Following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address on Sunday 15 March, we have decided to suspend operations at The Fugard Theatre with immediate effect, as of Monday 16 March 2020, until further notice due to the acceleration of the COVID-19 virus over the weekend. The health and well-being of our audiences, actors and The Fugard staff remain our foremost concern.

All patrons will be contacted by The Fugard Theatre box office to arrange a full refund for seats booked. For any enquiries, please email boxoffice@thefugard.com

Details around new dates and rescheduling of our suspended productions will be communicated through our website, social media and database in due course.

 “Sometimes the show can’t go on: If you have tickets to a live performance or screening which has been cancelled due to COVID-19, please consider donating your ticket rather than requesting a refund. This is the kind of thing that can kill the arts. The livelihood of countless performing arts professionals are at stake.” Lamees Albertus, General Manager & Producer of The Fugard Theatre

Original Post – 15 March 2020

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Fugard Theatre announces its suspension of operations from 29 March until 1 June 2020, following the completion of the Master Harold and the Boys run and scheduled Moffie screenings.

The General Manager and Producer of The Fugard Theatre, Lamees Albertus said “The safety and well-being of our artists, audiences and staff remains our number one priority. In an effort to help contain the spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus), we have also made the decision to postpone the world premiere of Athol Fugard and Paula Fourie’s new play, Concerning the Life of Babyboy Kleintjies, which was scheduled to open at the Adam Small Theatre Complex on 16 April.”

This follows the recent announcement to postpone The Cape Town International Jazz Festival and various Western Cape universities’ decision to suspend or cancel all events or large gatherings.

The Fugard Theatre is committed to presenting world class theatre productions and providing opportunities for South African actors, directors, writers and theatre makers to have employment and showcase their work.

In light of concerns about the spread of COVID-19 at gatherings of large groups of people such as theatre productions, and in line with cultural events across the world, as an act of social responsibility we have taken the decision to suspend activities and productions at The Fugard Theatre.

This will affect the following productions:

• Never too Naked
  
• It’s Only a Play
• What we Wish For
• All cinema screenings including the World Arts Cinema Season beyond 29 March

All patrons will be contacted by The Fugard Theatre box office to arrange a full refund for seats booked. For any enquiries, please email boxoffice@thefugard.com

Details around new dates and rescheduling of the above mentioned productions will be communicated through our website, social media and database in due course.

The post UPDATE: Fugard Theatre Suspends Shows With Immediate Effect appeared first on Stage and Screen.

Concerning the Life of Babyboy Kleintjies is set on a Stellenbosch winter’s night.  A trio of beggars – Lappies, Riempie and Vink – sheltering under a road bridge over the Eersteriver are joined by a young vagrant woman, Marie, who brings with her an unexpected find. Their night spent together huddled under the bridge rushes to a violent conclusion during which the beggars and Marie – so too, the actors and the audience – are confronted with harsh truths about themselves and the society we live in.

Joined now by Fourie, this play represents Fugard’s opportunity to fulfill a promise made to Barney Simon and Berthold Brecht nearly sixty years ago.

Concerning the Life of Babyboy Kleintjies is Written and Directed by Athol Fugard and Paula Fourie. Set Design is by Susan Hilferty (Boesman and Lena, Signature Theatre, New York; Blood Wedding, Young Vic, London). Lighting Design is by Mannie Manim, who has lit every first production of an Athol Fugard play in South Africa since 1977.  Costume Design is by Widaad Albertus (‘Master Harold’…And The Boys, Langarm) and Sound Design is by David Classen (Statements After An Arrest Under the Immorality Act, Shakespeare in Love). Associate Designer is Nadine Minaar and Props Master is David Scales. Daniel Galloway co-produces alongside Lamees Albertus and The Fugard Theatre team.

