Tag: review

WITH A ROBUST PRODUCTION TEAM AND VIBRANT CAST “JOSEPH” IS A RADIANT REVIVAL

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BY DIANE DE BEER

JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TERCHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT BY TIM RICE AND LLOYD WEBBER

DIRECTOR: Anton Luitingh and Duane Alexander

CHOREOGRAPHER: Duane Alexander and Jared Schaedler

MUSICAL SUPERVISOR: Charl-Johan Lingenfelder

MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Amy Campbell

SET, COSTUMES AND PROP DESIGN: Niall Griffin

LIGHTING DESIGN: Oliver Hauser

SOUND DESIGN: David Classen

PRODUCERS: Pieter Toerien and Lamta

CAST: Lelo Ramasimong (narrator), Dylan Janse van Rensburg (Joseph), Chris Jaftha (Jacob/Potiphar/Pharaoh)

DATES: Until the end of September

This iconic musical had its first performances 50 years ago and if we take the current revivals, it’s still going strong. And with reason.

It’s always worth watching what Luitingh, Alexander, Lingenfelder, Griffin and Hauser are doing. They know how to breathe new life into what might have become a tired musical without losing its soul.

It’s a young and exciting cast who are being given wonderful opportunities to shine but they have also been gifted the tools to make it work.

From start to finish, the clarity of what they wanted to present and achieve was clear and that’s a joy to behold.

From the clever and uncluttered design which works in these smaller theatres to the choreography which flows and adds to the energy, everything is thought through and then executed to perfection. There’s just no leeway for things to go wrong.

Even when it comes to the look, it’s the way they have selected the costumes. Many were bought rather than freshly designed and, in this instance, a good choice not opting for the traditional dungerees the brothers more typically used to wear.

The only one that had me flummoxed was the narrator. Ramasimong’s blue jeans and shirt with the oddest jersey/jacket was an eyesore rather than using some imagination. Perhaps just a simple flowing robe would have had more impact. She plays a major role, is probably the one who has the most stage time and yet, she sticks out for the wrong reasons visually.

Fortunately she’s a marvelous performer and soars in her role as narrator. She has an unusual voice and a lovely stage presence. She knows this is where she belongs.

And so do the rest of the cast. One has to start with Janse van Rensburg’s Joseph, after all he is in the title role. It’s quite a responsibility on young shoulders in such an intimate large theatre. There’s nowhere to hide and if you don’t bring the goods as well as the charm, you’re in trouble. Janse Van Rensburg has already proved himself in challenging shows like Spring Awakening and he does it again here. He has a strong voice and a vulnerability that works in this part.

And someone who played his part in stealing some of the limelight is Jaftha, who had fun with his trio of roles as Jacob, Potiphar and in particular Pharaoh, the rocker who has a large moment in the musical which has rocketed other local actors (think Alvin Collison) to fame.

It’s a tricky role, but Jaftha has charisma and sass and was more than willing and able to step into any large shoes.

But as much as there are solo moments, it is a musical that involves the full cast because of the nature of the story – a bunch of brothers, for example – and then you have to balance that with the other roles.

If you’ve lived with a musical as long as I have with this one, it’s not easy to catch my attention. But I was stunned. I have seen a few musicals by this production team and I know they usually deliver. From the casting to the costume (bar one!) to the ensemble performances, the singing, the cast in full, it had a joyous feel about it in what can only be described as difficult times.

As well as the music, which was spirited into the new millenium as only Lingenfelder can do. “It was my third production of Joseph and I really didn’t want to do it,” he says. But when he was given the chance to pull the emphasis back to the story and to make sure everything worked for this time, he stepped on board. And it shows, with a score that’s as familiar as it is musically edgy. It’s something he achieves with astonishing regularity.

With the right people, that’s what entertainment can do in times of trouble. It offers respite and has you singing along with a bunch of brothers who hatch a plan to get rid of their father’s favourite son. An unlikely story but many decades ago a clever collaborating team started a much-envied partnership with this one as their first worldwide success.

And if you get it right, it still works. As it does in this latest version.

MAGIC ON STAGE IN THE MOON LOOKS DELICIOUS FROM HERE

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REVIEW BY DIANE DE BEER

Pictures: Hoek Swaratlhe

THE MOON LOOKS DELICIOUS FROM HERE

WRITTEN AND PERFORMED: Aldo Brincat

DIRECTOR: Sjaka September

VENUE: Market Theatre

DATES: July 27

DURATION: 70 minutes

In the programme notes online it says that this play is a masterclass in writing and performance – and that is exactly what it is. And the aspects that I found most intriguing as being a born South African, I have been dealing and watched others sharing their trauma in this country for many decades.

Some similarities especially in text will occur, but I am passionate about people creating theatre – especially solo theatre.

Having to travel from Pretoria for most of my theatre, I consider very carefully which plays I want to see whether good or bad, just work that will appeal to me. And this is where theatre sometimes becomes problematic. If you are going to see a play that is 70 minutes long, it becomes a money issue. It has to. Time and travel become a worry.

So I have started coming up with fresh solutions to make my choices easier. With this one, I had already booked for a new musical opening and I thought I could slip this short prodcution into the mix without any difficulty. I see many more plays on one day when attending a festival. And that is what I did and will do more of in the future when the problem rears its head.

Brincat, who is a first generation South African, is described in many different ways and with many accomplished skills from acting, juggling and magic artistry to fine art, chef, writing and producing one-man shows, it seems.

But this is my first encounter as far as I can tell with this versatile artist. As he’s based in Cape Town and visits the National Arts Festival, while I am based in Pretoria and cover the Afrikaans festivals around the country, his work is unfamiliar to me.

