The Tramp is an 85-minute cabaret musical exploring Charlie Chaplin’s life through the perspective of his iconic Tramp character, running at The Drama Factory in Strand on Friday 19 September at 19:30, Saturday 20 September at 15:00, and Sunday 21 September at 16:00.
Created by the award-winning team behind Vincent – His Quest To Love and Be Loved, this production features Daniel Anderson as actor and Paul Ferreira as pianist, with direction and writing by Amanda Bothma for Wêla Kapela Productions.
The musical tells Chaplin’s story through his famous alter ego, examining their symbiotic relationship from the comedian’s rise to fame through his eventual exile from America due to communist sympathies.
The Tramp character serves as both memory and creative impulse, representing the spirit who helped Chaplin blend comedy with tragedy during cinema’s golden age. The production explores how the arrival of talking pictures sidelined the silent Tramp character, forcing Chaplin into the spotlight where his political speeches and personal scandals made him vulnerable to persecution by figures like J Edgar Hoover and gossip columnist Hedda Hopper.
Using innovative audio-visuals, comedy and reimagined versions of pop, rock, jazz and musical theatre songs, the show examines the complex bond between artist and creation. Critics have praised it extensively, highlighting Anderson’s stunning one-man performance that excavates the human cost behind the world’s beloved silent clown.
