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SCENE IT: TOUCHÉ, Vanessa Harris, and the Art of the Exit
- Dec 28, 2025
- 5 min read
Marina Griebenow
I was recently deeply moved by a viral clip that drifted into my feed, as these things so often do. It featured an event known as a “whale fall”. Apparently, when a blue whale senses its imminent death, it leaves its pod and embarks on a solitary journey of hundreds of kilometres before taking one final, magnificent dive into the deepest and darkest reaches of the ocean. There its vast body becomes a unique deep-sea ecosystem. Long after the scavengers have done their work, the remaining bones continue to nourish a multitude of species for up to a century. A whale fall is not an ending so much as an evolutionary handover — a quiet act of generosity on a grand scale.
You may well be wondering what on earth this has to do with Vanessa Harris’s latest production at Simon’s Restaurant on the Groot Constantia Wine Estate. TOUCHÉ, after all, is described by its creator as “a confession, a celebration and a comeback rolled into one”, complete with “the signature Vanessa bite that leaves audiences laughing, breathless and undone”. The sting, however, is very much in the (de)tail, because TOUCHÉ also marks Vanessa’s swansong after a hugely successful career spanning two decades.
For most of those 20 years, Vanessa and her now ex-husband, Ashley Searle, were the backbone of Follow Spot Productions, an outfit that became synonymous with some of the National Arts Festival’s best-selling and highest-grossing shows year after year in Makhanda (still affectionately known to many as Grahamstown). Both accomplished dancers and choreographers — and Vanessa a singer to boot — they earned their place in the Cape Town theatre ecosystem through sheer graft, imagination and nerve.
It therefore came as no surprise when they took over the 78-seater Kalk Bay Theatre from Simon Cooper. What did surprise was the audacity of what followed. On a stage barely larger than a generous yoga mat, they continued the dinner-theatre tradition while presenting sold-out shows featuring feats that others might only attempt suspended from a trapeze in a circus tent, preferably with a safety net. They cultivated a fiercely loyal following, played to packed houses, and turned the summer holiday season into something bordering on legend. If there was a governing principle, it was one of audacious derring-do.
They were also generous collaborators, providing space for independent theatre-makers to experiment and take risks. Undermined, for example, a beautifully intimate play that premiered at KBT, recently enjoyed a run at the Baxter Theatre. The phenomenal singer Lucy Tops was a regular presence there and has since gone on to grace the stages of large-scale productions such as Kinky Boots and Dear Evan Hansen. KBT may have been small in size, but it punched well above its weight.
When the decision was made to sell the venue, Van and Ash were caught off guard. Nevertheless, true to form, they lived by the old adage that the show must go on. Within what felt like moments, they had re-established their theatre in a space adjacent to the legendary Brass Bell further down Kalk Bay’s Main Road. The name remained, the work continued, and the dinner aspect was absorbed by the Brass Bell. Not even the Deep South’s famously tempestuous seas could dampen their theatre spirit. Then, sadly and to the dismay of many, came the news that Van and Ash were dissolving both their marital and professional partnership.
In the holiday season of 2024, Vanessa returned to familiar territory: dinner theatre. Her first solo outing at Simon’s Restaurant, Pandora’s Box, was exactly what its title promised. We all know what happens when Pandora opens the box Zeus warned her not to — chaos, sorrow and calamity are unleashed. Vanessa, never one for coy mystery, wears her heart firmly on her sleeve, even in performance, albeit with panache, sass and a discreet pinch of arsenic. In Pandora’s Box she gave everything she had, yet those who knew her could sense that heartache hovered close to the surface.
TOUCHÉ is once again Vanessa’s brainchild. Guiding a talented group of collaborators, she breathes vivid life into her concept before an appreciative audience fresh from a sumptuous meal and suitably lubricated by Groot Constantia’s world-class wines. The show is a seamless fusion of song, dance and aerial spectacle, interwoven with Vanessa’s direct, conspiratorial dialogue with the audience — a conversation designed to entertain, titillate and seduce in equal measure. Her unfiltered storytelling has never been for the faint-hearted, and TOUCHÉ does not miss a beat.
Accompanied by Wesley Wolhuter on piano and jazz violinist Darryn Braaf, Vanessa takes to the stage in an eye-popping black ensemble: thigh-high boots, a short flared skirt and a discreetly blinged top, a clear indication of what lies ahead, though certain elements of the costume do not survive the evening’s dance numbers. There is some light-hearted scene-setting during which she drops pearls of wisdom such as being “drop-kicked into self-respect by life” and likening marriage to “an emotional Jenga tower”. For those who claim she is “a lot”, she offers a succinct rebuttal: “People like a drizzle; I am a storm.”
Van’s introduction is followed by a daring aerial act by Aleksii Ishchenko and Leda Botha Wright to a fiery rendition of James Brown’s This Is a Man’s World — a visually spectacular, ear-popping start to 80 minutes of exhilarating entertainment.
One of the evening’s highlights is the sensual and soulful pas de deux between Vanessa and Oleksii to Fleetwood Mac’s 1977 hit “The Chain”. In context, lyrics such as “If you don’t love me now / You will never love me again” resonate with an almost painful clarity. Despite the emotional undercurrents, TOUCHÉ never becomes a pity party. The balance between aerial work, singing and dance is carefully calibrated to sustain momentum and delight.
Nicolette Fernandes, a formidable triple threat, recently shone as Scaramouche in We Will Rock You and as part of the ensemble in Chicago. Heart’s “Alone” is a perfect vehicle for her extraordinary rock-inflected vocals, although the sound balance occasionally did her a disservice, with instrumentation overwhelming the lyrics during belted sections, something one hopes will be corrected. She swiftly follows this with a crisp tap number to Nina Simone’s “Sinnerman”, subtly signalling her Waterfront Theatre School pedigree.
The remaining acts are equally compelling. Leda delivers a masterclass in pole dancing — art, sport, or glorious hybrid — with astonishing strength and flexibility. Madalen Duke’s “How Villains Are Made” is elegantly embodied in a contemporary dance by Jenna Roll and Bianca Schultz. Wesley steps forward on cello, expertly supported by Darryn’s violin, while his live improvised soundscapes form one of the show’s great strengths. Jennifer Carter’s aerial act, performed while suspended by her hair, is both unsettling and strangely mesmerising.
Later, Leda joins Jenna and Bianca for a teasing burlesque number featuring black hats, long gloves and judicious use of the smoke machine. Ensemble dance numbers set to Michael Jackson, Nina Simone and others keep the energy buoyant, with freestyle dancer Duane Joaquim impossible to miss thanks to his sheer dynamism.
The encore, buoyant renditions of Tina Turner’s “Nutbush City Limits” and “Proud Mary”, finds Vanessa centre stage, dancing with abandon. I found myself unexpectedly emotional. Having followed her career since the Kalk Bay Theatre days and reviewed many of her productions, it was difficult to imagine the Cape Town theatre landscape without her. Yet here she was, doing precisely what she was born to do: performing. Offering one last, magnificent dance.
Like the great blue whale, Vanessa’s legacy will endure in the dancers she mentored, the artists she championed, the audiences she delighted and the countless lives she touched. I have no doubt that she will land on her feet in whatever new venture lies ahead. Fare you well, Van.
TOUCHÉ is onstage at Simon’ Restaurant at the Groot Constantia Wine Estate until 30 December 2025. Tickets can be booked through Quicket. Please note, no under 18s.