Saturday Night at the Palace

Saturday Night at the Palace [1] is a play by Paul Slabolepszy (1948-).

Original text

A play about two white working-class young men – Vince and Forsie - who arrive at a lonely suburban roadhouse. Vince, embittered with his life, attacks his friend, then turns on, abuses and finally kills the black roadhouse attendant.

Published by Ad Donker Publishers in 1985.

The play won numerous acting and other awards, including the Amstel Playwright of the Year Award in 1981, and launched the career of Slabolepszy as one of the strongest voices in local theatre during the 1970s and 1980s. The play as an enormous hit and toured the country for a substantial time.

Performance history in South Africa

1982: Produced by The Company, the text reshaped in rehearsal by director Bobby Heaney, it was first performed with Paul Slabolepszy, Bill Flynn and Fats Dibeco Upstairs at the Market Theatre. Designed by Norman Coates, lighting design by Jon White-Spunner.

1983: Performed at the Baxter Theatre

1984: Mannie Manim visited London with the play in 1984 (with the original cast, performing the play at the Old Vic Theatre for a six-week run). The play also toured to Ireland and Sweden.

2004: Staged in January 2004 at the Baxter Theatre, produced by Mannie Manim and Bobby Heaney and directed by Heaney, with Neil Sandilands (Vince), Grant Swanby (Forcie) and Sizwe Msutu (September). Design by Norman Coates and lighting by Manim.

Translations and adaptations

The 1987 film version was directed by Robert Davies and shown at the Montreal Film Festival in 1987. The cast included Bill Flynn, John Kani, Paul Slabolepszy, Marius Weyers, Arnold Vosloo, Joanna Weinberg, Elias Madini, Nicky Rebelo, Ramolao Makhene, Joe Morapedi, Lawrence Zama Tsuhama and Nandi Nyembe.

Sources

Market Theatre production (1982) programme donated by Tony Fletcher, held by NELM: [Collection: FLETCHER, Jill]: 2005. 75. 19. 9.

Temple Hauptfleisch. 1982. A completed documentation report on the opening performance, done for the Centre for SA Theatre Research's Theatre Documentation Project (copy in ESAT Archives).

Ruphin Coudyzer. 2023. Annotated list of his photographs of Market Theatre productions. (Provided by Coudyzer)

Market Theatre programme notes

The Cape Times, 14 January 2004.

Bobby Heaney's Foreword in Suddenly the Storm. 2017. Wits University Press.

Go to ESAT Bibliography