The Moon Looks Delicious from Here is a man’s struggle with identity and finding his own place in what should be his world but isn’t always that straightforward is what he shares and struggles with.

It is familiar territory stretching from the ‘60s tot ’94, but it’s always interesting to discoverhow other people deal with issues that come up for many of us in different ways. It is also fascinating to see how others approach their work, especially when at play, as solo shows  can be limiting, depending on the content and how familiar you are with the subject.

He had me from beginning to end; engaging with his audience wasn’t an issue for him even with a most unusual mix on a Sunday afternoon. Half of the 100-plus theatre audience (and I’m guessing numbers) were elderly white couples and the other half were young (between 20 and 35) Black men and women. And throughout there was laughter from different quarters. It was a journey of remembrance for oldies and probably one of illumination for youngsters.

It would have been fascinating to have an audience talk after the show in this instance. This is Brincat sticking his toe in the water and it feels good. Hopefully he will be back so that we can get to know more of his work and his content.

THE GOOD WHITE IS THEATRE THAT TELLS IT LIKE IT IS, WHICH IS THE MIKE VAN GRAAN WAY

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DIANE DE BEER reviews the latest Mike van Graan play

THE GOOD WHITE

DIRECTOR: Greg Homann

PLAYWRIGHT: Mike van Graan

CAST: Shonsani Masutha, Russel Savadier, Vusi Kunene and Renate Stuurman

SET DESIGNER: Patrick Curtis

LX DESIGNER: Themba Stewart

COSTUMES: Nadia Kruger

VENUE: Market Theatre

RUNNING TIME: Until June 1

Pictures: Ngoma Ka Mphahlele

Pair the title with the four characters on stage – Vusi Kunene (Black, pictured right), Russel Savadier (White), Renate Stuurman, (Coloured, pictured left) and Shonsani Masutha, (Black, centre front), — and, in the South African context, sparks will fly.

That is what Mike van Graan’s latest play leans into. He says in the programme notes that he hasn’t written anything but solo shows since 2018 and it feels as though this one has been bubbling under and then just exploded – in the best possible way. It’s an epic piece of writing which will have you gasping as he appeals to each one in the audience, whoever they are, to grapple with the issues – our inner core – of South Africa.

While Nelson Mandela did many things for this nation, coining the phrase Rainbow Nation was arguably not one of them. It is as though he constantly reminds us what we are not, but if you were part of the opening audience on what seemed to be a quiet Sunday afternoon in the theatre, you would have witnessed that we could be.

The perfect quartet: Vusi Kunene, Shonsani Masutha, Russel Savadier and Renate Stuurman.

The audience pretty much reflected the mixed bunch we are and from the deadly silence following the first poem of strength recited by the astonishing Masutha to the immediate participation during the rest of the play, it was as though there was another solo performer on that stage – the audience.

It captured the heartfelt emotions Van Graan has always been able to harness as he tackles the South African nation. And no one does gloves-off like this playwright. Setting the play in academia, he has chosen his boxing ring and then selected his characters to represent every foible in the human race, it felt like. And then he lets them rip.

As always, he doesn’t hold back, everyone and each weakness is held up for scrutiny and the constant audience gasping and finger clicks told you how he hit the mark throughout the play.

Through the years Van Graan has been honing his very own way of dealing with what he views as our fatal flaws and this time it feels as though he has unleashed it all in glorious colour. 

It might sound like something you don’t want to hear or see but, because South Africans will all relate to everything, it’s like witnessing the full South African story from Once Upon A Time …Prejudices in all their pitiful hostility, power plays, colour bashing, gender gore, poor vs privilege and the list is endless. He plays all those cards to their fullest.

Those who know his work, also know that he can write and he has never been scared to speak his mind. He does it to the Department of Arts and Culture and he does it on stage. When he has a platform, he steps up and tells it like it is and believe me, he is one of the few who speaks his mind unabashedly whenever he can.

He has been maligned to the high heavens, but nothing has stopped him. And finally, to my mind, here is his magnus opus and it is flawless and delicious to witness. And when (not if) you go and see it, I hope you have the same audience we had; it added to the fun and spectacle of the drama.

Add the director and the cast to complete the perfect coming together. Homann allowed the Van Graan words to do the work, which was the best thing to do. It should be unfettered because you really have to engage and listen to get the full extent, which here you do.

The cast delivers magnificently. I didn’t know Masutha’s work but she made sure I would never forget her. What a performance! From start to finish she’s there with all her energy and might and that’s what her volatile character needs. Stuurman is an old favourite and to my mind, this is her best performance yet. Savadier and Kunene also fit the bill and, as seasoned actors, they never put a foot wrong.

It’s a play I will try to see again towards the end of the run, because there’s just too much to take in at one sitting. It’s something — even though it doesn’t sound like it — that gives hope. If, as Van Graan suggests, this is exactly who we are, at some stage togetherness will take hold. As for now, we are still that dysfunctional family who needs a stern word to set us on the right path – and this is it.

We want more Mike please!

TEEN TRAUMA EXPOSED AND EXPLORED

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REVIEWED BY DIANE DE BEER

Stuart Brown as Evan Hansen

DEAR EVAN HANSEN

MUSIC AND LYRICS BY: Benj Pasek and Justin Paul

BOOK: Steven Levenson

CAST: Stuart Brown, Léa Blerk, Charlie Bouguenon, Keely Crocker. Kent Jeycocke, Shelley Lothian, Ntshikeng Matooane, Arno Meyer, Sharon Spiegel Wagner, Michael Stray, Justin Swartz, Lucy Tops

SET AND LIGHTING: Niall Griffin

MUSICAL SUPERVISOR: Charl Johan Lingenvelder

CHOREOGRAPHER: Louisa Talbot

SOUND DESIGNER: David Classen

RESIDENT DIRECTOR: Shelley Lothian

DIRECTOR: Greg Karvellas

Producers: Showtime Management and How Now Productions

VENUE: Montecasino Teatro

DATES: Until 13 April

PICTURES: Daniel Manners

Charlie Bouguenon (Charlie Murphy), Stuart Brown (Evan Hansen),Sharon Spiegel Wagner (Cynthia Murphy) and Keely Crocker (Zoe murphy).

