The PastI remember the debut of Backstage, the visual treatment, the movement of camera’s and sheer brilliance the producers treated the show. The selection of cast members was very cool and on-point with the youth.
Those where the good Cape Town days, when we where proficiently treated to the story lines of K.B as a secretary, before we discovered that the secretary not only was she a good actress, but had a voice made of CD sales and stardom. This is the time when Miss Teledi played by Grace Mahlaba, had a team of lead actors assisting her to hold the shows primary focus into skillful soap style. Those day’s everyone was talking Backstage and we couldn't wait for either the next episodes or the weekend omnibus.
Then it moved to Johannesburg with a loss of few cast members and the start of poor production treatments, which later stabilized. The soap then started with what would mark its downfall, which was the much publicized producer’s battle that lead to the channel, “ETV”, holding an on-air press release. The producers left, the channel sealed its ownership of the soap, few cast members left and we where introduced to new actors. It was quite an adjustment but we got used to it because visually it was very intriguing to see what would become of our Cape Town born soap.
Just when we thought it could not get worse, ETV showed us that it really knows how to screw up, when it decided to move the soap once again to its owned facilities, as thou to create their own SABC like broadcast environment. I then asked myself if ETV executives didn’t learn anything from history.
Quick History Lesson on Soaps:1. SABC had their own studios which was a tried and tested environment to produce Generations and Isidingo.
2. Egoli has never been produced at MNET it has always remained with Frans at Sesani Studuios for years and years. It is still the best soap in terms of presentation and on-air aesthetics.
3. 7de Laan is also produced by Dani at Sesani Studios
Whilst in Cape Town, every young person in South Africa including those adults who had guilty pleasures from re-living their youth by watching the soap, where avid viewers. This means or meant more ad revenue for the free-to-air broadcaster.
I am very sure the famous secretary come lecture, who is now well known as K.B, misses the great launch pad she got from Backstage to parade her music daily on our screens. She can bet that no other broadcaster will ever…. ever give her that kind of exposure. Not even her record label can afford to pay for that type of marketing and publicity. She pissed right at it. Talk about burning your bridges.
Oh, we also remember the launch of the Campus Radio station which was far better than this horrendous Ziggy thing they have going on. The station kept them real and current with local top music stars making weekly appearances.
Not to mention the then bar, come club, formally Duke’s, which was a very nice set, now has become a ruinous environment of encounters.
The PresentBut hold on, the third move of Backstage marked another interesting disclosure by ETV, which would not be very clear to most. The channel launched what it then deemed as a competitor to Generations which was the daily soap “Scandal” at 20h00. This disclosure came with all the resources of a typical good quality soap opera going to Scandal and not Backstage. This was definitely a way for ETV to say we have screwed up on Backstage but we will try afresh on Scandal.
This brings us to the state of Backstage…. Can anyone say ghastly!
A person who works for PIKITUP can write a better storyline that the people employed at Backstage. At least a PIKITUP employee sees so much trash that they are able to grasp a whiff of anything that is putrid to spare us the anguish. Actors are terrible and the good once are expected to continue with hogwash.
I have to give it to Grace Mahlaba playing Miss Teledi. She has managed to carry the show as a lead actress through some very bad phases. I don’t know if she sticks with Backstage because she needs the security of her bills being paid? Or She is part of the producers team? She has moved around with the soap ever since.
Whatever it is, am sure she has good reasons for sticking with the show. I can’t imagine what!
I immediately think of an old saying “You are what you do”. It is also a song by The Moffats
Some Backstage Actors with potential:Miss Teledi played by Grace Mahlaba
Gyles played by Ryan Laatz
Keketso played by Salamina Mphelo
Ziggy played by Charl Timotheus
These are the Actors I consider down right BAD:Melissa played by Mari Michael
Vusi played by Nqoba Ngcobo
Sgolwane played by Mpho Malatsi
Roxanne played by Carmel Fisher
Lulu played by Nokuthula Ledwaba
Carmen played by Michelle Levin
Zinzi played by Tselane Tambo
The FutureThis show is in trouble, even the channel does not want to pump enough money for it to cash in to the millions of viewers who are not fans of either Isidingo or 7deLaan. ETV is a free-to-air channel which is suppose to sees every opportunity to lock in loyal viewers for it to be a super channel. Fact is, if they moved away from the standard of soap opera, which are mainly designed around the adult market, and they focused on the very rear and valuable youth market by re-vamping the show in a positive way, they will have a winner.
Quick guide to revamping a soap
- Very good looking and talented Actors and Actresses – “No one wants to see ugly soap opera actors, there has to be eye candy. That is why they are soap opera’s and not weekly drama’s”
- They should think a combo of Felicity, The O.C, Dawson’s Creek, etc but more South African
- Sharp, witty and current dialogues – “the youth speak youth, they don’t speak adult”
- Drama, Drama, and more Drama “everyone knows the youth have more drama than adults”
- True to their storyline – I often wonder, if the producers and writers of this soap, have ever gone to college or university not to mention, if ever they have been backstage of any production. Because they don’t call it backstage for nothing, its ruthless, adrenaline packed and very crazy. None of that is displayed on Backstage.
The premise of Backstage offers a perfect opportunity for the producers and writers to portray the lifestyles and cultures of the youth in an excellent manner. It is a great premise which offers brilliant soap opera content which is already there in hundreds of colleges and universities across the country. In fact, I find that when well produced Backstage can out rank Isidingo and 7deLaan. All they need are good researchers…. The youth.
Visually…. They really should start from scratch because the show does not look good at all.
In conclusion they really need to get very good Actors and Actresses who speak English and they should drop the ethnic languages and subtitling. As much as they would like to think that this is increasing their viewership. They should think again because back then they did not have subtitles and they had a very good following.
Signed: The Observer