The cast features Royston Stoffels (Aunty Merle the Musical; Krismas van Map Jacobs and TV Suidooster and Arendsvlei) as Lappies; Loren Loubser (God is a Woman; Nasty Womxn, Niqabi Ninja) as Marie; Carlo Daniels (Triple Axel; District Six Kanala; G7: Okwe Bokhwe) as Riempie and  Marlon Swarts  as Vink (Die Kortstondige Raklewe van Anastacia W; In the City of Paradise and TV Sara Se Geheim).

Athol Fugard is an internationally acclaimed playwright director and occasional actor, for over half a century he has written almost forty soul-searing plays with roles for all South Africans which have moved audiences in South Africa and around the world to laughter and tears as they reflected the inhumanity of apartheid. His plays champion truth and a fundamental universal humanity.

Dr Paula Fourie is a writer and research fellow and she also holds BMus and MMus degrees from the University of Pretoria. Fourie currently holds a part-time postdoctoral fellowship at the Bern University of the Arts where she is researching Afrikaans translations of Swiss novels and plays published and performed in South Africa during the apartheid era.

“As part of our 2020 objectives, we are promoting new South African writing as well as celebrating the works of Athol Fugard, our internationally acclaimed giant of South African theatre,” says Lamees Albertus, General Manager and Producer of The Fugard Theatre. “We are delighted to combine these goals in one exciting new production, Concerning the Life of Babyboy Kleintjies.”

Concerning the Life of Babyboy Kleintjies will be performed at The Laboratory at the Adam Small Complex in Stellenbosch from 16 April until 2 May on Tuesday to Saturdays at 8pm. There are 3pm matinees on Saturdays and Sundays and an additional matinee on Wednesday 29 April at 3pm. The Adam Small Complex is at 15 Victoria St, Stellenbosch Central, Stellenbosch.

Tickets from R190 to R250 can be booked through The Fugard Theatre box office on 021 461 4554 or through The Fugard Theatre’s website at www.thefugard.com

The post Athol Fugard’s Concerning the Life of Babyboy Kleintjies appeared first on Stage and Screen.

Angola may have richest woman on the continent, but South Africa has its most famous white woman – Evita Bezuidenhout. She also has a younger sister, Bambi Kellermann, who is the first person to encourage fake news about herself, knowing that the truth would be too unbelievable.

Uys has always been careful to balance his two most famous creatures: Mrs Bezuidenhout, part of the culture of her land since 1981 and true to her Afrikaner roots and ego, has no sense of humour and regards irony as an enemy; Madame Kellermann on the other hand wears her humour as an expensive aura and blandishes her irony as a successful weapon of mass distraction.

While waiting on the stage of the Fugard Studio for the arrival of her sister, Bambi shares the ups and downs of a life well-lived and loves well-shared; a boeremeisie, who started her long walk to freedom by leaving Bethlehem in the Orange Free State for Vienna in Austria. She was dazzled by the big world, hiding her fears behind her new underworld creation called Bambi. Yes, she was an uber-stripper on the Reperbahn in Hamburg during the 1960s. In other words: naked. Yes, she was hailed as one of the grand horizontals of the Northern Hemisphere during most of the last century – usually also naked except for her Chanel No 5 perfume. And yes, she will be in at the Fugard Studio this month and next, to share the naked truth of her story for the first time. As in most fairy tales, she marries a German aristocrat; as in most true horrors, he turns out to be a nightmare.

Evita Bezuidenhout’s lawyers have told Bambi’s lawyer that as reconciliation is the only solution for the future of South Africa, she and her sister must lead by example and publicly reconcile. They haven’t spoken to each other for over 30 years.

Never Too Naked is at the Fugard Studio Theatre for a three week season from 24 March to 11 April 2020 with tickets from R150 through www.thefugard.com or 0214614554.
Age restriction: 12

The post Never Too Naked at The Fugard appeared first on Stage and Screen.

A star-studded cast has been announced for a new Fugard Theatre production of Athol Fugard’s masterpiece Master Harold…And The Boys which marks the start of the Fugard Theatre’s 2020 season and tenth birthday year.

