Theatre legends David Kramer and Loukmaan Adams have given Capetonians something to smile about again.
With South Africa in lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many festivals and shows have had to be postponed, including Kramer’s KaapKreools.
The show is produced by the Cape Town Music Academy (CTMA), and was set to debut at the Suidooster Festival on 27 April.
It has now been postponed until later this year (date to be announced), but the creators and cast have decided that the show must go on.
Tuesday, Kramer launched a video of a song that features in the show, the iconic, Welcome to Cape Town but with a Covid-19 twist.
Kramer gave the lyrics a positive stay-at-home makeover and in collaboration with producers Vicky Davis and Schalk Joubert from the CTMA, created an entertaining, toe-tapping music video, featuring the KaapKreools musicians and a group of Cape Town’s favourite celebrities.
“Originally the song is about welcoming visitors to Cape Town. But right now we can’t do that as we’re in lockdown (as is the whole world) so that was my starting point: please don’t visit Cape Town, the city is in lockdown,” explains Kramer.
“It became a call for all of us to remain positive in isolation. So let’s keep on smiling, let’s keep on dancing and shout: tsek Corona!”
The song goes: “Antie Rhona voetsek, pack your bags don’t come back.
“We don’t like you, Corona flu, so here’s what we will do:
“We’ll keep on smiling and dancing on our own,
“Please stay home day and night then Cape Town wins the fight!”
The #Tsekcorona! video was filmed on the cast’s mobile phones at their homes.
Apart from the KaapKreools cast, the video also features some of Cape Town’s best-known and favourite celebs including Kramer, Loukmaan and his kleinboet Emo Adams, Donvino Prins, Camillo Lombard, Schalk Joubert and Tim Rankin.
SINGING SENSATION: Loukmaan Adams
Davis says the video took seven days to make.
Camillo went the extra mile and added a klopse jacket and fez for his part.
“The klopse baadjie is for the minstrel culture and the fez is for the Malay choir,” says the maestro.
Loukmaan adds that he has become tech savvy now: “It was difficult getting the vocals done yourself via an app we had to download and then hope it would be OK, but we knew it’s a lekker feel-good song and something to uplift people.”
#TsekCorona! launched on CTMA’s YouTube channel on Tuesday and went viral almost immediately.
#TsekCorona! (Welcome to Cape Town)
Lyrics David Kramer
Music Taliep Petersen
Please don’t visit Cape Town
our city is in lockdown
No one to meet in these lonely streets
Cape Town has shut down
Almal is nou platsak
Kaapstad voel soos Slaapstad
Daarsie dop innie grocery shop
die hele wêreld het gestop
Welcome to Cape Town
feels like a ghost town
Can’t walk your dog or jog
Cape Town has shut down
Antie Rhona voetsek
pack your bags don’t come back
We don’t like you, corona flu
so here’s what we will do:
We’ll keep on smiling and dancing on our own
Please stay home day and night
then Cape Town wins the fight!
Welcome to Cape Town in isolation
Here’s what we think of you:
Corona flu se moer!
We’ll keep on smiling and dancing on our own
Please stay home day and night
then Cape Town wins the fight!
Welcome to Cape Town in isolation
Here’s what we think of you:
corona flu se moer!