Illusion Show Set to ASTONISH at Alexander Bar Upstairs Theatre

Stuart Lightbody directs Mawonga Gayiya in ASTONISH, a 55-minute illusion show at the Alexander Bar's Upstairs Theatre this January. Fresh from sold-out shows at the 2015 National Arts Festival, the award-winning Mawonga Gayiya, from Khayelitsha in Cape Town, has performed his hilarious magic widely, from China to Las Vegas. ASTONISH promises an impossible hour of non-stop laughs and gasps as Mawonga shares his life and magic.

Mawonga Gayiya, born and raised in the Khayelitsha township outside Cape Town, South Africa, has been an entertainer his whole life. From the age of ten, when he joined the College of Magic, he developed his talents and he made his first big break in 2008 when he was selected to represent South Africa at the World Magic Seminar in Las Vegas. Mawonga went on to win the Western Cape Junior Magician Championships and graduated from the College of Magic in 2009. In 2010, he starred in the acclaimed production, IMAGINE, at the Artscape Theatre and received a Silver Medallion for his performance. He was a finalist in the FISM Africa championships held in Cape Town in 2012. With the same spirit, he carried the flag high in China, Shanghai at the International Magic Championships in 2013.

Mawonga is well known for his unique style of "comedy magic" and is currently a popular entertainer at numerous events, product launches, conferences, festivals and social occasions. He is also a member of the College of Magic teaching staff and assists with training programs for disadvantaged young enthusiasts in Cape Town, the rural areas of the Western Cape and in Kimberley in the Northern Cape. Many will know him as "Wonga Magic" from his entertainments at private parties. His biggest success in magic was producing his own one-man show, ASTONISH, which sold out at the College of Magic Theatre in 2014. In 2015, the show was produced and directed by the award-winning Stuart Lightbody. With so much success and exposure SABC approached Gayiya and created a documentary around his life as an "astonisher" on 100% Youth for SABC1. ASTONISH was later seen at the 2015 National Arts Festival against South Africa's top shows

ASTONISH is full of surprises, making audiences question whether Gayiya is a magician or a supernatural. ASTONISH runs from 11 - 12 January and 18 - 23 January at the Alexander Upstairs at 21:00. Tickets cost R70 if booked and prepaid online at the Alexander Bar's website, or R80 if paid for at the theatre itself. Tickets can also be purchased at the bar, which is situated at 76 Strand Street in Cape Town's city centre, anytime during its regular opening hours. Under 18s must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Keep up to date with events at Alexander Bar on Facebook and Twitter.

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