Presented by Eric Abraham and The Fugard Theatre’s Master Harold…And The Boys will run in the Fugard Studio Theatre from 4 February 2020. The production will be directed by the Fugard Theatre’s Artistic Director Greg Karvellas.

The cast features Kai Luke Brummer as Hally, Desmond Dube as Sam and Siya Mayola as Willy.

Brummer is the lead  in Oliver Hermanus’ new film Moffie, which was invited to the Venice and London International Film Festivals and has been critically acclaimed across Europe.

Dube is a much-loved actor and presenter on TV and film. He was last seen on the Fugard Theatre stage in the multiple award-winning musical King Kong, which earned him a Fleur du Cap Theatre Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical. He also performed in I See You, a co-production with The Royal Court and Market Theatre, for which he won a Naledi Theatre Award for Best Actor and was nominated for a Fleur du Cap Theatre award.

Mayola is a writer, director and producer with his own production company. He is a seasoned film and theatre actor, and has appeared in series such as SABC TV’s drama series, Amaza, Mzanzi Magic’s Isikizi, and kykNET’s Sara se Geheim.

Master Harold…And The Boys is written by Athol Fugard and directed by Greg Karvellas. Set Design and Lighting Design is by Wolf Britz, who recently received a Fiesta award nomination for his work on Statements After an Arrest Under the Immorality Act. Costume Design is by Widaad Albertus.

Master Harold…And The Boys is a compelling and masterful examination of the frailty of the human condition and how societal injustices force people into their prescribed roles. This production will be performed in The Fugard Studio Theatre from on Tuesday to Saturdays at 8pm with matinees on Saturday and Sundays at 3pm.

Tickets from R180 to R250 can be booked through The Fugard Theatre box office on 021 461 4554 or through The Fugard Theatre’s website at www.thefugard.com

The post Master Harold… And The Boys appeared first on Stage and Screen.

by Betty Bangles

Daaaahlings!

I took a trip down to Cape Town and with lots of thanks to The Fugard Theatre and Stage and Screen, I got to see Kinky Boots, and now I have something to say….

I first saw Kinky Boots two years ago on Broadway and fell in love with the show. So, when they announced that The Fugard will bring an original production of this show to South Africa, I threw glitter in the air and did a little celebratory dance of my own. But also, I was a little scared; Will they find the perfect Lola? Will the boots be fabulous? Will ‘Lauren’ be funny?

Well, in true Fugard style, they did NOT disappoint! This show is entertaining, and appropriate for all Walks and Feathers of life, but kiddies under 10 years old, may require some PG.  Before I get ahead of myself, let me tell you what Kinky Boots is about.

The story of Kinky Boots is based on true events, about two people who think they have nothing in common.  Factory owner, Charlie, struggles to save his family business, with Lola, an extraordinary entertainer having wildly exciting ideas of her own.  As the story unfolds, these two characters starts the journey to embrace their differences, to form their unique, and sensational friendship… and their own line of the infamous stilettos, unlike anything ever seen before.

Now back to me… or rather, my fears about this SA production. Like I said, The Fugard did not let me down. Lola is sensational, the boots are fierce, and ‘Lauren’ is a hoot.

Firstly, can I get an ‘Amen’ for Paul Wills’ set design. He used every square inch of a fairly small staging surface in such a way that it feels like you’re experience the Musical on a bigger scale stage. The lighting design by Tim Mitchel also deserves a special courtesy. A standout moment for me was the projection during the design scene.

Matthew Wild gets a kiss on the cheek from me. His direction plays a pivotal role in the smooth transitions of the scenes on a stage with some limitations.  Birrie le Roux gave me life with the costume designs. My favorite being the Angels’ outfits for the boxing match, with those high ponytails.

