For the price of a theatre ticket, you can skip the therapy couch and head straight for the comedy lounge as the award-winning Marriage for Dummies production heads to Gqeberha.
The talented duo of Aaron Mcllroy, known for his role as Mr Milton in the Spud franchise, and Lisa Bobbert are serving up a masterclass in matrimonial madness at Centrestage at Baywest Mall from October 15-18.
The two-hander, produced by the couple’s company MacBob Productions, promises audiences an unforgettable evening of laughter, music and surprisingly insightful relationship advice.
Written about nine years ago, the pair said Marriage for Dummies was structured as an interactive marriage seminar centred on a hilariously dysfunctional couple, Bruce and Charmaine, who guide the audience through what they term “The Six Steps of Separation”.
Bobbert said the tongue-in-cheek survival guide identified the common pitfalls that could destroy marriages in a lighthearted comedic manner. .
“My husband and myself play lots of different characters within the comedy,” she said.
“The premise of the show is set as a sort of marriage seminar so the audience that is there we sort of pretend they are there, because they are having trouble in their marriage.
“We then offer advice and we look at the different problems people face in marriages and relationships.
“Then we bring on special guests who are played by Aaron and myself, who offer their help and advise on how to improve your relationship.”
She said while the comedic element remained constant, the advice was tangible.
“We used advice from marriage counsellors and people who have done marriage courses, so we are not giving rubbish advice.
“Everything that we talk about is proper advice but packaged in such a funny way that people can actually laugh at themselves.
“There is also music.
“We changed lyrics for popular songs that fit into our skits, so I would say that it is a musical comedy.”
Bobbert’s extensive musical theatre background includes roles in The Rocky Horror Show, Cabaret and My Fair Lady, which shines through in every vocal performance and character portrayal.
The couple draw inspiration from respected marriage experts, including the author of the book Laugh Your Way To A Better Marriage, Mark Gungor.
They also refer to Staying In Love by Andy Stanley, ensuring that beneath the humour lies practical advice for real relationships.
McIlroy and Bobbert formed MacBob Productions as the creative vehicle for their collaborative work.
Together they have created numerous successful productions, including the Standard Bank Ovation award-winning Mr and Mrs Normal, Date Night, Abbamaniacs and Defending the Planet.
The pair represent more than three decades of professional partnership and 28 years of marriage, bringing authentic experience to their comedic exploration of relationships.
Mcllroy said they constantly updated the production because some of the characters were more interactive with the crowd then others.
“We are excited to come down to Gqeberha, as we used to come a lot in the olden days,” he said.
“We worked with Gary Hemmings when we were younger, before we had children, and he has been in the production of theatre for more than 30 years.
“We got busy in other areas, then we had the Covid-19 pandemic, but now we have reconnected; we are coming back.” .
Tickets are available online via Quicket for R150. Meals will be available for R80 and there will be a cash bar.
The Herald
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