WHAT struck me instantly while watching this musical was that being young a few decades ago was much easier.

No social media, less scrutiny, much less peer pressure because it had to be done person to person rather than through technical means or phones  – it was just a much simpler and less stressful life.

What young adults have to contend with at that vulnerable age when you start transitioning into adulthood is quite monstrous. One would think that the huge physical upheaval would be enough to deal with, but now there’s so much more.

It’s a musical with an intimate if weighty story as it deals with depression and hiding from the world at a time when you should reach out rather than go into hibernation, yet it has huge heart.

It’s not often that musicals deal with  mental health issues especially targeting teen and young adult audiences, who are particularly vulnerable. These aren’t issues readily discussed and this offers an amazing opportunity to ignite sensitive conversations.

Griffin, who is known for his ingenious designs, has hit the brief spectacularly. It’s all high-tech and could be quite alienating and overwhelming but also allows for the cast to flow in and out of the grand and gleaming structure (above) quite seamlessly.

It also allows the high tech environment we live in to dominate and underlines the world we cannot escape – even if that is exactly what Evan Hansen is trying to do.

That is the genius of the musical. It all feels quite overwhelming, almost as though you have to fight your way to the heart of the story, yet this is where the magic lies. At that centre is a timid and rather terrified young boy who can hardly get out from under the covers.

His way of communicating is to write letters to himself, hence the Dear Evan Hansen title. Many people, young and old, could identify at some stage in their lives with his struggle of dealing with life. His is the universal struggle to be seen.

His mother, a single parent, is so stretched to keep them afloat that she hardly notices her son or witnesses any of his anguish. He feels he has no one to turn to until an incident allows him to find a different persona and a family to hook onto.

This particular production has been gifted the perfect package in Stuart Brown, who engages with the audience and embraces his persona in the title role of Evan Hansen. The way he commands the stage and fills the auditorium with an emotional sensitivity that’s quite astonishing in such a huge space is extraordinary.

There’s nothing showy or superfluous in his approach to the role, he simply is Evan Hansen, which draws even those few souls  –  including myself  –  who don’t instinctively engage into the angst-ridden universe of a teenager whose whole being is fearful of the outside world.

Justin Swartz (Jared Kleinman), Keely Crocker (Zoe Murphy) and Stuart Brown (Evan Hansen) in conversation.

That and the music written by an experienced team of songwriters, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who are best known for their Oscar, Grammy and Tony-winning work on La La Land, The Greatest Showman and now this, each of which spawned albums that landed in the Top 10 on the Billboard 200. That’s hard to beat and you could pick up from the audience that many of them knew the music and the lyrics, which would really add to a fuller experience.

There really isn’t much to fault in this production guided by the genius musical instincts of Karvellas supported by Lingenvelder’s music know-how, with a marvellously clever ensemble cast, all with voices that carry the music, it is a story well told.

It’s not just teens but also families that would benefit from the show. Communication, real person-to-person contact and, in this instance parents and children, is the other issue that is explored. These are not traditional topics for musicals and that is what makes this one so intriguing.

It also one of the finest shows to target the teen audience. At their most susceptible to be groomed as future theatre fans, this one ticks all the boxes. There’s a hero who explores and explodes, a story that ventures into almost forbidden territory and a production that unfolds beautifully with many different characters who find what they are looking for, a variety of issues to mine, and for those who want a softer landing, a story of romance.

But more than anything, there’s the glorious music and the explosive performances by an exciting ensemble who push the energy with joyful enthusiasm. You simply have to let go and engage.

PAUL SLAB’S NEW LOCAL PLAY, BITTER WINTER, CELEBRATES SCRIPT, DIRECTING AND ACTING

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PICTURES: Regardt Visser

BITTER WINTER

PLAYWRIGHT: Paul Slabolepszy

CAST: André Odendaal, Oarabile Ditsele, Chantal Stanfield

DIRECTOR: Lesedi Job

VENUE: Pieter Toerien’s The Studio at Montecasino

DATES: Until March 16

Everything to my mind seemed aligned for this one. I found the casting as well as the director intriguing, a new local play is always something to be excited about and Paul Slab has a way of climbing into a story.

At the same time, it also makes me nervous. I don’t want to raise my expectations by thinking ahead, but one can hardly prevent it.

Ensemble cast (Chantal Stanfield, André Odendaal and Oarabile Ditsele) and playwright Paul Slabolepszy

Either way, I was quick to exhale once the actors found their way on stage. One feels it immediately. It’s two actors in a room waiting (rather like a doctor’s waiting room) to be auditioned.

 Anyone who knows anything about theatre knows that this is both an exhilarating and a scary experience. Not many of us have to sell ourselves in such a public way each time when applying for a new job. And like most things in life, there’s not really anything that can be done to alleviate the nerves crashing into one another at high speed in these circumstances.

Not only that. If there’s something Paul knows everything about, it’s this. Both as a writer and an actor, it’s a scenario that he has lived most of his life – and one feels all of that when watching the play.

The two hopeful actors (the one at the end of his career, the other excited about the life ahead) who don’t know one another are sitting in a room checking each other out. Times are tough – not only for actors – and this is not a friendly space. There’s no one around trying to soften the gig they’re waiting for.

Every once in a while, a rather officious woman enters and, while she’s charming to the one actor, she bristles when the other asks anything. The tension is palpable.

