Past Shows

Oy vey… or should that be mamma mia?! Relax after the Festive Season with the New York comedy hit My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish and I’m in Therapy! Created onstage in the Big Apple by comedian Steve Solomon, this uproariously funny one-man play tells the story of an Italian-Jewish family and the crazy characters that surround it ... and drive our hapless hero straight into the therapist’s chair! This wonderful comedy stars versatile and accomplished local actor Michael Richard, who has his work cut out for him in a one man tour de force, navigating his way through a tricky minefield of voices, dialects and sound effects that conjure up an array of wacky family relationships. Richard has been directed by the multi award-winning Charmaine Weir-Smith, with whom he recently teamed up for two successful seasons of the Sylvaine Strike comedy Pregnant Pause. The top-flight production team is completed by set designer Wilhelm Disbergen and lighting designer Jane Gosnell. My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish, and I’m in Therapy! won the Broadway.com Audience Award for Favourite New Off-Broadway Play of 2007 and has earned rave reviews in New York and in South Africa. You don’t need to be Jewish or Italian to appreciate this off-the-wall comedy – you just need to know what it feels like to leave a family dinner with heartburn and a headache …

Broadway.com Audience Award for Favourite New off-Broadway Play, 2007 “The jokes are fast and furious … this is fun, well-played theatre.” Sunday Independent “Puts the fun into dysfunctional … kick back with an actor and a script that will keep you smiling from beginning to end.” Tonight “ Vymskerp kommentaar … ratse Richard is geloofwaardig in dié pittige komedie.” Beeld “ A fine Interpretation.” Jewish Report “Richard’s talent is unquestionable … the crowd was left begging for more.” Sandton Chronicle “Michael Richard leaves everyone in stitches.....side splitting humour” Sowetan “Comic tour de force” What’s on in South Africa “Uproariously funny “ The Citizen Sidesplittingly funny.... hilarious!" 94.5 KFM

MICHAEL RICHARD - BIOGRAPHY Leading South African actor Michael Richard was schooled in Zimbabwe before studying drama at UCT. In 1974 he joined PACT as a member of Ken Leach’s famed Arena Company.After playing Hamlet for PACT in 1978, Michael left the company to become a freelance performer, although he was enticed back as an associate actor for four years in the mid-1980s. In the 37 years that Michael has been on stage, he has been blessed to have worked with directors who challenged him in a huge variety of roles from Shakespeare to rock-opera; from comedy, tragedy, farce and musicals to several pantomime dames! Other productions include Othello A Midsummer Night’s Dream “Fangs”, “Laughing Matters” “Wild Honey”, “Fiddler On The Roof”, “Amadeus”, “Educating Rita” “Full Circle” and “ Ying Tongl”. He also worked with Richard E Grant in his latest movie” Wah Wah” and John Malkovich in Betrayal. In addition to his radio and television work, Michael has won many awards, most notably for “Children of A Lesser God”, “Keen”, “Othello”, “Death Defying Acts” and “Decadence”. He was also nominated for best actor as King Arthur in “Camelot” and as Tevye in” Fiddler on the Roof” and Martin in God of Carnage. Other memorable plays include "Pregnant Pause" with Charmaine Weir–Smith directed by Sylvaine Strike; "Pterodactyls" in which he acted with his wife and daughter, "God of Carnage", "Duet for One" and most recently "The History Boys" with his wife and son.