticated art critics today.”

Described as a multimedia cabaret, the one-man show delves into the life of Van Gogh and paints a complex picture of him as a man who, above all, desired to love and to be loved.

“The responses are often quite emotional as people empathise with Vincent on his journey and relentless search for love. I think there exists a “Vincent van Gogh” inside each of us.

“The show opens up a bigger vista as it is about the artist’s search for love and to be understood. This is a search with which everyone on some level can identify,” said Anderson.

“I don’t think this show can ever become monotonous, simply because while it is the same show, it takes on so many different forms each time, in so many different ways. As a performer, this is what truly feeds my soul. Apart from that, there is the music. I mean, what could a rock number like What’s Up? by 4-Non-blondes possibly have to do with Van Gogh, and yet it makes so much sense in the context of the story.

“Amanda Bothma is a wizard at story telling and so one feels privileged to deliver her writing on stage and this makes it exciting to do, every single time. Another element of the show is the set, which is mostly multimedia versions of Van Gogh’s art.”

Anderson said this performance of Vincent would be the first of more exciting runs for 2023.

“Vincent moves to the Drama Factory in Somerset West, before travelling to theatres in Johannesburg, Durban and across SA. Vincent will be travelling internationally this year, but we will give more information on these exciting developments in due course.”

Vincent will run at the Guild Theatre on February 7 and 8 from 7pm. Tickets are available via Computicket.