ALICIA MCCORMICK

Alicia McCormick, the straight-laced alter ego of Burlesque sensation Cookie von Tastee, was most recently seen in the well loved bootscootin' cowboy cabaret Angels on Horse back: Reloaded (dir Fiona du Plooy), as well as the cult hit and Ovation Award winning comedy Dirty Words (dir. Jason Potgieter). Other credits include The Things You Left behind (dir Kim Kerfoot), winner of a Silver Ovation award in 2014, as well as comedies An Absolute Turkey  (dir Chris Weare) and Hitched (dir Paul Tosio) and more children's theatre than you could throw a stick at. 

 SAMANTHA GRAY

Don’t mess with a writer, we’ll describe you. A shit-tonne of abysmal dates prompted Samantha Gray, a thirty-something single, to write Mate – a hybrid of live and filmed performance. Every unbelievable thing (bar one fabricated silver lining) in the play is true and mostly happened to her, or someone she knows. This is her second foray on the stage, previously having written and performed her critically acclaimed one-woman show, A Woman’s Bum is Like the Moon. She is an award winning filmmaker who wishes she could successfully drink tequila, and remember more jokes. Her credits include winning “Best South African Short Film” at the Cape Winelands Film Festival, a Puma Creative Mobility award, and the ultimate award of all, a trophy for bad fucking luck with men.

Media & Reviews

Mate - Reviewed by Laura Davidson

Audience Responses

Great show. I laughed hard and long. Loved the mix of live performance and film. Very enjoyable and intimate setting.

Love it! Check out the review here : https://rinsebeforeuse.com/2017/02/08/review-mate-alexander-upstairs/

Cool show! Funny and witty! Cheers

Bloody fantastic laugh out loud comedy!

Very funny, I enjoyed the play thoroughly

Really enjoyed it. Excellent script and great acting performance.

What a hoot! And yet soulful and nostalgic at the same time. Thank you so much

A really excellent show. What a clever way to combine stage and screen together. Another excellent performance by Alicia McCormick. Your character portrayals are stunning. Sam, why no stage bow. Brilliant script and your character role was superb. Let's not forget Alexander Bar. Service with a smile and prompt and our supper was " we will come back again for this "

Such an interesting performance and insight into the writer's mindset. As a married man who never had the opportunity to use Tinder I found it hilariously fascinating to see how ridiculous men can be on that platform and couldn't help but feel a sense of embarrassment for my gender as a whole. I also thought that the counselling videos of 'Alice' have legs outside of the play ie. I would imagine that 'Alice' could be a really fun youtube channel that single women in their 30's would identify with and hopefully help Tinder men see how ridiculous they are. Please pass this onto Samantha. Thanks so much,

AMAZING!!

Vulnerable, somewhat poignant and mostly laugh out loud account of the dangers of dating potato farming vampires in your mid 30s. Loved it! - Nik Rabinowitz

Just fabulous play ... thank you so much for complimentary tickets DR EVE

Really enjoyed the performance with totally brilliant friend, totally proud of her.

Really enjoyed the performance with totally brilliant friend, totally proud of her.

We had a superb evening, the show was excellent. Thank you. We will be back.

A really excellent show. What a clever way to combine stage and screen together. Another excellent performance by Alicia McCormick. Your character portrayals are stunning. Sam, why no stage bow. Brilliant script and your character role was superb. Let's not forget Alexander Bar. Service with a smile and prompt and our supper was " we will come back again for this "

Excellent - funny, sad, totally hits the spot. Laughed so hard, and had lump in throat at times too. Brilliant actress! Loved the evening.

The characters were entertaining and beautifully portrayed. Thoroughly enjoyable!

I loved it. Samantha is hilarious and I loved how candid she was. I can't wait to see what her next show is about.

Loved the show, funny and irreverent, and has it's finger on the pulse. Would see again. Might have preferred the love guru live, not on video.

Really enjoyed the performance with totally brilliant friend, totally proud of her.

Funny. Sad. Great acting. And Alice.... oh Alice...

Great performance and production, one of, if not the, best show I've seen at The Alex!

Hilarious and touching. I'd watch it again and again!

ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!!

Liked the play and the sting performance by Alicia McCormick.

Brilliant - comical, easy to relate to and intimate which made one feel like they were in the same room as the actor. Amazing acting.

Alicia and Samantha are ridiculously talented!

Excellent depiction of what single woman in their 30's face while dating in Cape Town. The actrice seamlessly switch between characters and I'm sure every woman in the audience could relate to one of the rolls. The use for media was done well, the therapist in the film was also an excellent character.

LOVED Mate, was a really good laugh.

Absolutely fantastic! Loved it!

Excellent piece of theatre! Laughed till I cried.

Excellent - funny, sad, totally hits the spot. Laughed so hard, and had lump in throat at times too. Brilliant actress! Loved the evening.

Brilliant, the actresses were spot on with their character's. Hugely entertaining!!!

Loved it - incredible script and wonderful acting by both actresses!

I'm sure the joke at the beginning could have been about something other than clubbing seals. Otherwise, it was a great show.

FOUR STARS Excellent acting. liked the use of video and live performance. Definitely tragic-comedy and thought provoking.

Great writing and wonderful performance

Thank you Alexander, playwright and actress. Both the play and the acting were superb. The idea of juxtaposing the live performance with the video clips worked perfectly. The play was beautifully structured and the subject matter presented in a perfect mix of the subtle and the blatant. We were entranced by Alicia's characterisations, accents and mannerisms; they all rang horribly true! As with any great performance (and there aren't that many!) she convincingly became three different people. Her sense of timing was pure genius. It was a masterclass in how to present a one-woman show. We eagerly await her next performance...

The greatest feminists have also been the greatest lovers. I'm thinking not only of Mary Wollstonecraft and her daughter Mary Shelley, but of Anais Nin, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and of course 'Samantha Gray'. You cannot divide creative juices from human juices. And as long as juicy women are equated with bad women, we will err on the side of being bad. -Erica Jong Made my cheeks ache and other parts tremor. I loved it.

Great script and brilliant acting!