Stage and Screen Stage and Screen is an online publication offering the latest Entertainment news of Productions on Stage, and on Screens.

A Play where Organised Chaos is Perfected By Louw Mulder The scene is set. It is opening night of the Northriding Polytechnic Drama Society’s production of Murder at Haversham Manor. The actors in this play are dedicated, loyal, and also very excited to perform. Everything is ready, the lights go out, the director makes his opening speech, and then everything just goes wrong. Stomach-spasm laughter ...

‘n Album ‘Stukkie vir Stukkie met Hart en Hand aanmekaar Getimmer’ Deur Louw Mulder Vat nou byvoorbeeld die klanke van Mumford and Sons, asook die Lumineers wat eerskomende maand hier in Suid-Afrika optree, sit ‘n tikkie varsgeskryfde woordkuns en die mooiheid van Afrikaans daarby, en jy kom na aan ‘n beskrywing van Kaleidoskoop se musiek. Ek was bevoorreg om die bekendstellingsgeleentheid van Kaleidoskoop se nuwe ...

A Seesaw Film: Do I Change, or do I self-destruct? by Coen Jacobs The reason why a seesaw is made for two people, is because when one person goes down, there is always someone on the other side to lift that person up again. The Tribe, which is an all South African film, addresses the question of how one can try and put life back ...

A Live Evolution from Madness into Magic By Louw Mulder I was fortunate enough to get invited to the opening performance of the world acclaimed Blue Man Group show for their South African tour at the Teatro in Montecasino. Never ever have I experienced something like this, but what remains a fact, is that I experienced Awesome. It would be close to impossible to categorise ...

A Majesitc, Memorable, Magnificent Musical By Louw Mulder In the mid-nineties, in the middle of my high school career, I took a fieldtrip to the Sand du Plessis Theatre in Bloemfontein to see my first ever musical, West Side Story. Not only was I bowled over by the magic a stage production can enchant, but also the decisive factor was, that it made me fall ...

‘n Aangename Verrassing deur Koos Roets deur Louw Mulder Ná die vorige rolprent van regisseur Koos Roets, ‘n Pawpaw vir my Darling, was my verwagting vir Roets se film hierdie jaar ‘n bietjie onseker, maar my gemoed toe ek by die teater uitloop ná die vertoning van Hoener met die Rooi Skoene was rustig, heel gelukkig en die fliek het my baie vermaak. Soveel só dat ...

Laugh, Dare, Drag by Louw Mulder Yes, they lip-sync, and boldly also admit to this fact early on during their performance, but as they say: “At least we do it better than Britney!” But a performance you can expect from the men of Menopause or rather extravagant drag artists in the true sense of the word, is nothing short of sheer entertainment. This show is not ...

Die ware, humoristiese verhaal van ‘n kronkelrige liefdespad na die kansel Deur Jaco Lotriet Stroopsoete nostalgie. Daar is nie twee beter gekose woorde om hierdie onvergeetlike liefdesverhaal te beskryf nie. ‘n Verhaal so boeiend, beide die karakters en storielyn omvou die gehoor van meet af tot op ‘n punt waar hul met oorgawe verlore gaan in ‘n wêreld van weerloosheid, onverskrokkenheid as antitese, liefde, vriendskap, ...

Altyd daardie een, die een wie se vat jou altyd by bly. Deur Jaco Lotriet   Ek is oor die algemeen ‘n romantikus van hart maar laat ek vanuit die staanspoor getuig dat liefdesverhale my ongemaklik laat voel. In my skeptimisme vooraf, het ek nietemin altyd groot verwagtinge van produksies soos dié en gewoonlik is die eindproduk teleurstellend. Dit wil voorkom of vervaardigers ‘n resep ...

Annie promises Rich and Talented Stage Stars for Tomorrow by Louw Mulder Very seldom a theatre production of this scale makes you proud, and very positive about the future of SA Theatre. In this case, Annie doesn’t disappoint; it is a showcase of the young talent we can expect major success from in the future. There are many aspects of Annie to rave about, but ...

A Disco Mirror-ball, Reflecting SA’s Finest by Louw Mulder   For Joburgers it may be a long drive to Pretoria, but Bernard Jay’s production of Saturday Night Fever will be worth the trip. This uniquely staged production of the Paramount / RSO film featuring John Travolta, sets the scene for a disco-filled experience, featuring some of South Africa’s top theatre performers, and a creative team ...

Female Harmonization Perfected By Louw Mulder   Big Concerts really raised the standards with the variety of shows they brought to our shores this year. And with Celtic Woman, it was no exception. I was privileged to see them live at Carnival City a few years ago, and this time around at the Teatro, Montecasino, it was an improved experience, with an enhanced quality of ...

‘So, spring gou op en kom nou saam, dat ons die Nuwe Seisoen ingaan…’  Deur Jaco Lotriet   Die immergewilde Weiveld op die buitewyke van Bronkhorstspruit het Saterdagaand 17 September opnuut gegons met die vrystelling van Adam se nuwe CD, getiteld Hoogtevrees. Die manne mag dalk aan Hoogtevrees lei maar hul optrede was vreesloos, verstommend, uitsonderlik melodieeus en alom fantasties. Rynardt Hugo, Hugo Ludik en ...

Time of my Life By Louw Mulder The boyband Boyzone takes me back to the late 90’s. Those definitive varsity years, some would say the forming years of adulthood. This was the nostalgic sentiment that stood with me during the whole performance of once lead singer Ronan Keating’s concert at the Teatro in Montecasino this week. A solo artist in his own right, and a ...

Baanbreker film skuif grense deur Louw Mulder   Ek kan die films op my een hand tel waarin ek skelm-sklem ‘n traan of drie moes af vee weens die boeiende greep wat die storielyn op my gehad het. My Father’s War, is beslis die eerste Suid Afrikaanse rolprent in hierdie kategorie. Nie net is dit ‘n storie vol-op drama, intrige en oorlogstonele nie, maar dit is ...

