The latest pole dance showcase to hit the annual calendar in Cape Town is The Pole Project’s A Feast of Flight, a non-verbal theatrical production with 2018 being only the second in a series of modernised childhood stories and fairy tales pinned for future events.
The first of its kind, A Feast of Flight 2017 took place at the Nassau Centre in Newlands in late July. The theme of year one was a contemporary play on Lewis Caroll’s famous Alice in Wonderland, where we followed Alistair down a rabbit hole of dubious choices and bad influences until eventually he slayed his “jabberwocky” demons.
This year the storyline is based on Roald Dahl’s scrumdiddlyumtious tale of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory… except in the modern-day pole world we follow five competitors as they battle it out for the title of being the “face of Wonka” as we also get a peek at the peculiar confectionary maven, Willy Wonka, the Wonka factory and his Oompa Loompas.
Director of the production and owner of The Pole Project, Kathy Lee, says: “The challenge this year was to find a theme that would top our first show and live up to some rather high expectations. Not only did we need to find fantastical characters we could bring to life and that audiences would be familiar with, but also a story that could translate into a pole dancing production on stage. We decided on the beloved tale of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, because who doesn’t love the story about the eccentric candy manufacturer, Willy Wonka, who opens up his magical and mysterious factory to five lucky children? With its two film versions and a West End musical, Roald Dahl’s ‘sweet’ story is arguably the most prominent amongst his many children’s books. Plus, the name is fortuitously harmonious with the name of our show… a FEAST indeed!”
2017’s show incorporated acts by The Pole Project (based in the CBD at the time) and The Scar-Lit Box (based in Claremont at the time) and took place in the southern suburb of Newlands. It was a runaway success and tickets sold out long before opening night.
In 2018 the show moves to the Joseph Stone Auditorium in Athlone to be able to accommodate a larger audience and be more central to a larger community as A Feast of Flight year two is presented by instructors and students of The Pole Project (in Woodstock) in collaboration with Pole180 (in Bellville) and Wild Pole Flow Movement (in Woodstock, previously based in Bergvliet). With a student base ranging from the CBD to the Southern and Northern Suburbs of Cape Town, A Feast of Flight 2018 is a showcase of pole dance talent from around the city.
Lee tells us a little bit more about this years’ storyline: “We decided to spin Dahl’s delicious tale with our own contemporary and imaginative twists. In our story, Willy Wonka is looking for the new “face” of the chocolate factory. Auditions are being held worldwide, and only five talented finalists will get a “Golden Ticket” to the final round. Audience members will be taken on a journey where they will get to meet some crazy and entertaining characters, including Die Augustus Groep, V-Tox Beauregarde, Veruca Salt ‘n Pepa, The Teavee Sisters… and of course Charlize, our underdog, the shy ‘boeremeisie’ whom, we hope, will ultimately emerge triumphant.”
