Satirical Comedy CURL UP AND DYE at the Rosebank Theatre from 6 November

CURL UP AND DYE, a satirical comedy by University of Ccape Town alumni Sue Pam-Grant, will return to Cape Town stages when the play opens at the Rosebank Theatre on 6 November in a production directed by Christopher Weare.

In this contemporary South African classic, Pam-Grant highlights both the popular and political cultures of the time. The play shines light on the grey areas of Johannesburg which remained untouched by apartheid and where black, white and coloured people lived together. The year in which the play was written, 1989, was a time of tumultuous violence, danger and uncertainty that affected everyone, but which also heralded great change on the horizon. The action focuses on South Africans' strains and sensitivities during the last few years of apartheid.

Set in Hillbrow, the play chronicles the life of Rolene, the main hairdresser at the Curl Up and Dye salon, who is struggling with white fear and an abusive husband. Other prominent characters include Mrs Dubois, a long- standing patron of the salon seeking relief from her humdrum existence; Miriam, the cleaner, who is underpaid and forced to do humiliating advertising campaigns; Charmaine, a drug-addicted prostitute who uses the salon to run away from her destructive life; and Dudu, a well-educated nurse with aspirations, who gets caught up in the political issues present in the salon.

The cast of CURL UP AND DYE includes Shonisani Masutha, Fran Michel, Sive Gubangxa, Nicole Fortuin and Maggie Gericke. Playwright Sue Pam-Grant and director Chris Weare have a professional theatre history from the 1980s, with Weare having directed Pam-Grant in Robin Levetan's SKYF, CAPAB's WOMEN BEHIND BARS, THE WHITE WHORE and THE BIT PLAYER. As actors, they shared the stage in Mavis Taylor's highly successful production of Steven Berkoff's KVETCH.

CURL UP AND DYE is intense, humorous, and relevant to every South African. The play runs from 6-23 November 2014. Ticket prices range from R60 - R100 and are available through Webtickets.

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