Darren Craig plays Charlie and Oh Boy, does he do it well. The song Soul of a Man is a tough one, and he smashed it. He can sing to me all day, every day.  Earl Gregory steps into the heels of Lola and do I dare say, it’s his best role I’ve seen him in yet. Gregory doesn’t play Lola, he becomes Lola. He forces you to look at him without saying a word.

Lola’s Angels are played by Tshepo Ncokoane, Philip Schnetler, Chester Martinez and Emile Doubell. They strut their stuff on stage in full fabulocity and makes you want to join them! Namisa Mdlalosa, who plays Lauren is fantastic and completely makes the character her own. Her version of Lauren actually works better for me than the ‘Broadway Lauren’. She steals every scene she’s in and her comedy timing is so perfect… I can’t even deal with it!

Kinky Boots tackle real life issues and pulls hard on your heart strings. It teaches acceptance and challenge the closed-minded. Not my Father’s Son made me do the ugly cry because I could relate to it so much. That is why Kinky Boots is such a loved and important show.

Everybody will find something they can relate to in the story and overall, it’s a toe-tapping, feel-good show.

If you have a heart, you will Love Kinky Boots!

This show currently plays on stage of the Fugard Theatre in Cape Town, until October 27, 2019.

Photo credit Jesse Kramer

[box type=”info” align=”alignright” ] [dropcap]B[/dropcap]etty Bangles is South Africa’s leading drag artist, and a self-confessed theatre junkie. As a created character by artist-in-his-own-right, Bernard Buys, Miss Bangles’ involvement within the theatre and TV industry, stretches from on the stage, to behind the scenes.  Stage and Screen thought it to be very appropriate, to have a musical like Kinky Boots, reviewed by her.

This review was voluntarily done by Bernard Buys, and acted purely as a trusted contributor to Stage and Screen. The views depicted in this review, are that of the contributor, but edited and published according to the established identity and standards of the publication. We thank Betty for the contribution, and hope for many more collaborations to come.[/box]

The post Review: Kinky Boots appeared first on Stage and Screen.

Just two weeks into its South African premiere run, The Fugard Theatre’s production of multiple Tony-Award winning musical Kinky Boots has been extended. Bookings are now open for performances until 27 October.

Presented by Eric Abraham and The Fugard Theatre, this is the first non-replica production of the show, and a brand new, South African original production of this huge-hearted, smash-hit musical.

Kinky Boots has been playing to sold-out houses and wowing audiences, who have responded with comments.

Inspired by true events, Kinky Boots was first brought to life on the big screen in 2005 before being transformed into a hit musical, winning six Tony and three Olivier Awards.

Kinky Boots features a Tony-winning score by Cyndi Lauper and a book by four-time Tony winner, Harvey Fierstein. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical, Tony Award for Best Original Score, Tony Award for Best Choreography and Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical, Kinky Boots has played to sold out houses on Broadway and in the West End since 2013. This mega-hit is a must see for all Musical Theatre fans.

The Fugard Theatre’s Kinky Boots is brought to you by the same creative team behind the Fugard Theatre productions of The Rocky Horror Show, Cabaret, Funny Girl and West Side Story. Direction is by Matthew Wild, Musical Direction by Charl-Johan Lingenfelder and Choreography by Louisa Talbot. Costume design is by Birrie Le Roux, Set Design by Paul Wills and Lighting Design by Tim Mitchell. Sound Design is by Mark Malherbe.

A stellar local cast is led by Darren Craig as shoe factory owner Charlie Price and Earl Gregory stepping in to the role of drag queen Lola.,

Kinky Boots

The Fugard Theatre Cape Town

11 June 2019 – 2 February 2020.

Tuesdays to Saturdays at 8pm with a matinee performance on Saturdays and on Sundays at 3pm

Tickets starting from R180 can be booked directly through The Fugard Theatre box office on 021 461 4554 or through The Fugard Theatre’s website at www.thefugard.com

This production has a recommended age restriction of no under 10 year olds.

