The Baxter Theatre celebrates women’s month with the hilarious Cracks and the City ll, featuring comedians Shimmy Isaacs, Anne Hirsch, Anthea Thompson and Marianne Thamm.

The Cracks as they are now known, return with a two-week run from August 1 to 13 in the Baxter Golden Arrow Studio. Audiences can look forward to a new full-length show, Cracks And The City II, with fresh material and sketches that are sure to get you laughing as well as thinking. The show is directed by comic whizz, Alan Committie.

The original Cracks And The City began life at the Flipside at the Baxter in the middle of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in July. Critics immediately picked up on the troupe’s maverick and unique comedy style. Continuing in this tradition the all-new Cracks and The City II will see the comedians explore South African identity, travel, celebrities as well as a range of other contemporary issues.

Cracks and the City enjoyed a successful three-week run at On Broadway after the original Baxter Flipside run. Later, as Cracks Only, the women attempted an ambitious comedy first, presenting new material every last Friday of the month

Individually, all four Cracks are involved in a range of other work. Shimmy Isaacs has been touring with her award-winning show Allie Pad Funny Worcester and more recently wowed audiences at the Vodacom Funny Festival. Anne Hirsch is due to star (along with actor Stephen Fry) in the BBC series, The Borrowers soon to be filmed in Cape Town. Anne is a sought-after performer on the Cape Town comedy circuit as well a regular member of the award-winning Theatresports troupe.  Anne has performed and co-written three successful one woman shows and went on to win SABC’s So You Think You’re Funny? (Season 2) crowning her the funniest new stand-up comedian in the country. Since then she is the only white woman to have ever performed as part of David Kau’s Blacks Only comedy tour performing to sold out audiences in Bloemfontein, Joburg, Cape Town and Durban.

Anthea Thompson has had a busy year and starring in the acclaimed local production of Arthur Miller’s Broken Glass sharing the stage with Sir Antony Sher. She also wowed audiences as Kate in the Maynardville production of Taming of the Shrew and has just completed a run with the award-winning Not The Midnight Mass.  She is due to open her one-woman show Living Remote at the Kalk Bay Theatre.

The award-winning Marianne Thamm continues to work as a columnist and social commentator. She has just finished adapting Douglas Rogers’ Zimbabwe memoir The Last Resort for the stage. A production of the play is due to be staged early next year. She is also currently working on a memoir of DA leader Helen Zille, due out in the near future.

Director Alan Committie is one of this country’s most versatile, prolific and sought-after comic talents. His work ranges from several acclaimed one-man shows including Stressed to Kill, One Man One Remote! TV or not TV, The Clown Jewels parts I and II, Titanic on Ice and Dick and I. For the last three years, Alan has performed the stage phenomenon, Defending the Caveman, at theatres around the country.

Venue: Baxter Theatre, Main Rd, Rondebosch.
Time:
Price: R85 - R100
Performances: 1 - 13 Aug 2011
Genre: Comedy