Die Liefde is inderdaad kwesbaar. Deur Jaco Lotriet   Afrikaanse film liefhebbers is tot op hede vanjaar reeds bederf deur ‘n verskeidenheid van gehalte produksies. Intussen herenig die fassinerende drama, Twee Grade van Moord, twee van Suid-Afrika se geliefde veteraan akteurs vir die eerste keer in 27 jaar. Marius Weyers en Sandra Prinsloo het geen bekendstelling in die vermaaklikheidsbedryf nodig nie. Gesamentlik dra hulle by ...

Joburg Ballet marks 400th Anniversary of Shakespeare’s death in remarkable production of literature’s star-crossed lovers By Jaco Lotriet Following the successful run of Giselle, Joburg Theatre presents the most endearing love story of all time, in a ballet presentation of William Shakespeare’s timeless Romeo and Juliet. This production reunited Giselle leads Jonathan Rodrigues and Shannon Glover, amongst others, as the main characters in a breathtakingly ...

If you can set your mind to it, everything is possible by Louw Mulder   Something that has always been of huge interest to me over the years, is the phenomenon of different cultures. It is always fascinating to understand how people from different countries, different religions, even different races, think, do stuff, and most of all, live. Last night, during the opening performance of ...

Not a serious musical, but seriously entertaining By Louw Mulder   Sometimes, in the hustle and bustle of today’s life, it is just refreshingly entertaining to sit back, relax, and let the magic of a feel-good, almost panto-style musical take over. And that is a little understatement of how much I enjoyed Shrek, The Musical, which opened last night at the Lyric theatre in Gold ...

We never gonna survive, unless, we get a little Crazy. by Louw Mulder It was a cold Sunday night, and most people would stay indoors, unless, you get a little crazy. So a crowd of thousands faced those chills to go see a concert featuring a multi-award winning international star at the Ticketpro Dome in Johannesburg, last night. South Africa, and Jo’burg in particular, is the ...

A Masterful Mimic of Michael. by Louw Mulder It’s been 20 years since we, as the matric class of 1996, took our final walk across the stage to the music of Michael Jackson’s They don’t care about us. I also remember the event where I made out to my first varsity crush on the song Can you feel it, also by Michael Jackson as part ...

A comical journey along the meandering road of the S.A male psyche. By Jaco Lotriet It never ceases to amaze me how an actor can walk onto a stage in a one-man show and manage to keep the audience enthralled for an hour or even longer, sticking to a script, perhaps ad-libbing on the odd occasion and never losing the audience’s attention. Critically acclaimed theatre ...

An illuminated, colorful reinvention of a well-known classic. by Louw Mulder Set to the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber and the lyrics by Tim Rice, Pieter Toerien Productions, through the direction of Paul Warwick Griffin, once again brought a stellar production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat to the stage. This time, this biblical story was a reinvented festival of colorful lights, song and dance, through the energy ...

Die kronkelpad van volwasse liefde, in ‘n storie van hoop en genade. Deur Jaco Lotriet   Anna is ‘n gebroke, middelklas vrou in hierdie genadevolle moraliteit spel, onder die regie van bekroonde Suid-Afrikaanse film en televisie reggiseur, Regardt van den Bergh. Haar gemoedstoestand is gewikkel in ‘n stryd met haar gewete, as gevolg van haar diep Christelike waardes. Dié worsteling lei eindelik tot ‘n beduidende ...

by Jaco Lotriet A gloriously sinful and sizzling ballroom extravaganza that thrills and delights beyond measure Before I took up my seat in the Opera House of the Pretoria State Theatre for my inaugural Burn the Floor experience, I briefly rubbed shoulders with two patrons who happened to be experts on the South African theatre scene. They explicitly expressed the need to prepare myself to be ...

Deur Jaco Lotriet Falling in love is something Magical. Something you can’t control. It just happens.  The year is 1979. The milieu, Apartheid South Africa, centred in the picturesque eastern Free State. On a dusty rural road between Memel and Newcastle, set amongst beautiful rolling green hills in the background, we meet open minded Afrikaner girl and law student, Jeanette. Here, during a random act ...

Deur Jaco Lotriet ‘n Musikale wonderkind se gawe oorskadu deur die seer van ‘n stukkende wêreld. Die plakkaat van Verskietende Ster dui op die storie van ‘n jong man met ingebore talent vir die klavier.  Aanvanklik verwag mens ‘n verhaal van die buiteperd, wat vertel word op die pad na glorie wat verstrooid is met menige struikelblokke en hindernisse.  In werklikheid is dit ‘n storie met oktawe en sleutels ...

by Louw Mulder A Theatrical Masterpiece coming alive on Concert Stage When you are a fan of a huge international artist, and you have been invited to see that artist live on a stage, the natural anticipation is set so high, it in turn makes the risk of getting disappointed so much greater. This sense of disappointment after seeing Josh Groban live at the Ticketpro ...

by Jakes Lotriet Joburg Ballet celebrates 175th Anniversary of Giselle in stellar production The mere thought of attending my first ballet and the subsequent review, evoked some feelings of fear and trepidation within me. Would a production of this nature, consisting of interpretive dance sequences and classical music be able to relay a story, without any dialogue, contained therein? Would I be able to interpret ...

by Jaco Lotriet ‘Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound…’   There is no denying the incredible sophistication and exceptional talent that is musical virtuoso Rocco de Villiers. Once more, this accomplished pianist has managed to devise a spellbinding show of the highest calibre that inspires, delights and thrills his audience to new heights. His charm, wit and genius combined in this new theatre show, Amazing Grace, ...