Herman Charles Bosman

 "...for it is not the story that counts. What matters is the way you tell it. The important thing is to know just at what moment you must knock out your pipe on your veldskoen, and at what stage of the story you must start talking about the School Committee at Drogevlei. Another necessary thing is to know what part of the story to leave out."     Herman Charles Bosman

 “Marico Moon” is Meyer’s eagerly awaited sixth show on one of S.A.’s finest literary masters: Herman Charles Bosman.

Check out Billy Suter's review for this particular Show on: https://sosuterbill.com/2019/08/10/when-barbie-does-bosman/?fbclid=IwAR1AKiGPbtCmKG0WuJoBmiz53iMojcgcX_rzrzx7dwxIX2IH0mvyJhP3sdk

Friday 10^th December: “Piano @ THE STUDIO”
For this elegant soirée type evening, Barbie teams up with her partner in piano-crime, Jonathan Brauteseth.
Expect fine piano playing; exquisite singing, an elegant supper & a ridiculous amount of laughter - all mixed into a delectable and outlandish brew.
Together, Barbie & Jonathan form a formidable, quirky and entertaining pair. They ooze personality and offer both haunting and playful duets interspersed with hilarious bits of information about the ridiculousness of humanity, each other and the lyrics they perform.
The show is refreshingly unpretentious yet glamorous enough to haul out your faux fur and pearls. So, don a pair of heels, slip on a crisp shirt and don’t miss out on an intimate and spectacular evening of musical entertainment and good food.


Friday 11^th December: “Marico Moon”

Marico Moon is Barbie Meyer’s latest show on one of S.A.’s finest literary masters: Herman Charles Bosman.
Herman Charles Bosman (1905-1951) was a South African writer and journalist who became famous for capturing the rhythms of backveld Afrikaans speech even though he wrote in English. He is widely regarded as the greatest short story writer to come out of this country.

Whether you have read Bosman’s works or not, Meyer’s compilation of his stories in “Marico Moon” will delight and surprise you.
Meyer’s use of pauses and impeccable comedic timing are what sets her apart as a top storyteller. Her unpretentious style, tangible passion for these stories and love for this genre of storytelling simply oozes out of her every pore when she is on the stage, pulling the audience right into the veld with her.
Meyer has been recognised as something of a Bosman fundi and has performed her plays countrywide.

TICKETS for both shows: R R250p.p. includes Show & Supper.
BOOKING IS ESSENTIAL as tickets are limited. Call/Whatsapp Judy: 061 408 6783.
There is a coffee bar and you are invited to bring your own drinks.
Time: 6 for 6.30p.m.

The  Venue is situated at 202 Marine Drive, Ramsgate – a few doors up from the Just So Chinese Restaurant and 500 meters north of La Capannina Restaurant.

"Marico Moon" at a lovely little theater in KLOOF in KZN - @ Tina's Hotel. (14 Beryldene Rd, Kloof).

Friday - 9th August Show starts 20.00 

Saturday - 10th August Show starts 20.00 

Sunday Matinee - 11th August Show starts 14.00 

Whether you have read Bosman’s works or not, Meyer’s compilation of his stories in “Marico Moon” will no doubt delight and surprise you. It is challenging, delightfully written and eminently entertaining.

Meyer has succeeded in mastering the distinctive flat accent of the Groot Marico. Her use of pauses and impeccable comedic timing are what sets her apart as a top storyteller. Her unpretentious style and her tangible passion for the stories and love for this sort of storytelling simply oozes out of her every pore when she is on the stage, pulling the audience right into the veld with her.

Meyer has been recognized as something of a Bosman fundi and has performed her plays at many venues, festivals and intimate settings around the country.

Expect comical and witty storytelling through the mouth of a rather quirky blonde ‘Oom Schalk’ as well as through the eyes of Herman Charles Bosman himself. A little romantic, a little wistful, affected with the madness of the Marico moon but of course always touched with Bosman’s unmistakable irony, humour and wit.

A Festival of Chocolate & Roses  @ the gorgeous Rosehurst in Pietermaritzburg this Winter!

I will be performing a 'pop-up' Herman Charles Bosman story...at the opening on Thursday the 3rd of Aug around 6ish... about...well Oom Schalk in his pink shirt...and a white rose of course(!) 
RSVP essential for catering purposes: 033 394 1443

"After seeing Patrick Mynhardt transformed into Oom Schalk on the stage and hearing him tell Bosman’s intrinsically South African short stories, I never quite saw the world in the same way again. Quite simply I was hooked from an early age”!