There is a 20% discount available for all Friends of The Fugard members (on certain performance days); a 15% discount for pensioners and 10% discount for students and block bookings. These discounted tickets can be booked through the Fugard Theatre box office only and are available for performances from 27 June 2019 onwards.

The post Kinky Boots appeared first on Stage and Screen.

Pieter-Dirk Uys’ newest show, When in doubt say darling, sold out as it opened at the Fugard Theatre in August this year, creating an unprecedented demand for tickets. The show returns to the same venue on 27 November by popular demand.

At a time when a casual greeting or embrace can be seen as racist or harassment, the advice is simple: when in doubt say ‘darling’. If you can’t remember their names, just say ‘darling’. If you get lost along the road to somewhere, simply ask for Darling. He did it, and now Pieter-Dirk Uys also lives in Darling.

In this production, Pieter-Dirk Uys sorts out 40 years of distress, disguise and disgust: from apartheid to tripartite, from amandla to Nkandla. Wigs, glasses, wagging fingers, toyi-toyis, red berets, trump cards of madness, icons and aikonas. From Bezuidenhouts, Raubenheimers and Ramaphosas to Altzheimers. Sometimes politics repeats itself, not only taking history and turning it into farce, but taking farce and turning into the fake news which is now called entertainment.

Join Pieter-Dirk Uys and many darlings on an exciting walk to the edge of the next cliff, when the end of the world seems nigh. It used to be called a sunset. Here’s a secret: the sun will also rise tomorrow, darling.

When in doubt say darling

27 November 2018 to 15 December 2018

Fugard Studio Theatre

Tuesday to Friday at 8pm and Saturday at 4pm and 8pm.

Tickets cost from R150 to R170 and booking is through the Fugard Theatre box office on 0214614554 or directly through the Fugard Theatre website on www.thefugard.com

The post When in Doubt, Say Darling appeared first on Stage and Screen.

Pieter-Dirk Uys’ newest show, When in doubt say darling, sold out as it opened at the Fugard Theatre on 8 August, creating an unprecedented demand for tickets. With a growing waiting list for the current season that ends on Saturday 25 August 2018, the Fugard Theatre has now opened bookings for a return season in November 2018.

At a time when a casual greeting or embrace can be seen as racist or harassment, the advice is simple: when in doubt say ‘darling’. If you can’t remember their names, just say ‘darling’. If you get lost along the road to somewhere, simply ask for Darling. He did it, and now Pieter-Dirk Uys also lives in Darling.

In this production, Pieter-Dirk Uys sorts out 40 years of distress, disguise and disgust: from apartheid to tripartite, from amandla to Nkandla. Wigs, glasses, wagging fingers, toyi-toyis, red berets, trump cards of madness, icons and aikonas. From Bezuidenhouts, Raubenheimers and Ramaphosas to Altzheimers. Sometimes politics repeats itself, not only taking history and turning it into farce, but taking farce and turning into the fake news which is now called entertainment.

Join Pieter-Dirk Uys and many darlings on an exciting walk to the edge of the next cliff, when the end of the world seems nigh. It used to be called a sunset. Here’s a secret: the sun will also rise tomorrow, darling.

When in doubt say darling runs from 27 November 2018 to 15 December 2018 at the Fugard Studio Theatre with performances Tuesday to Friday at 8pm and Saturday at 4pm and 8pm. Booking is through the Fugard Theatre box office on 0214614554 or directly through the Fugard Theatre website on www.thefugard.com.

The post When In Doubt, Say Darling appeared first on Stage and Screen.

Eric Abraham presents this Fugard Theatre production of Shakespeare In Love which was a runaway success last year, playing to sold out houses and critical acclaim from reviewers and audiences alike.

Written by Lee Hall and adapted from the Academy Award-winning (1999) screenplay by Tom Stoppard and Marc Norman, the comedy ran for an extended sold out season at the West End’s Noel Coward Theatre in London in 2014.

