James Cairns stars in the award-winning one-man show, El Blanco: Tales of the Mariachi, at the Schlesinger Theatre at Michaelhouse on February 3. Photo: Dex Goodman

IT’S hard to beat the story well told.  Stories in themselves are an act of creation, connecting the past with the present. Creation itself is a story. Without stories, we would have nothing but darkness and silence.

This is what James Cairns’s character El Blanco believes. While he may unashamedly spin a pack of lies, in this instance, he comes close to the truth.

In El Blanco: Tales of the Mariachi – which is being staged at the Schlesinger Theatre at Michaelhouse in Balgowan at 7.30 pm on Friday, February 3 – his struggle, mostly with himself, to earn the title of Mariachi is masterfully presented through music and storytelling.

“Stories are songs for people who cannot sing,” is one of El Blanco’s gems. “And songs are stories for those who can.”

The problem is that El Blanco must overcome his belief that he can do neither.

Epic, unforgettable and hilarious, El Blanco: Tales of the Mariachi, weaves together stories and songs based on everything from Mexican creation myths and Ancient Egyptians to George Clooney.

Penned by acclaimed writer, Gwydion Beynon (The Epicene Butcher, Amateur Hour), the show leads theatre-goers through a chain of false epiphanies which only lead his hero, El Blanco, back into self-doubt. As the story progresses, we discover that lies often reveal truths that would otherwise remain unspoken.

Starring James Cairns (Dirt, The Sitting Man, Three Little Pigs, The Snow Goose), El Blanco: Tales of the Mariachi is an unmissable production which shows off the prodigious talents of two of South Africa’s best theatrical artists. This is a smart, sassy and very funny one-man show. Get a ticket if you can.

Tickets for El Blanco: Tales of the Mariachi are R100. Book at http://www.tickethut.co.za/michaelhouse or via email with Angela Jonsson at theatre@michaelhouse.org  or 033 234 1314 weekdays between 8 am and 1 pm.

NEED TO KNOW

• El Blanco: Tales of the Mariachi, performed by James Cairns and written by Gwydion Beynon
• Date: Friday, February 3
• Time: 7.30 pm
• Venue: Schlesinger Theatre, Michaelhouse
• Tickets: R100
• Bookings: www.tickethut.co.za/michaelhouse, email Angela Jonsson at theatre@michaelhouse.org  or call her at 033 234 1314 weekdays between 8 am and 1 pm.