Already a scary space for all involved, it is also heightened in the South African context. And this is what the playwright handles so well. He plays the moment and not the context, which he leaves to the audience to experience.

It’s subtle yet clichéd but with this clever script and a team who works with everything they’re given, it sweeps you along.

The title could work in two of our languages, English and Afrikaans, and that’s another trick up Slab’s sleeve. He has both languages (as well as three more indigenous languages inluding Sesotho, isiZulu and Tsotsi) flowing throughout and, in this instance appropriately and with some delicious irony in hand as he points to the state of the arts in general.

The choice of actors and director, novel and genius, adds to the grit and weightiness of what we’re dealing with. It’s not an easy world to navigate in current times and if your particular career choice constantly also takes you to the edge of life’s challenges, it can be excruciating.

And yet, that is where these people involved choose to play. That is exactly what this play explores. It’s part of who they are and what they have to do.

Bitter Winter is a fantastic vehicle for someone who has been in the game for some time and knows the territory, the people and their insecurities, and the fears involved. But then he also knows how to capture the magnetism of live theatre, how it cherishes the soul, captures our imagination and makes you think.

It works because everyone pulls together. The acting, the directing and the text all play their part.

I can hear Paul say Local is Lekker in his exuberant manner. And he’s right. When it works this wonderfully, it’s a joy to behold.

Bitter Winter is donating a portion of ticket sales to the Theatre Benevolent Fund and every cent counts.

WORDS OF WONDERMENT FOR THE QUEEN OF PANTO

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BY DIANE DE BEER

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

DIRECTOR/SCRIPTWRITER: Janice Honeyman

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Timothy le Roux

SOUND DESIGNER: Akhona Bozo

PRODUCTION MANAGER: Sandy Dyer

LIGHTING DESIGNER: Johan Ferreira

COSTUME DESIGNER: Mariska Meyer

CHOREOGRAPHER: Khaya Ndlovu

PRODUCTION DESIGNER: Andrew Timm

SET DESIGNER AND BUILDER: Enos Ramoroko

MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Dale Ray

THE CAST AND THE BAND: Too many to list

VENUE: Joburg Theatre

DATES: Until December 22

Dear Janice,

Driving back from this year’s pantomime (the children of the kids who first used to accompany me are now my annual companions) I thought it was time that I should write a more personal letter of thanks and admiration rather than the usual review.

Not being at a newspaper any longer and posting on my personal blog, I have the right, I think. Also, between the two of us, you have probably/arguably written and  produced more pantomimes than anyone else, definitely in this country and probably out there in the big world too; and I have probably watched and reviewed more than many can claim.

The genre as such isn’t my favourite and you have many other theatrical accomplishments in case anyone should think this is the only thing you do. But because of you, I make a distinction between a panto and a Janice panto, and as I mentioned in the review of Aspoestertjie (currently running in Pretoria), you have raised the bar for anyone who wants to participate in this field.

There isn’t any chance that I would have managed year by year if not for your genius and innovation. Being who you are, I know you would have been bored to death as anyone would have been, if you didn’t set a particular challenge for yourself. And perhaps that was what saved us both.

I was sitting in a packed Joburg Theatre on a Sunday with a show starting at noon and the aircon struggling with the current heat. Watching the audience, there were many kids but many couples or friends without youngsters too. It’s an institution and one you established and nurtured and grew to what it is. Small wonder they don’t want to let you go!

The text, which is always current and probably the thing most cherished by the adults, is as always on the mark with bullies a strong theme. That’s no surprise, but I love the way you wangle to be political without offending anyone.

You always have your finger on the  pulse and have managed to work your way with casts which now fully represent the country without too much fanfare, you just did it. And this mirror of our society at a season that has such mass appeal is probably one of your strongest achievements. Few would have managed in such an easy fashion while showing the best of the country without bashing anyone on the head.

I know this is unfair, but allow me the indulgence. Cast and musicians were fantastic, but there were five that deserve special mention: Bongi Archi (aboveas the Good Fairy (Mama’ama’bali); Virtuous Kandemiri as Beauty-Belle; Judy Ditchfield having an absolute ball as Hectate-Hex, the wicked witch; and Lesedi Rich as Doodlesakkie The Donkey; and lest we forget, Chrissie-Anna Mampoer as the guest newsreader.

Through the decades you have been gifted technological advances, but the wonderment of that is to see how you have applied that in such a wonderful way. This time it’s the way you blend the players from their digital images to the live performers.

Also the sets, the in jokes which some might miss but it doesn’t matter. It keeps viewers on their toes. The six-year-old was curious about some of the adult laughter and that’s also a good thing. There’s a lesson there every once in a while.

I truly loved your Hitchcock moment this time. You managed to display almost all your different skills as well as showing that you’ve still got it – and will always keep forging ahead.

You are an example of a true artist. Someone who could probably have stopped through the years, but you simply cannot resist. For that I’m grateful. Your casting of the young and the old, the experienced and the newbies, each one of them bringing something unique to the stage and the story, also contributes to the success.

Even your choice of Timothy le Roux as assistant director and company manager looks ahead, as you made sure you don’t go without leaving some institutional memory and knowledge behind. If anyone was there to watch and learn it was this artist who started in the arts as a ballet dancer and followed that by crafting and creating his own way on the production side in this very tough profession.

To everyone’s delight, it’s the usual spectacular pantomime, but the reason we could say that time and again from one decade to the next, is you, Janice Honeyman.

And for me to say this about pantomime is all your doing.

Thanks for the magic and the memories!

I don’t have to preach to the converted and for those of you who need to introduce youngsters to the enchantment of live theatre, this is it.