Shakespeare In Love features a stellar cast of 21 actors including the return of the loveable fur-actor Bogart as Spot the Dog, who captured the hearts of all who saw the show. The play is directed by the Fugard Theatre’s resident director Greg Karvellas.

Robyn Scott recently won the Fleur du Cap Theatre Award for Best Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Play for her role as Elizabeth I. The production was also nominated for Best Performance by an Ensemble, Best Lighting Design for Wolf Britz and Best Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Play for Darron Araujo as Henslowe.

Stepping into the role of Will Shakespeare is Daniel Mpilo Richards who has been dazzling audiences as Bernardo the leader of the Sharks in the Fugard Theatre’s West Side Story, with the return of Roxane Hayward as Viola de Lesseps and Cape Talk’s John Maytham as Fennyman.

Multiple award-winner Robyn Scott stars as Queen Elizabeth and Jason K. Ralph as Lord Wessex.  Nicholas Pauling plays Ned Allen, Sven Ruygrok in the role of Sam and Mark Elderkin as Burbage. Darron Araujo performs the role of Henslowe, Adrian Collins as Ralph, Walter van Dyk as Tilney, Pierre Malherbe as Nol, Lucy Tops as Nurse, Dean Balie as John Webster and Louis Viljoen as Mr Wabash.

Completing the ensemble are Alex Tops as Robin, Kathleen Stephens as Mistress Quickly, Rendani Mufamadi as Lambert and Rachel Mertens who returns to the Ensemble.

Set Design is by Paul Wills ,Costume Sourcing and Styling is by Birrie le Roux and Widaad Albertus with Lighting Design by Wolf Britz. Sound Design is by David Classen, with Resident Musical Director of the Fugard Theatre Charl Johan Lingenfelder. Choreography is by Kristin Wilson, with Fight Choreography by Jon Keevy.

Young Will Shakespeare has writer’s block… the deadline for his new play is fast approaching but he is in desperate need of inspiration. That is, until he finds his muse – Viola. This beautiful young woman is Will’s greatest admirer and will stop at nothing (including breaking the law) to appear in his next play.

Against a bustling background of mistaken identity, ruthless scheming and backstage theatrics, Will’s love for Viola quickly blossoms and inspires him to write his greatest masterpiece.
Tickets from R150 to R350 can be booked through the Fugard Theatre box office on 021 461 4554 or through the Fugard Theatre’s website at www.thefugard.com.There is a 15% discount available for the Friends of The Fugard members.

The post Shakespeare In Love appeared first on Stage and Screen.

After a sold-out season at Pieter Toerien’s Montecasino Studio, the newest Pieter-Dirk Uys show will be presented at the Fugard Theatre in August 2018.

Sometimes politics repeats itself, not only taking history and turning it into farce, but taking farce and turning into the fake news which is now called entertainment. Pieter-Dirk Uys is sorting out 40 years of distress, disguise and disgust: from apartheid to tripartite, from amandla to Nkandla. Wigs, glasses, wagging fingers, toyi-toyis, red berets, trump cards of madness, icons and aikonas.  From Bezuidenhouts, Raubenheimers and Ramaphosas to Altzheimers.

At a time when a casual greeting or embrace can be seen as racist or harassment, the advice is simple: when in doubt say darling. If you can’t remember their names, just say darling. If you get lost along the road to somewhere, simply ask for Darling. He did it, and now Pieter-Dirk Uys also lives in Darling.

Join him and many darlings in this minefield of hashtags and hatespeech, on an exciting walk to the edge of the next cliff, when the end of the world seems nigh. It used to be called a sunset but here’s a secret: the sun will also rise tomorrow, darling.

When in doubt say darling runs 7 to 25 August 2018 at the Fugard Studio Theatre with performances Tuesday to Friday at 8pm and Saturday at 4pm and 8pm. Booking is through 0214614554 and www.thefugard.com.

The post When in doubt say Darling appeared first on Stage and Screen.