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SCENE IT: THE TRAMP hints at the essence of Chaplin through the veil of modern music
- Barbara Loots
- Oct 8
- 6 min read
Barbara Loots
THE TRAMP, a nod to Charlie Chaplin and his alter ego, is currently onstage at the Artscape Theatre until 11 October 2025. Written and directed by Amanda Bothma, and performed by Daniel Anderson (with piano accompaniment by Paul Ferreira), it combines modern songs with Chaplin’s historic movie images to present a story that hints at the complexity of the man who made ‘The Tramp’ or ‘Little Tramp’ a legendary figure.
This Wêla Kapela Productions offering follows on the success of their award-winning Vincent – His Quest to Love and be Loved. It seems this company has a knack for tapping into the magic of historical (and somewhat broken) creative figures, bringing their spirit to the stage to the delight of audiences. THE TRAMP sets out to explore “the complicated bond between an artist and the character… blending comedy and tragedy in a heartfelt reflection on fame, identity, and betrayal”. As a mini-musical or pocket-musical it offers the intimacy of a cabaret.
Charlie Chaplin first stepped in front of the camera as ‘Little Tramp’ in 1914, and arguably hid behind the fame of that persona until 1939 when this on-camera persona made his last official appearance in Chaplin’s movie, Modern Times. THE TRAMP taps into the essence of the associated nostalgia, but dresses it up with modern music that could be reasoned as crossing the generational divide.
The show appears to take inspiration (at least for its opening) from the 1992 film, Chaplin, where you see the man behind “Little Tramp” as wheelchair bound towards the end of his life, reflecting on the truth, fiction, and turmoil of his lived experience. The first glimpse of Daniel Anderson at the Artscape as an old Chaplin gives a similar image: Chaplin sitting in a wheelchair, shrouded in darkness, contemplating the fact that his Tramp buddy, his “little fellow”, has not been seen in a very long time. This image gives you the impression of a man left abandoned even by his own creations. This sense of abandonment stands in contrast to accounts that at the end of his life in 1977 Chaplin was rather content, surrounded by family (his devoted wife, Oona O’Neill, and their eight children).
Anderson quickly shakes off the image of the old Chaplin, as he effortlessly rises from the wheelchair to jump through the movie screen, so introducing the audience to “The Tramp” as the narrator of the production. His version being the lense through which you view Chaplin’s tumultuous life. Throughout the show one is left with the impression that “Little Tramp” was Chaplin’s truest and most faithful companion.
Anderson hits the mark with his musical performance and physical comedy. He takes his portrayal right up to the edge, but does not overplay “The Tramp” to the level of penguin-walking absurdism –a trap that copy acts so easily fall into. There is a sense of authenticity in the way Anderson moves with the character, with the ease of someone who has studied the movements and mannerisms. He is accompanied by skilled pianist Paul Ferreira who joins him onstage. It's perhaps rather a missed opportunity to have Ferreira so clearly in sight lines during the show, while not fully integrating him as a theatrical character element.
If one considers “The Tramp” (who throughout plays up the importance of his personal relationship with Chaplin) to be an unreliable narrator, one can perhaps forgive the parts of Chaplin’s history that feel misrepresented in the show: This especially being so when it comes to arguably the other two most influential figures in Chaplin’s life, his first love, Hetty Kelly (whom the show reveals as having died just days before Chaplin could get to her, in stark contrast to the years that passed in reality before Chaplin learnt of her death and then not even because he was rushing to her side), and his mother, Hannah Chaplin (who’s death due to “insanity” is implied rather earlier than historically accurate when Charlie was a young child, so minimizing her real life impact until the end of her days in Hollywood where she was cared for by Chaplin and his two half-brothers until the age of 63).
One can view the creative liberty taken with Chaplin’s historic timeline as a clear choice and attempt to expressly accentuate and isolate the hardship suffered by Chaplin as a child and young performer – hardships that are not denied, but which are rather skewed in the show. The question is whether the skewing as such elevates the show sufficiently to justify the liberty taken.
Although THE TRAMP is a delightful show, I became a bit less enamored with it the more I reflected on the depth of the show as the songs faded and the narrative lingered days after seeing it. When you start scratching at the surface, that’s when you start wondering whether the show makes full use of the opportunity that an introspection into the complex figure of Charlie Chaplin presents. He was all things extreme: Whether loved or hated, he evoked reaction from people. An inherently flawed human, with a sad childhood, chasing love in all the wrong places, and so talented that his own fame became his biggest folly at times. You may say, “But why scratch at the surface if the show is fun? Just leave it at that!”. My response is perhaps best expressed through the words of Chris Jones, chief theatre critic for the Chicago Tribune who says that “to write about the theatre is to write about life… constantly searching for truth.”
From a perspective of the truth about life through theatre (or even the essence of a life like Chaplin’s) THE TRAMP over romanticizes the legend a bit too much, piling on the sadness, and not really engaging with the issues of powerful men (especially in the entertainment industry) bedding underaged girls without much consequence (an issue that today is still very much in the spotlight with the Epstein files), nor the fact that Chaplin’s nemesis, J. Edgar Hoover, was staunchly conservative and supportive of anti-immigrant policies (policies that are in the here and now being abused in the world to undermine human rights). Not taking a deeper dive (even if through the eyes of an unreliable narrator) into these issues seems like an opportunity lost given the world (and the truth) we currently live in. Though Chaplin’s jail-bait tendency are mentioned in reflecting on his love interests, this seems to be done more in a nudge-nudge wink-wink manner throughout THE TRAMP, which just does not really engage with the deeper concerns and underlying issues of Chaplin’s flawed character.
THE TRAMP, so viewed, is more an ode to Chaplin rather than a deeper reflection of the elements that made him a controversial genius. Although one can only pack so much into a 90 minute show, perhaps the cherry-picking choices made in paying homage to Chaplin could have better accentuated his truth in essence.
THE TRAMP’s choice of music boggles the mind a bit too. I am not sure that the modern and musical numbers on display (though very well performed) fit the Chaplin spirit the show claims to bring to the fore. If one considers that Chaplin was first and foremost a Vaudeville performer, it seems strange not to tap into the associated music of the early 1900s. Using a song from My Fair Lady with reference to his first love, Hetty Kelly, who was an Irish beauty after all, also seems odd as there are so many lovely Irish songs that could have worked just as well and given a clearer sense of who she was. There appears to be a dramaturgical disconnect between the music choices (even if modern) and the personality that was Chaplin.
Ultimately, THE TRAMP takes some liberties with the loves and tribulations at the centre of Chaplin’s lived experience as it engages with these through the perspective of the legend’s subjective alter ego. The show entertains with good vocals and a high level of performance. However, if you are a die-hard Chaplin fan who can answer any trivia question about the legend then you would be best advised to leave your superfan hat at the door, otherwise you may find yourself mentally wrestling with the narrative presented. Go see THE TRAMP for the charm and not necessarily for the truth of Chaplin.
THE TRAMP is onstage at the Artscape Theatre’s Arena Theatre until 11 October 2025. Tickets can be booked online through Webtickets.