FROM A FAN

PRETORIA HAS ITS OWN FANCY PANTOMIME THIS YEAR AND IT GETS A CELEBRATORY THUMBS UP

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Review by DIANE DE BEER

Aspoestertjie and the ensemble.

ASPOESTERTJIE DIE PANTOMIME presented by OAK ENTERTAINMENT

DIRECTOR: Ferdinand Gernandt

MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Jaco Smit

CHOREOGRAPHY Tarryn Botha

CAST: Afrikaans singer Leah (Aspoestertjie);  Marno van der Merwe (Prins Jan-Percy); Carmen Pretorius (stiefma Mevrou Violetta Esterhuizen); Grant Towers en Schoeman Smit (stiefsusters Marabella en Amaranta); Elsje Lourens (Feetjie peetma) as well as Donae Brazer, Duandre Vorster, Jemma Gradwell, Jonathan Raath, Lindi Niemand, Monique Barnard, Rainy van Zyl, Tristin Indigo, Tseamo Mapukata and Zante Marais to complete the ensemble

TICKETS: http://www.afriforumteater.co.za/event-details?event=aspoestertjie-die-pantomime or at the box office at the Afriforum Theatre, Menlo Park

VENUE: Afriforum Theatre

DATES: Until December 13

PICTURES: Supplied by OAK Entertainment

The scheming step-mom and a forlorn Cindy.

For the first time in decades Pretoria has a pantomime to be proud of.

Gauteng has grown accustomed to the Janice Honeyman spectaculars at the Joburg Theatre and that is also happening, which meant that my expectations were put on hold when I went to the first preview of this production.

I was also prepared to give them some slack because of the early attendance but it’s a short run and I wanted to get the word out there – especially if, as in this case, it is good.

It’s much better than that. It all starts with the script, which is original and funny  – and  has some real edge to keep the adults happy while the youngsters get the drift of this thoroughly modern Cinderella tale with many twists and turns.

Add to that a cast that have been rehearsed to within an inch of their lives and there was very little to complain of.

The prince and the two ugly sisters.
Let’s all go to the masked ball!

It’s also good to see that they’re prepared to take some chances, like the vibrant, young Elsje Lourens cast as the fairy godmother, Tina Tydreis. She’s the one who has to set the tone and pace of the production and has no problems doing just that. There’s bounce in every move and she immediately engages the audience in her particular telling of this over-the-top tale.

Pantomimes rely heavily on a handful of actors who have to keep everything together. The romantic leads, in this instance Leah and Marno as Cinderella and her prince, have to keep the little hearts racing. I had a youngster right next to me who was terrified she would not witness the final embrace.

With Lourens, the two deliciously decorative ugly sisters (Towers and Smit) and probably the celebrity of the show, Carmen Pretorius as the achingly precious stepmother, they especially  knew how to keep the show on its toes and the laughter rolling while playing their parts to the hilt and singing their songs magnificently.

It truly was a treat and I was thrilled that Pretoria finally stood up to challenge their neighbouring city with some panto excellence. I know Ms Honeyman will welcome the competition and she will delight in witnessing the results of the standard she has set other professionals in this particular field.

Pantomime isn’t as easy as it looks. Everyone is having a merry old time but if your cast doesn’t have the energy and elegance to pull it off, the audience won’t engage.

This one did. From the youngsters to a row of elderly women, everyone was shaking with laughter and delight throughout and for me, someone who has seen far too many pantos in her life, the fiesty and fresh approach, and the sheer excellence of the presentation, was a highlight.

It wasn’t that I was expecting to experience doom and gloom, but the standard was unexpected and something that blew me away.

Tseamo Mapukata (as Buttons, centre) has a magnificent voice and the rest of the cast are not too shabby either.

If you have children in the family, gather them and get tickets to join this talented gang in some lovely end-of-year entertainment. There’s not a weak link in sight and I would go especially to hear Tseamo Mapukata  who played Buttons sing.

What an exquisite voice. But none of the cast was too shabby.

Let’s hope we hear more from OAK Entertainment in the future, they certainly know how to put on a show!

KKNK’S BI-ANNUAL TEXT MARKET A THEATRE EXPERIENCE THAT SPARKLES WITH INNOVATION

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DIANE DE BEER

Tinarie van Wyk Loots talking about her script Hamlet/Speenvark.
Picture: Nardus Engelbrecht

DIANE DE BEER

This is the 9th time I’ve written about the Klein Karoo Kunstefees/NATi/Baxter Teksmark (text market), the reason being it is such a smart creative endeavour.The brainchild of Hugo Theart, the CEO and artistic director, Hugo Theart of the Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees (KKNK), it is one of my favourite events of the year It’s existence was born out of need because original local scripts had become a problem. What they were hoping to do was to create new theatre texts which would provide local content for the festivals as well as encouragement for both budding and seasoned writers. And that is exactly what happened.

This past festival was the 9th, 156 text ideas in many of our official languages have been presented and in total, 43 of these texts have been developed into full scale productions, some of which can also boast well-deserved prizes.

What I find so intriguing is the zeitgeist that shifts year by year. Very specific strong themes usually emerge and it is fascinating to observe the topics tackled and which struggles or celebrations the creatives have focused on in a particular year.

One of the extraordinary gifts that this particular platform supplies is the chance for artists to experiment, to test ideas, to play and simply to reach for the stars which is something that quite a few playwrights attempted with brilliant results.

Acknowledged as one of our best actors, Tinarie van Wyk Loots presented a play titled Hamlet/Speenvark. Even the title suggests that this is going to be something unusual. Blessed with her acting skills, she could present her own play/monologue, which I found challenging yet immensely exciting.

She describes it as an attempt at a solo production, or struggling poem, modelled on, and with apology to Shakespeare’s Hamlet (and she cites Jonker, De Villiers, Malherbe, Totius, Opperman and Yeats). That’s quite a list.

