The Unexpected Man
A man and a woman sit opposite each other in the detached intimacy of a train compartment. They have never met. He is a world famous author; she is the ardent admirer of his work. She carries his latest book in her bag. Silence...
This play is a literary masterpiece, written by the Tony Award-winning Yasmina Reza. Touching, funny and poignant, you get sucked into the imaginations of the two characters who are desperate to break out of their inner worlds and make a connection with each other.
Having grown up in the circus (quite literally) and mastering the art of trapeze, Shaun went on to do his Masters Degree in Drama at Rhodes University, focusing on pioneering the field of aerial dance in South Africa. He won the prestigious KKNK Sanlam SPAT award for best actor in 2008, and also plays several instruments and composes music.
ZANNE SOLOMON
Molded by some of South Africa’s finest theatre practitioners such as Andrew Buckland, Reza de Wet and Heike Gehring, Zanne has enjoyed great contrast in her years as an actress. Zanne is currently a new fixture in TheatreSports. She also has a tiny blond dog and is studying dietetics for fun.
Media & Reviews
Review of The Unexpected Man by Eugene Yiga
Audience Responses
we were a party of five and we all thought the play, the players and the production excellent. the content was conversation-provoking which is a great plus for a theatre piece. well done to all
Superb. A must see. Intelligent, witty, funny piece of theatre. Shaun Acker and Zanne Solomon are superb. Riding on a train will never be the same for me. What is the person sitting opposite you thinking?
Solid performances, great writing. Loved the ending!
Thoroughly enjoyable acting!
Fantastic performances by Zanne and Shaun,! Too hot in venue - air conditioner not switched on
A truly special play and wonderful performances. And such a gorgeous little venue.
Acting was quite good but the story was weak. I came to check out the Alexander Bar as a spot to bring guest/tourists.
Great performance
A well-constructed play, with dry humour,; the two actors were most convincing. A good evening at the theatre
I thought it was an intellectual story and very well acted. Was very impressed with the rotation job. Must have been very difficult for the rotators. All together an enjoyable and interesting evening
Very good indeed and very enjoyable, well acted.
Beautifully written, well acted... V good evening. Thanks.
Great experience, a definite recommend.
A really beautiful play, and so thoughtfully performed. Just loved it.
Idea good, but not this playwrights beat work. The acting was good but the direction poor compounding tthe weakness of the script. Ultimately, for me and my partner we decided it was an "unsatisfying play".....however we were very pleased to have seen it nonetheless.
Fantastic performance, engaging. Shaun's performance was truly top-class. Bravo
Thank you for the show last night. Very entertaining. Particularly enjoyed the actress, while the male one will certainly "grow" into his role with more ease as the play is performed more often. Also thank you for the exceptionally yummy after show canapees.
I thoroughly enjoyed the show. It was the perfect mix of comedy and drama. The acting was superb. I was also really impressed with the venue. It was the first time that I have been to the Alexander Bar. Congratulations on a fantastic show!
Really enjoyed it - very good acting
I Loved this play.....Not only was the acting superb, but the story was excellently written and I was totally absorbed in the quite complex insights into the human psyche I will certainly make a point of trying to see this play again at some point. I would also like to commend the Alexander Bar....it is great what you have produced in the way of entertainment, the food, service and ambiance are - simply great!! Thank you so much - Lynne Rose Currie, Counsellor and Life Coach - Cape Town
I thought it was great. A difficult piece to do with no one to bounce the words to. The internal dialogue streaming into the audience. The tension between the passengers equal to that felt by the audience. It is wonderful to see young talent pursuing their passion.
we were a party of five and we all thought the play, the players and the production excellent. the content was conversation-provoking which is a great plus for a theatre piece. well done to all
Frankly, I was in some pain when I saw this play....aside from that, I was bored.....sorry, but I found the dialogue to be inane.....most definitely not Alan Bennett. thanks for asking. Kind regards. Tony
A slow start but a climactic finish with great performances, especially by the charming Zanne Solomon.
Completely engrossed from minute one. Humorous, lonely, poetic, intimate and decidedly reflective; a tour de force from both Acker and Solomon. From facing small life challenges, existential pondering and fears of inadequacy; the quality and depth of acting will grab you from the first sideways glance. Absolute brilliance.
Fantastic performance, engaging. Shaun's performance was truly top-class. Bravo
Fairly interesting play but the actors were badly cast, it was pretty boring & the two sitting on the ground were disturbingly superfluous.
We VERY much enjoyed it.
Good actors, but the plot was delivered too slowly
Wonderful, absorbing account of our thoughts, foibles and neuroses. Excellent acting. Thoroughly entertaining. A great evening out. Ken
we loved the unexpected man ,thank you for choosing this act for alexander Bar, the play the script was brilliant, the actors excellent , we would watch it again . There is only one thing that I did not like . two black people rotating the stage for 50 minutes,From my point of view as a dancer and choreographer I find it physically not convenient for anyone. I feel the fatigue and discomfort of the position and looking at them I get distracted by the text and by the actors. Then the fact that the actors are white and those who make the effort to move the stage is black bothered me. I found distasteful, otherwise all the rest of the play excellent. Sorry if I make grammatical mistakes, I'm Italian and my English is not that great
clever but really not my first choice would prefer to be able to really laugh or listen to music started fidgetting and noticing that the room was stuffy overall happy with first visit but will be more careful with choice
Five out of five. Excellent play, well acted
Our surname is Vigne, a tricky one! As you ask - I felt that the beginning was a bit slow and the man's face too pointlessly sour - a good punchy start is always nice in a play but that of course was up to the author! But the play perked up once the lively face of the woman took over and spoke at last, and it ended excellently. Best wishes Gillian Vigne (Mrs)
I really enjoyed it.
a well acted version of a beautifully writen play that was just thought provoking and long enough for a Saturday night!We have missed winter shows at On Broadway ..small,social surroundings are great...pleased we have found you.
I Loved this play.....Not only was the acting superb, but the story was excellently written and I was totally absorbed in the quite complex insights into the human psyche I will certainly make a point of trying to see this play again at some point. I would also like to commend the Alexander Bar....it is great what you have produced in the way of entertainment, the food, service and ambiance are - simply great!! Thank you so much - Lynne Rose Currie, Counsellor and Life Coach - Cape Town
Absolutely Awesome ;)
I loved it! Take it from one who lives in her own head - a lot - to hear the thoughts of others - and the insecurity/ reticence to disturb the 'calm' - strong cast and this play will continue to play out again and again, yes in my head!
How wonderful to see a piece like this - intelligent, witty, charming, mature - play to a full house. There is hope for theatre yet... even if just in venues like this.
I genuinely enjoyed it. It reminded me why we go to theatre-in its most basic form we want to feel a live connection (just as the very characters from The Unexpected Man yearned for that).Its base of simplicity, a lovely text, nuanced performances can just be taken to a further level with added visual effects. I found it charming and witty. I can't wait to perform in the lovely venue in future. And the smell of the arty, intricate onion soup caught us as we came down the stairs hence we ordered. I think what topped off the night for me was the telephones placed at each table-that when dialled-literally says 'ring ring, ring, ring'. I am so chuffed about The Alexander Bar and what it offers, very exciting!
The Unexpected Man was an unexpected delight! The two (four) performers were great to watch: two of them thoroughly engaging and two appropriately disengaging (which was as it should be). On the downside: it's a shame that a director's unifying vision was absent as the piece moved from one exquisitely realised moment to the next.