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Bos Notes a different energy
CAPE TIMES THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2012 ARTS 9
BOSSIES FOR STEF
Bos notes a different energy
Jason Curtis
A YEAR ago, practically to the day,
Dutch-born pianist, poet, actor and
philanthropist Stef Bos staged a
brand-new, self-titled show outside
Cape Town. Since then the production
has entertained packed houses in
Europe, and is about to come full circle,
back to the country of its birth.
After his son was born in 2010,
Bos was inspired to create a oneman
show that included all of his
usual musical magic, along with a
storytelling element his fans had
never experienced.
The response to this format shift
sparked critical acclaim both here
and abroad for its raw energy and
disarming honesty. Over the past 12
months the show has evolved and
the seamless marriage of music,
humour, insight and anecdotal
commentary has made it a hit wherever
it’s staged.
Rated by local and international
critics as the best show of his illustrious
career, the year-long journey
draws to a close tomorrow and on
Saturday when Bos returns to his
second home to conclude a chapter
in his life that’s forged and exposed
yet another side to the gifted artist’s
personality.
“Even with the show being a
year old, each performance is original,”
he says. “It’s continuous
improvisation. Nothing is scripted
and that’s what still makes it as
much fun for me to perform.”
He considered several possible
venues, but settled on The Fugard
Theatre to host two of the final
shows of his current tour.
“It all started at the Cluvers’,”
Bos says of that memorable first
show in 2011 at the Paul Cluver
Forest Amphitheatre.
“The combination of music and
storytelling opened up a whole new
world of possibility. SA is my playground
where I have been fortunate
enough to test a great many new
ideas before taking them overseas.”
Along with his compelling repertoire,
Bos goes to great lengths in
finding special spaces in which to
tell his tales.
“Every venue I play lends something
to the performance. This is a
one-man show and establishing a
relationship with the space is as
important as extending that to the
audience. The Fugard is an intimate
space, so I’ve got nowhere to hide.”
It all started when one of Bos’s
first hit singles, Papa, released in
1991, led to invitations and opportunities
to perform with the late great
Johannes Kerkorrel and Thandi
Klaasen. Through the decades that
followed, he’s recorded and released
a total of 27 albums, three DVDs and
singles that have topped the charts
locally as well as in the Netherlands
and Belgium.
Although he’s done his utmost to
avoid fame, the past 20 years have
elicited numerous accolades for Bos.
“In Belgium I became something
of an overnight success back in the
early 1990s. So that didn’t work, did
it?” he jokes about his celebrity
allergy. “I knew then that I wanted to
control my destiny and I’ve been
striving to do that ever since.”
With each new album and subsequent
tour, Bos has continued to create
and share authentic music.
His show starts with him
recounting the birth of his son.
“I take the audience on a journey
that ends where it began.
“Imagination is important. Tapping
into topical issues helps, add
another dimension, and offer audiences
local perspective. My show in
the Netherlands, at the end of last
year, was particularly interesting.
Not only because the format of the
show was not something the fans
expected, but as a country, they are
a nation socially and politically confused.
So I had lots of material to
work with. I don’t ever choose sides,
though. I prefer to be a commentator
on what’s unravelling around the
audience I happen to be playing to.”
With no band to back him up and
only a piano and a mind full of reallife
memories and personal observations
to guide him, Bos presents
himself at his most vulnerable. He
admits it was a big change to come
out from behind his piano.
“Standing up in front of a room
full of people creates a different
kind of energy,” he explains. “Winning
the room over is the first challenge
– keeping them there to the
close is the ultimate reward.”
With a songbook as fluid as his
mood, each night Bos can add or
take away any part of his life story,
all neatly knitted together around
music that’s become his success.
Suikerbossie, Die Tovenaar, and,
more recently, Kloofstraat are just
some of the many songs brought to
life by taking note of what happens
around him.
In preparation of closing yet
another rich and rewarding chapter,
Bos is not resting on his laurels.
“I never underestimate the audience.
Intent is king and I always aim
to treat the muse with respect.”
l Tickets are R100 to R140. Call
021 461 4554. The show starts at 8pm.
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