She writes that it is “a tentative but violent investigation into the emotional landscape of being South African – the search for identity and a relationship with guilt and victim mentality.”

She further explains that her choice was driven by her “ancestors rooted in Africa and Europe, the disillusion of humanity, and emotional suicide depicted through the extrapolation of various characters in the original script, who all speak from the same mouth.”

The reading was magnificent and I could feel that this was going to develop into something quite extraordinary. Van Wyk Loots is someone who has given her heart and soul to the stage. Few actors can still afford to do that. But she has the skill and talent to keep adding to her repertoire and her engagement with theatre.

Not only can she write, she can then take the text, already her own, and do with it whatever she wishes. Personally I can’t wait. This is the kind of production that keeps theatre alive.

Dianne du Toit Albertze in conversation about Meire en Pinkie.
Picture: Nardus Engelbrecht

Never one to shy away from tackling holy cows, Dianne du Toit Albertze’s writing grabs you by the throat. On first reading of the text, I needed to know who had written with such abandon and such a brave heart. When I discovered who it was, I knew it couldn’t be anyone else and I was surprised I didn’t pick up the harsh yet haunting style of this writer.

Meire en Pinkie depict orphanage runaways and ladies of the night and day. Okiep jintoes with nagging drug addictions who scramble for survival daily, searching for a cure, writes Du Toit Albertze, but fail to know how to get it. But they continue running towards ways to escape the vicious cycle of poverty and abuse.

But she points out, life has a way of outsmarting you. The sins of their mothers catch up with them when they are accused of selling the means to vicious addiction, Meire’s child. It’s something they endured themselves as children. And now they feel abandoned

Picture: Nardus Engelbrecht
A scene from Meire en Pinkie.

It’s gritty, hard-hitting and without compromise. Some would argue for something with less hard edges but this is exactly what theatre can achieve: to tell real-life stories in a language that becomes a character, confronts you and makes you listen without turning away. This is when theatre becomes therapy for those writing and performing as well as those watching.

These are just two of the standout texts, part of this year’s text market at the Baxter but there were many more that had potential for further development and some already  stage-ready.

Playwright Gavin Werner (Meeting Murphy, centre) with two actors playing the parts on either side.
Foto: Nardus Engelbrecht

The theme of bullying captured by Gavin Werner in Meeting Murphy will touch everyone who would have experienced it in some form. Another one that popped up in quite a few texts was memory and the way individuals remember the same event in different ways. How we view the world is often coloured by past experiences and this can lead to discomfort in some instances.

The Salt Lesson by the insightful Sibuyiselo Dywill also tackles memory but here it has to do with different generations, cultures and languages and most importantly for the playwright, from the same bloodline. In any context this is a huge ask but with the South African apartheid past, when the elderly family member (white) suffers from dementia and regards the youngster (black) as an intruder rather than a son, things can get really messy.

Playwright Sibuyiselo (with the mic) surrounded by the three actors in his play The Salt Lesson.
Picture: Nardus Engelbrecht

It’s such a clever idea which explores different issues in genius and thoughtful fashion forcing audiences to look at their own world views from a different vantage point.

Scenes from The Salt Lesson. Pictures: Nardus Engelbrecht

With plays written in home languages including Afrikaans, English and Xhosa, the premise is embracing and expansive with the graft expanding year by year. Once we can figure out how to present theatre in different languages so that everyone can understand – easily – Teksmark will truly break down barriers and shift theatre in this country into a unique stratosphere.

And if you want to check out what is happening at the second Gauteng Teksmark to be held at UJ, where different playwrights and others involved in the theatre industry discuss their ideas as play readings, enquire with J.C. Aucamp at 0763335945 or jc@kunste.org.za.

The KKNK 2024 Gauteng Teksmark will be held on 24 and 25 October at Keorapetse William Kgositsile Theatre, Kingsway Campus, University of Johannesburg.

SPRING AWAKENING BLOWS INTO GAUTENG’S PIETER TOERIEN THEATRE, MONTECASINO LIKE A BREATH OF FRESH AIR

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PICTURES BY CLAUDE BARNARDO.

Niall Griffin dying the costumes wearing protective gear.

When Niall Griffin was invited to take on most of the design elements (set, costumes and lighting) for the Sylvaine Strike-directed Spring Awakening, he was nervous going into the process because living up to the expectations of a legend can be daunting. He tells DIANE DE BEER about the experience, which he describes as the highlight of his career:

Spring Awakening, presented by Cape Town’s Luitingh Alexander Musical Theatre Academy (LAMTA) as their first book musical, also marks the first time that Sylvaine Strike has directed a musical. 

Based on the controversial play that was written in the late 1800s by Frank Wedekind, Spring Awakening delves into the lives of a group of adolescent students discovering their changing bodies, their sexual identities, urges and desires, all while navigating the oppressive and draconian societal norms of the day. 

Under Strike’s visionary direction, this reimagined production (with a very young cast) brings the gripping and emotional story to life as it explores complex themes such as self-discovery, repression and the power of rebellion. 

Niall Griffin, a designer with a mission.

And while there was initial anxiety, once the work began, Griffin knew instantly that he was on safe ground. “The care, respect, trust and sense of magical play that Sylvaine instilled in our journey together are unmatched in my career. I think we both felt an immediate understanding of each other and were both amazed at how perfectly our style and ethos merged,” he says.

“We care immensely for our process, our casts, our team and our audiences, sometimes to our detriment, but finding someone with that same level of care has been one of the greatest gifts of my career.”

Being familiar with the level of detail Strike approaches when making a play, all of the above sounds like a match made in heaven.

