After a hugely successful première season in February this year, Mozart & Salieri returns to the Artscape Opera House by popular demand from 24 August to 1 September 2018.  The sumptuous adaptation of Alexander Puskin’s short story, choreographed by Marc Goldberg, will once again be presented by Cape Town City Ballet (CTCB), for only six performances.  The two-act production drips with glamour, intrigue and innovation, with ground-breaking digitized set design, exquisite costuming and powerful dancing, all set to Mozart’s celebrated compositions.

Mozart and Salieri, made famous by Sir Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus, follows Mozart’s rumoured rivalry between himself and the court composer Antonio Salieri, and his tumultuous relationship with wife Constanze. The ballet is charged with emotion and previous reviews celebrated it as a thrilling, cutting edge spectacle, rarely seen on the South African stage and one that should not be missed.

Guest artist Maxime Quiroga (Mozart), who has danced with the Stuttgart Ballet, Wiener Staatballett and the Royal Ballet of Flanders and was previously seen in CTCB’s Giselle, shares the principal role with Martin Milner, while Daniel Szybkowski and Ivan Boonzaier alternate as Salieri, opposite ballerinas Laura Bosenberg and Mariette Opperman alternate as Constanze.

Goldberg, whose previous work includes The Vortex, spent three years bringing his vision to the stage and the result is a unique modern ballet; one that has captured the attention of dance lovers and new audiences who have praised Mozart and Salieri as a breath of fresh air in its genre.

Lighting design is by Denis Hutchinson, costumes by Jenny Stretch, Henriette Lamprecht and Kathryn Maclachlan, wigs by Barry du Bruin, and animation and projection by Pieter Steyn.

Mozart and Salieri

Cape Town

Artscape Opera House

Friday, 24 August, to Saturday, 1 September 2018 with performances at 2:00pm and 7:30pm

Tickets prices range from R120 to R280

Bookings are through Computicket or call 0214217695

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From the producer of Shrek The Musical and twelve sold-out award winning pantomimes, KickstArt Theatre brings you Puss in Boots, a swashbuckling spectacular for the whole family. Live on The Lyric stage from Friday, 30 June until Sunday, 23 July 2017, this rendition of Puss in Boots is an original adaptation of the well-known fairytale.

Set on a mystical, magical Caribbean island, Puss in Boots is a laugh-a-minute and features great audience participation, breath-taking sets, gorgeous costumes and toe-tapping tunes sure to enthral both young and old. Starring everybody’s favourite famous feline in footwear, along with a host of fabulous new characters, Puss in Boots offers the best in family entertainment available in Joburg this winter holiday.

Written and directed by Steven Stead and designed by Greg King, the story of Puss in Boots is brought to life by a stellar cast – Earl Gregory as the booted hero; Ilse Klink as the good fairy Calypso Honeybunch; Michael Richard playing the evil shape-shifting goblin wizard, Grimbsy Withergood; Sean John Louw as the hapless miller’s son, Tom Marzipan; Darren King as Mother Merry Marzipan; and Zak Hendrikz, Londiwe Dhlomo-Dhlamini, Yamikani Mahaka-Phiri and Caitlin Kilburn as some of Puss’ friends. This extravagant stage production is choreographed by Janine Bennewith, with lighting by theatre veteran Denis Hutchinson and under the musical direction of Rowan Bakker.

“Following the resounding success of Shrek The Musical, we are excited to bring this legendary pantomime to Gold Reef City,” says Noeleen Bruton, Director of Marketing for Tsogo Sun. “It’s an enchanting winter pantomime to be enjoyed these holidays by the entire family, not just the kids.”

Bruton continues, “We are also delighted upon hearing the recent news of KickstArt Theatre’s ten well deserved Naledi nominations for Shrek The Musical.  Staging another production featuring an all-star cast of highly experienced panto performers lead by Steven Stead and his production team was an easy decision for us.”

Puss in Boots performances will run at The Lyric during the following times: Wednesdays at 14h30; Thursdays  & Fridays at 19h30; Saturdays at 14h30 & 19h30; Sundays at 11h00 & 16h00.

Ticket prices range between R150-R260, and are available through www.goldreefcity.co.za, Gold Reef City Box Office on 011 248 5000 and Computicket.

SHOW & STAY PACKAGES

From R1,615 per room including two selected show tickets, breakfast and access to the theme park. Ts & Cs apply.

GROUP BOOKINGS – DISCOUNT OFFER:

• Groups of 20 or more will receive a 10% discount off the ticket price – applicable to all price categories.
• Group bookings will only be available at the Gold Reef City Box Office.
• This offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer, promotion or Rewards discounts.

TSOGO SUN REWARDS CARD – DISCOUNT OFFER:

• 10% off: Tsogo Sun Gold Rewards Card
• 15% off: Tsogo Sun Platinum Rewards Card
• 20% off: Tsogo Sun Black Rewards Card

NO CHILDREN UNDER THREE YEARS/NO BABES IN ARMS

The post Puss in Boots appeared first on Stage and Screen.

Executive Producer Bernard Jay is proud to announce the completion of casting for South Africa’s first ‘non-replica’, professional production of the legendary disco musical, Saturday Night Fever. “We have an absolutely fabulous, world class company of all South African artists,” says Jay. “The crème-de-la-crème of the amazing pool of musical theatre talent we have in this country.”

