Saturday Night at the Palace
Encyclopedia
Saturday Night at the Palace is a play
by South Africa
's Paul Slabolepszy
and Bill Flynn
.
(The Palace) just as it is closing.
The black waiter (September) who works there is shortly going on leave to visit his family whom he has not seen for two years because they are forced by apartheid to live in a homeland
.
Vince has just been dropped by his soccer team and has been kicked out of the communal house (where Forsie also lives) by Dougie (who runs the commune). It has been left to Forsie to tell Vince this but he is too scared to do this as Vince is a violent person.
Forsie begs Vince to phone Dougie (so Dougie can tell Vince himself) and they stop at the roadhouse to use a call box.
At the roadhouse, tensions build and Vince takes out his racial prejudices on September.
To make things worse, Vince tells Forsie that he has slept with Forsie's dream girl, Sally.
September is humiliated and the story ends in tragedy.
, Johannesburg
, in 1982.
It then moved to the Old Vic Theatre
in London
in 1984.
as Vince, Bill Flynn
as Forsie, John Kani
as September, Arnold Vosloo
as Dougie and Joanna Weinberg as Sally.
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
by South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
's Paul Slabolepszy
Paul Slabolepszy
Paul Slabolepszy , or Paul "Slab", is a South African actor and playwright.-Overview:Slabolepszy was born in Bolton, England. His mother was English and his father was a Polish refugee. The family then emigrated to South Africa....
and Bill Flynn
Bill Flynn
Bill Flynn was a South African actor and comedian. He was born in Cape Town and matriculated from Plumstead High School...
.
Plot
The play relates the story of two working class whites (Vince and Forsie) who arrive at an isolated roadhouseRoadhouse (facility)
A roadhouse is a commercial establishment typically built on a major road or highway, to service passing travellers. Its meaning varies slightly by country.-USA:...
(The Palace) just as it is closing.
The black waiter (September) who works there is shortly going on leave to visit his family whom he has not seen for two years because they are forced by apartheid to live in a homeland
Homeland
A homeland is the concept of the place to which an ethnic group holds a long history and a deep cultural association with —the country in which a particular national identity began. As a common noun, it simply connotes the country of one's origin...
.
Vince has just been dropped by his soccer team and has been kicked out of the communal house (where Forsie also lives) by Dougie (who runs the commune). It has been left to Forsie to tell Vince this but he is too scared to do this as Vince is a violent person.
Forsie begs Vince to phone Dougie (so Dougie can tell Vince himself) and they stop at the roadhouse to use a call box.
At the roadhouse, tensions build and Vince takes out his racial prejudices on September.
To make things worse, Vince tells Forsie that he has slept with Forsie's dream girl, Sally.
September is humiliated and the story ends in tragedy.
Performances
It was first performed Upstairs at the Market TheatreMarket Theatre
The Market Theatre, based in the vibrant inner-city suburb of Newtown in Johannesburg, South Africa, was opened in 1976, operating as an independent, non-racial theatre during the country’s apartheid regime...
, Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, in 1982.
It then moved to the Old Vic Theatre
Old Vic
The Old Vic is a theatre located just south-east of Waterloo Station in London on the corner of The Cut and Waterloo Road. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, it was taken over by Emma Cons in 1880 when it was known formally as the Royal Victoria Hall. In 1898, a niece of Cons, Lilian...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1984.
Books
- Saturday Night at the Palace, Paul Slabolepszy, Jonathon Ball Publishers, ISBN 0-86-852062-4
Film
The play was made into a film in 1987 starring Paul SlabolepszyPaul Slabolepszy
Paul Slabolepszy , or Paul "Slab", is a South African actor and playwright.-Overview:Slabolepszy was born in Bolton, England. His mother was English and his father was a Polish refugee. The family then emigrated to South Africa....
as Vince, Bill Flynn
Bill Flynn
Bill Flynn was a South African actor and comedian. He was born in Cape Town and matriculated from Plumstead High School...
as Forsie, John Kani
John Kani
Bonsile John Kani is a South African actor, director and playwright.He was born in New Brighton, South Africa.Kani joined The Serpent Players in Port Elizabeth in 1965 and helped to create many plays that went unpublished but were performed to a resounding reception.These...
as September, Arnold Vosloo
Arnold Vosloo
Arnold Vosloo is a South African American actor, best-known for playing Imhotep in The Mummy and its 2001 sequel The Mummy Returns, as well as the role of the superhero Darkman in the sequel Darkman II: The Return of Durant and its 1996 sequel, Darkman III: Die Darkman Die...
as Dougie and Joanna Weinberg as Sally.