The vibrant young cast in Spring Awakening

Accepting the challenge was a no-brainer for a designer who is also described as an industry legend. “There are musicals and then there are musicals. Some are light and frivolous and the perfect escapism and then some hit you harder in a place that truly moves you. Spring Awakening is the latter for me. The little rockstar hit that came out of left field to take Broadway by storm,” is how he describes it.

“It deals with things that we’ve all been through or are going through, both good and bad. All too often, in this day and age, we are driven into false beliefs and horrific mental health issues because we carry such shame from our experiences. The show, as heartbreaking as the story is, leaves one with love, compassion and a sense of togetherness. The human condition is not singular. We are not alone. We all need a little more love in our lives… and who doesn’t love a bit of Victorian-era deliciousness?”

Describing the process, he explains that what began as an exercise in replicating period fabric developed into an exploration on how possible it was to create an entire show from natural fibre. “Our planet has rapidly become saturated with ‘the synthetic’ and I believed this show needed authenticity in every aspect if it was to have the impact it deserved.

“The entirety of the show’s design is manufactured from purely natural fibre. Costumes began as neutral cotton that were dyed with natural dyes. The set is sustainably sourced wood and hessian made from vegetable fibre. It has been an incredibly educational and rewarding process.”

It is that process that piqued my interest, especially when basically the whole look depends on the outcome. Griffin understood that taking on the full production design across set, costume and lighting was a huge undertaking and not for the faint hearted.

“My driving force is to find a seamless synergy between all departments. What I term ‘one organism’. While taking on full production design is huge, it does make knitting a visual together far easier. Even though this show was Sylvaine’s and my ‘maiden voyage’, it was clearly destined, as our sensibilities and aesthetics couldn’t be better matched.”

And there’s the key, something they obviously both understood. “Theatre design to me, at its core, is about designing emotional response. I needed to immerse myself in the emotional journey of the piece, the high and low tides, in order to find its design core,” he notes.

For him texture is far more than paint and dye. “I spent a long time with the score and libretto and, to quote the Gen Z’ers, ‘felt the feels’. This is how I approach the majority of my design work, from a place of emotional honesty. It’s about finding the heart of the piece.”

Describing his process in more detail, he began with the sets, followed by costumes and finally lighting:

“When it comes to scenic design, my favourite moments in theatre are when a space manages to completely morph its texture, feeling and setting without all the ‘big toys’ and flash. A threatening storm can become something else, in mere moments, with a shaft of light breaking through the clouds. I wanted the space to morph seamlessly so that the emotional flow wasn’t interrupted by a clunky scene change. Finding the balance between something that can feel both oppressive and beautiful was a challenge. Using exposed wood was a no-brainer for me. Wood is a material that carries its growth with it forever. Its rings and knots and imperfections are part of it. This felt poetic to me.”

When it came to costuming, he wanted to create a uniform that felt prescribed by an oppressive regime, “a regime trying to erase the individual and force uniformity. I felt this would underpin the narrative journey of our characters rebelling against the blind norm by illustrating how prescribed uniformity cannot erase the burning fire of the individual.

“Every costume, from head to toe, has been lovingly made from scratch. They are all individually hand dyed and aged, and this is where I started to sneak the individual into the uniforms by aging and breaking down each individual’s garments with their own personality. Some of this detail may not be evident to the audience, but it was important to me that the cast could experience their costumes in this way. I truly believe that what the cast feels in their costumes translates into their performances.”

Lighting delivers the final flourish. “Sometimes, at the speed a musical moves, the audience needs to understand an emotional shift quickly, and this is where lighting was vital to me. I wanted the world to feel murky and rich, like an oil painting come to life.”

If the successful runs in Cape Town are an indicator, this has all been achieved, as the visuals will attest.

And Griffin has his final say: “Making theatre, especially non-replica productions, in South Africa in the current climate is hard work. Creating an entire musical from scratch was a feat second to none. I have a team of remarkable artisans that I work closely with and whom I would be nothing without. They all share my level of delivery standards and they all jump into the deep end with my crazy ideas. A tribe second to none. I couldn’t be prouder of the product, and watching audiences experience it in Cape Town has filled me with so much joy.”
* Performances run until 5 May 2024 at Pieter Toerien’s Theatre at Montecasino with shows from Wednesdays to Saturdays at 7:30pm and matinees on Saturdays and Sundays at 2:30pm. Tickets cost from R200 through Webtickets. Please note that Spring Awakening contains mature themes, partial nudity, sexual situations as well as explicit language. No persons under 13.  

DREAMY SINGER/SONGWRITER LUNA PAIGE IS ON THE MOVE WITH MUSIC THAT REFLECTS THE TIME

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Stellenbosch singer/songwriter Luna Paige will be in Pretoria and Philadelphia for rare performances to celebrate the launch of two new albums; the one in Afrikaans (Dis die Dors), the other in English (Harmony). DIANE DE BEER chats to the singer whose career she has followed from her early days – with admiration:

Storielied Reunion.Picture: Pierre Rommelare

For singer/songwriter Luna Paige the last few years has been a sharp learning curve. Since her early start in the industry (late 1999), she has been one of the most dedicated artists I know – and she usually does it all herself.

Her first look-in was when she was invited to record three of her songs on a compilation album alongside Lesley Rae Dowling and other female artists at the time. “It is what catapulted me into a music career,” she says. But driven as she is, and one has to be when you drive your own career as she does, she would have found a way.

Since those early days she has released five solo albums and one SAMA-nominated collaborative album. And since 2015, she has released numerous songs digitally  and she believes, she has come into her own this past decade. That is until Covid struck.

She established her own music production company which developed music-driven productions, hosted and organised, concert series and co-ordinated music workshops five years ago. In her capacity at Iluminar Productions, she also represented other musicians and musical groups.

