Marc Lottering has had audiences in stitches for more than two decades
When did you first realize you were funny?
Marc Lottering: I sometimes still have doubts as to whether I’m really funny. Those doubts typically creep in around 30 minutes prior to every show. I do have high school memories of always wanting to get rid of any tension that was hanging in the air, and I would usually try to do that by telling a funny story or acting silly.
I suppose there has to be a serious side to you – is that persona out of the public eye?
I sadly have no hidden personas. I’m generally the same person on stage as I am when I’m out hanging with friends. Sure, there’s a bit of manic madness on stage, but that’s just thrown in to keep the audience entertained and focused for 90 minutes. And to keep me awake.
“I sometimes still have doubts as to whether I’m really funny. Those doubts typically creep in around 30 minutes prior to every show.”
What are you like at home?
I read way too little although I like reading at home. I just finished a fascinating book called Coloured by Tessa Dooms and Lynsey Ebony Chutel. I enjoy cooking anything that has something to do with chicken and pasta. I love watching movies and can quickly get stuck into a great series. I live with my husband, Anwar, and our dog, Hamilton. Anwar and I have been together for 26 years. Hamilton was adopted about three years ago through an important organisation called Sidewalk Specials. He keeps us on our toes with daily trots and the usual dog stuff, and we cannot imagine life before the dog. Between Anwar, Hamilton, my friends, culinary experiments, TV, the occasional book, and scriptwriting for stage, I find that the days are ridiculously too short!
Your show was a huge hit, so much so that it was filmed at the Baxter Theatre last year and premiered on television in March 2024. What goes into writing a musical?
Writing a musical is a completely different ball game to writing a solo stand-up show. The musicals that I have written generally have featured around 10 actors and eight musicians. That’s 18 humans who need to be paid weekly. That’s aside from the creative team. I tend to lie awake at night and pray for bums in seats. Anwar and I produce the musicals ourselves – with zero sponsorship – so it often, even after sold-out seasons, really is a labor of love, once you deduct salaries, venue hire, technical expenses, and of course SARS. The real reward is seeing audiences leap to their feet night after night. I totally immerse myself in the writing process when it comes to the musicals, writing the dialogue, all the lyrics, and composing the music, and it is absolutely never a chore.
How do you get into Aunty Merle’s and Colleen The Cashier’s characters?
Aunty Merle is largely based on my mom, so that’s easy. I know my mom’s every nuance, how she would say something, and what movement her hand and leg would make when saying those things. She’s churchgoing and decent. All of those things just drop into my spirit the moment I put on the Merle turban. Colleen the cashier is loud and outrageous. ‘Over the top’ does not even begin to describe her. She’s downright crazy, so in a way, that’s easy for me too. She allows me to say things about people that I would publicly love to scream about at the top of my lungs daily, but cannot, for fear of losing my standing in society. Colleen gives me that license.
You have taken your funny side to many countries and have toured London, Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, Auckland, and Dubai. What is it like performing overseas?
When I’m abroad, I essentially perform to ex-pats. It’s always somewhat of an emotional experience for a large part of the audience and it’s often a bit of a South African reunion too. I’m mindful of the fact that most of the audience would not have been home for years, so I don’t tell too many stories related to current SA topics. When I do, I carefully contextualize so that no one is lost. Here and there, I throw in a teeny weeny bit of Cape Flats lingo because I know that there are always several people in the Leicester Square Theatre audience who are just dying to scream, “Aweh, my bru!”
Do you actually enjoy exercising or do you feel you have to look the part?
I’m 56, so the decision to exercise is no longer optional – I actually have to do it. When I’m on stage with the musicals, I’m one of the senior cast members surrounded by agile young things, and I have to keep up, in stilettos! The choreographer, Grant van Ster, looks like a nice, normal human being, but I believe that he’s actually possessed by many demons. So yes, I need to be super fit for that. When I’m doing my solo stand-up shows, it’s me on the stage alone for 90 minutes. Unfortunately, the nerves won’t let me stand still. I hop about quite a bit. Once again, the fitness sessions come in handy. Then, yes, of course, I would like to imagine that I still look reasonably good while 600 people are staring at me…
Text | Heléne Ramackers
Photography | Rizqua Barnes
For more information, visit marclottering.com