Leading the company on stage at the Opera Theatre of the Pretoria State Theatre from September 13th will be Daniel Buys as Tony Manero, Natasha Van Der Merwe as Stephanie Mangano, Matthew Berry as Bobby C, L J Neilson as Annette, Craig Urbani as Frank Manero, Charmaine Weir-Smith as Flo Manero, Bongi Mthombeni as Monty and Kiruna-Lind Devar as Pauline. Also featured in the all-star cast are Joanna Abatzoglou, Cameron Botha, Vanessa Brierley, Clint Lesch, Londiwe Dhlomo, Keaton Ditchfield, Toni Jean Erasmus, Devon Flemmer, Zane Gillion, Nurit Graff, Nathan Kruger, Sebe Leotlela, Brandon Lindsay, Phumi Mncayi, Raquel Munn, Mark Richardson, Phillip Schnetler and Steven van Wyk.

Winning the highly coveted role of the iconic Tony Manero – made legendary in the 1977 movie starring John Travolta – Daniel Buys (Mamma Mia!, Jersey Boys, West Side Story) declared “my inner Bee Gee just came out at the auditions!”.

Saturday Night Fever is presented by The South African State Theatre and Bernard Jay. Direction is by award-winning Greg Homann (A Voice I Cannot Silence), choreography is by Weslee Swain Lauder, musical direction by Rowan Bakker (this year’s Naledi Award Best Musical Director for Sister Act), with set and lighting design by Denis Hutchinson, costume design by Sarah Roberts and sound design by Trevor Peters.

The original stage musical of Saturday Night Fever was based on Nik Cohn’s 1975 New York Magazine article Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night and the 1977 film. The famous Bee Gees score – one of the best-selling movie soundtracks of all time – includes Stayin’ Alive, Disco Inferno, Night Fever, More Than a Woman, If I Can’t Have You, Nights on Broadway, How Deep is Your Love and Tragedy. The State Theatre’s production is a new version of the show adapted by American writers Sean Cercone and David Abbinanti: “We went back to the screenplay and edited it down,” says Cercone. “The songs needed to carry the emotional journey.”

Saturday Night Fever previews at the Opera Theatre from September 13th, with its official Opening Night set for September 16th. The season runs until October 9th. Tickets are on sale now at Computicket from R150. Visit www.computicket.com.

The post Saturday Night Fever appeared first on Stage and Screen.

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 with numerous awards to complete the fever.

What impressed me the most about this production, was the set and lightning design, by multi-award winner Denis Hutchinson. No doubt that Hutchinson will be nominated for yet another few awards for the work he has done on Saturday Night Fever. He produced what I think is the most innovative and practical set I have seen, with the lighting design bringing the previous century’s disco era right in front of you. I am convinced that this set design will be setting the trend for future theatre designs.

Set in late July, 1977, Saturday Night Fever tells the story about Tony Manero, played by the very talented Daniel Buys. Buys came into the spotlight when he reached the finals of South African Idols, after which he proclaimed the sky as his limit. With a few theatre productions under his belt, like Mamma Mia, Jersey Boys and West Side Story, Buys held nothing back with this role – even showing-off his well-defined body, during a full costume change on stage.

Not shy of any credit, are the rest of the 30-member cast, under the dance captaincy of Vanessa Brierley. Saturday Night Fever features a diverse, and purely South African Cast, with names like Singin’ in the Rain’s Steven van Wyk, Aspoestertjie’s Clint Lesch, and Starlight Express’s Bongi Mthombeni, to name a few.  The gorgeous LJ Neilson, and perfectly cast Natasha van der Merwe, were amongst the fairer sex, fighting for Manero’s love.

Other names in this very diverse cast, include Matthwy Berry, Cameron Botha, Londiwe Dhlomo, Nurit Graff, Nathan Kruger, Phumi Mncayi, Toni Jean Erasmus, Charmaine Weir-Smith and Mark Richardson, to name only some.

But the performance of the night, must go to Craig Urbani for playing the duel role of Manero’s dad (Frank Manero), as well as Pete, the very camp and flamboyant gym instructor. Urbani’s experience was evident through his versatility on stage, and the demeanour he adapted complimented the role of the actors in the lead, as effectively as one can expect.   His role also contributed immensely to the humour element, which makes this role perfect for him.

Saturday Night Fever is known for its dancing, which makes the work of choreographer, Wesley Swain Lauder, a daunting task. Nevertheless, Lauder created steps and moves that got the whole audience on their feet, energetically executed by the cast he was given to work with. It was just sometimes a little difficult to focus on the main events on stage, with so many things happening at the same time. A busy stage tells a full story, but I think during one or two instances, it overshadowed the leads.

What made up for this minor piece of criticism, is the rest of the production. Award-winning MD, Rowan Bakker showed why he can be seen as one of SA’s leading Musical Directors.  Bakker, who recently lifted his baton in Sweeney Todd and Sister Act, took this score under his direction, creating the necessary sounds, energizing everything happening on stage, with his 10-piece band in the pit.  The sound design of Trevor Peters, Sarah Roberts designing the costumes, and Greg Homann as director, completed the creative team, adding fever to a Saturday night.

Overall, this production is a feel-good, sit back and enjoy musical, created to entertain. Saturday Night Fever is a Mirror-ball of South-Africa’s finest, reflecting all the good reasons why we can be proud of our own.

Saturday Night Fever will run at the South African State Theatre, till October the 9^th. Tickets are available at Computicket, but Stage and Screen is proud to give away 10 sets of tickets, for Saturday, 1 October. You can enter here.

Photos by Sanmari Marais

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