She found herself collaborating with many artists and produced shows such  as Her Blues, Korreltjie Kantel and Smeltkroes. She also played a supporting and promotional role in the popular My Miriam Makeba Story featuring the luminous Sima Mashazi.

Because her business was still young and primarily focussed on servicing art festivals and live entertainment venues and clubs, the pandemic was disastrous as for so many other artists who depend on audiences.

Luna knew it was time to join the workforce and between 2021 and 2024 she worked as a marketer and fundraiser for Paul Roos Gymnasium, a prestige Stellenbosch school. But she’s back in the music business, armed with many new skills and ideas she wants to implement in the music industry – as well as two new albums.

During Covid she had time to reflect, and, coming out of the pandemic, her thinking and that of the world around her, has changed. That is also what her songs reflect; her collaborative intent as well as the fast-paced changes in our society. “The last time I released an album, the world looked a lot different. The digital era is now in full sway. It has affected everything outside of us, but also our own internal way of processing information, and life in general.”

And that is exactly what she sings about.

When you ask Luna about her life, she speaks about the difficulty of packaging herself. “Let’s be honest, I am so many things!” She is a singer-songwriter. She writes in her mother tongue but also in English. She doesn’t compose in a specific genre. “For me, the song, and the story behind it, dictates the genre the song needs to be in. I find my influences from a wide array of genres.”

But then she is also a social worker, an altruist and an organiser. She feels she is a catalyst of sorts. “I know how to bring an interesting group of people together to do great things.” And with those words in mind, I predict exciting performances in the future.

Luna has always had to fight for her place in the industry. Performing isn’t an easy way to make a living. Music is her life, and she has always known that’s where she wants to be. Armed with new skills and insight, she believes that private investment in the arts is essential for its survival. “I believe artists have a huge responsibility to not only expect funds, but to also give back to their own communities. And the causes they believe in.”

While fundraising and marketing something other than herself, she became aware of her own different facets. “I have always seen them as separate things, one not having anything to do with the other. But now I know it’s the combination of these elements that makes me unique.”

She’s excited to explore what she calls “fusion of self”, how it will unfold and the kind of creative endeavours it will lead to.

These two latest album releases also reflect her new-found knowledge, showing the different sides of self.

“My Afrikaans side and my English side. Why? Because I do express myself differently in these two languages. It is interesting to me how I almost have a different voice in each of them,” she explains.

And speaking of voices, Luna also does different voices when she speaks and when she sings. If you have a conversation and have never heard her sing, it sounds like a completely different person.

On her Afrikaans album, Dis die Dors, she pays homage to two iconic poets – Jeanne Goosen and Antjie Krog. Their poems, which she puts to music, touch on the subject of either loneliness or aloneness. “It’s a theme I am quite interested in – especially the difference between the two. The power of the one versus the sadness of the other.”  Both poets, she notes, also touch on our thirst – for something meaningful in what can be a challenging world. “I sing about purpose, about nature’s generous supply of lessons, and about the labels we embrace for our own self-preservation.” She also addresses online nastiness and real-life kindness, and borrowed time.

And as always with the soulful singer, the genres vary from gypsy jazz and world music to folk rock, rock ‘n roll, troubadour-style songs and one typical Luna-style piano rock ballad.

On the English album, Harmony, she included some of the songs released digitally during 2021 and 2022, as they didn’t reach enough people. She believes they deserve a good resting place. She describes the album as bolder in sound and voice. “I am sharing ideas that I have never previously introduced in my music. Ideas about a lot of –isms. In my song Whose life is it anyway I am encouraging freedom of expression, of individualism, freedom from whatever the mainstream demands. In Circle of witches she addresses the sensitivity towards feminism (even from women themselves). “It is a modern take on feminism and why I believe it is still relevant.”

Not one to stand on the sidelines,  Middle Class Shoes  is dedicated to May 29 when we stand in line to vote for our next ruling party. “It is a song about classism – something we don’t acknowledge remotely enough when talking politics in SA,” she says.

Luna Paige. Picture: Nardus Engelbrecht

Real news that feels like fiction, alcohol abuse, the power of owning aloneness as well as her love of the continent all feature. And there’s much more.

What she does with her music is speak her mind. All she asks is that we take the time to listen. And I certainly can’t wait. She has a voice that melts your heart and touches the soul. And she offers wisdom and wit with her thoughtful lyrics.

Much thought and research went into producing these albums and how to package them for this digital age.

What she has decided is to release her music in USB-format.

The 2024-USB will include the two new albums, poster art, lyric sheets and two music videos. The Full Collection-USB, will offer all her releases since 2003, multiple videos and live footage. She will also be selling personalised Luna Paige notebooks – with lyric extracts inside.

Her first performance was in Stellenbosch this past weekend and these two follow in Gauteng and Philadelphia:

Sunday, 14 April. Moonshot Café. Pretoria. 2.30pm. Tickets cost R200 at Quicket. Ticket link: https://qkt.io/tR9Nhd. On stage: Luna Paige and Mauritz Lotz.

Wednesday, 17 April. BV Hall. Philadelphia. 8pm. Pre-drinks and dinner at The Pepper Tree from 5.30 to 7.30pm  (Reservations: (+27) 84 707 3177. Show time: 8pm. Tickets cost R200 at Quicket. Ticket link: https://qkt.io/DAlG8G. On stage: Luna Paige, Mauritz Lotz, Schalk Joubert, Kevin Gibson.

And then she’s off for the rest of the year as she recharges her creative instincts and inspiration. She will be visiting places she has always dreamt of like Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugal and possibly Slovenia. She will be walking and writing, researching business ideas and checking in with artists who work in a social impact sphere.

She will be vlogging for those who wish to follow: https://lunamusic.co.za/blog-and-chat/