Des and Dawn still trucking

Two shows are lined up for December by the power-couple Des and Dawn Lindberg, featuring magical storytelling and song.
THEATRE veterans Des and Dawn Lindberg are gearing for a musical explosion at Foxwood House in a double bill this December.

Get downVeteran performers, Dawn and Des LindbergFollowing their popular run at the same venue celebrating their 46 years in the entertainment industry, the couple will stage two shows that promise to delight adults and children of all ages.

There is musical storytelling in Unicorn, Spiders and Dragons Tales, and song in Des and Dawn Still Truckin’. The shows run from 27 to 30 December – just what holiday audiences need during the festive season.

According to Dawn, Unicorn, Spiders and Dragons Tales is primarily aimed at children aged between two and 12, but it is an ideal production for the entire family. It’s set against the backdrop of Foxwood House’s beautiful garden, and is interactive with many games and prizes up for grabs in competitions.

It is filled with songs that hold a special place in the hearts of many children, their moms and dads, and even grandparents, such as Puff the Magic Dragon, My Dog’s Bigger than Your Dog, The Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly, The Unicorn, and Daddy’s Taking us to the Zoo.

Still Truckin’ tells the tale of the couple’s life together as partners in marriage and on stage, from the 1960s to the present. They recall their journey, which began in the coffee bars of Hillbrow and followed a “long and dusty road” in their first home, a caravan in which they lived and toured around the country – and even across the border to Zimbabwe, which was then Rhodesia, where they spent three years with their show, Folk on Trek.

They sing all their best-known hits from Die Gezoem van die Bye to The Seagull’s Name was Nelson, Ramblin’ Boy, Die Kleinhuisie and 16 Rietfonteins to more modern, topical and original numbers currently in their cabaret.

The show plays out against a backdrop of more than 2 000 digital visuals from the Lindbergs’ scrapbooks and archives, and includes over 500 illustrations of the songs and stories, mostly created by Dawn.

Tickets for Unicorns, Spiders and Dragons Tales are R50 for children under 12 and R80 for adults; tickets for Still Truckin’ are R130.

The Lindbergs’ skills and expertise as a team are all-encompassing. They are producers, directors, entertainers, singers, actors, set designers, costume designers, lighting designers, sound designers, writers, lyricists, musicians, dancers, and choreographers.

Over the years, they have performed in every major theatre and cabaret room in South Africa and Zimbabwe, and their corporate work has had them transforming factory floors, aircraft hangars, canteens, building sites, foyers, restaurants and pool-decks into fully equipped performance stages and auditoriums.

Des was born in Joburg and educated at St John’s College and Wits. He began his entertainment career in the Troubadour in Doornfontein, during the folk era of the 1960s. Dawn was born in Durban, but moved to Joburg where she attended Parktown Girls High and Wits. She is the executive director of the Naledi Theatre Awards.

Together, the Lindbergs have produced shows including Folk on Trek; Folk Trek; Godspell; The Black Mikado; The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas; Every Good Boy Deserves Favour; Lennon; I’m Getting my Act Together and Taking it on the Road; When I was a Girl I used to Scream and Shout; A, My Name is Alice; King Afrika; Wannabe Gonnabe; Popcorn; Sex, Tango and Everything Else; Des, Dawn & Nico; The Vagina Monologues; and The Good Body.

Booking for both shows is through Foxwood House on 011 486 0935 or send an email to admin@foxwood.co.za. You can also book a table for lunch or dinner.

Foxwood House is at 13 Fifth Street, Houghton, on the Rosebank side of the M1. The GPS co-ordinates are S 26 09 44 E 28 03 12. For more information, visit the Foxwood House website or the Lindberg’s website.