In her shows, Barbie Meyer, has the uncanny ability to bring to life, a balanced and highly palatable assortment of Bosman’s short stories, essays and poetry. Tasty titbits about Bosman’s Bohemian and rather controversial life have been woven into each play.

Meyer performances are filled with hilarity, beauty, passion, irony and wit - words which Meyer constantly uses to describe his work.

Meyer has become something of a Herman Charles Bosman connossier - and plays the many characters with charisma.

Meyer has traveled the country and various festivals with her shows... she is currently touring with her sixth Bosman piece.... entitled "Bosman in the Gallows". See below...  

Read a review for Bosman in the Gallows: "Applause for new Bosman adaptation"

Go to http://southcoastherald.co.za/35920/applause-for-new-bosman-adaptation/#comments

 "Bosman in the Gallows" 

In this piece, Meyer has taken her favourite snippets out of Bosman's semi-autobiographical book entitled "Cold Stone Jug", and put them together in an hour and twenty minute show. Expect Bosman's uncanny wit, his pathos, his insight and humour... with her unique style of 'woman-playing-a-man' flavour - a winning combination. When it comes to your town/village/hamlet or city - don't miss it!

Barbie Meyer, a self confessed and very obvious lover of Herman Charles Bosman’s work, tackles her sixth play based on this infamous author’s work. She has performed her one woman shows all over South Africa from cities, villages and is a regular at the Grahamstown Festival amongst other festivals. “You cannot believe where lovers of Bosman’s stories live and hide out – they’re everywhere!” she laughs.
Her new play is taken from his iconic book entitled “Cold Stone Jug”. This book’s rise to classic status has been unstoppable, and is now widely considered the founding text of all South African prison writings.
We asked Barbie what we could expect from this new show:
“Expect to learn a little prison slang…or ‘colourful, earthy conversation’ as Bosman calls it (although I know my mom would call it be a few other names!). At the age of 21 Bosman was sentenced to death by hanging for the murder of his stepbrother. He claimed he thought his brother was an intruder although it was generally conceded that he did it in a fit of rage (sounds very like a modern day case does it not?!)
Bosman only ended up serving 4 and a half years and this book is a semi-autobiographical book of these experiences: powerful, witty, courageous and in places – just darn funny!
One ends up laughing at the pure humanness of the whole situation – it’s a kind of a dark humour – you laugh when you really know you shouldn’t. It’s filled with pathos and power. I have to admit that I did sneak an Oom Schalk Story in at the end of this play – how could I possibly resist?”

Barbie has entitled the new show: “Bosman in the Gallows’.
“What a challenge it’s been”, she says, “to condense this incredible book into a theatrical piece fit for human consumption! It’s one of my most favourite books in the world – and often when something is that close to you – it can be a real test to try to capture the essence of the book in one show. What on earth does one leave out?! I have written draft upon draft, cut things out and re-added them only to remove them later. I think that this final script takes a little of his journey all along: from the day he arrived in the holding cell to the day he ‘klaared’ out. I have endeavoured to capture his hilarity along with a couple of poignant more sobering experiences that obviously make prison what it is – hard.”
This is a book filled with pathos and grit and yet always written with his unfailing humour and unmistakable high courage and wit.

 "Bosman in the Gallows" now available on a double DVD!

Performed before a live audience @ Riverbend Conference Center, KZN
DVD 1 starts with a very entertaining 'lesson' on prison slang. This is followed by the 'real play' as Barbie describes it - based on the Bosman's semi-autobiographical book 'Cold Stone Jug' written after spending time in prison for murdering his step-brother.

DVD 2 Barbie enacts her interpretation of one of Herman Charles Bosman's famous short, "Willem Prinsloo's Peach Brandy", set in the Groot Marico region of South Africa.

The double DVD sells at R180-00 and includes postage to anywhere in S.A.
For other countries please contact Barbie for the cost. (See Contact Page)
Videography by Elaine Wareing

 Please click on any of the below to find out more about individual Bosman shows...

 Wild & Fragrant

Bosman's Women

Leopards & Liars

Bosman...& then some!

The Marico - the origin of Bosman's stories

 Click on below link for a magazine interview with Barbie regarding her Bosman plays...

http://southcoaststyle.co.za/barbie-and-bosman

BARBIE and BOSMAN