Producers Joburg Theatre and Bernard Jay announced that The Color Purple would be extending its run on The Mandela Stage at Joburg Theatre for Women’s Month in August 2018.

Popular actress and vocalist Lelo Ramasimong, who achieved a great personal success playing the role of Darlene in The Color Purple in February, will now step into the lead role of the troubled blues singer Shug Avery.

Lelo Ramasimong became a house-hold name in SA when she made it into the top 10 on Idols SA. Since then she has performed as a vocalist in major venues all over the country and was voted by Seventeen Magazine as the Top Young South African Artist. She also became a finalist in the Cosmopolitan Most Awesome Women of the Year.

Lelo’s theatre career has included award winning performances in Little Shop of Horrors, Dreamgirls, African Footprint, Under African Skies and Burn the Floor.  She was the lead female vocalist in the popular television show Strictly Come Dancing and was one of the artists in the new television series Coke Studio, collaborating with well known producer 37MPH to create the hit single Shine.

Seventeen of the original twenty cast members signed to reprise their roles, including acclaimed Didintle Khunou as Celie and Aubrey Poo as Mister.  Janice Honeyman, Bernard Jay and musical director Rowan Bakker then embarked on another round of auditions to find the three necessary replacement cast members.

Well known actress and vocalist Lelo Ramasimong, who initially played the role of Darlene in The Color Purple, will now be stepping into the leading role of Shug Avery.  Lelo created her own fan base during The Color Purple’s first season with her spine-chilling vocalisation of the role of Darlene.  Now her fans can’t wait to experience the gutsy, blues singing she will feature as Shug Avery.

After several audition sessions, the creative team identified the three highly talented people to join the cast: Masego Mothibakgomo, Terrence Ngwila and Lebo Borole.

Masego Mothibakgomo takes over the role of Darlene from Lelo Ramasimong. Masego obtained her Bachelors of Arts in Drama from the University of Pretoria.  Her theatre work includes roles in Disney’s The Lion King, Romeo and Juliet, Alchemy of Desire/Dead man’s Blues directed by Ball State University’s Wendy Saver-Mortimer and Seussical. Masego is also embarking on a career as a singer/songwriter in the commercial music industry.

Terrence Ngwila will be playing the role of Grady. He is trained in American Latin, basic Tango, and Jazz-Ed but he describes himself mostly as a hip-hop and dub-step dancer. Terrence was also trained and awarded an introductory teaching certificate in Jazz-Ed by one of South Africa’s dancers on Broadway, Pinto Ferreira.  He was part of the award winning South African ‘soapie’ Generations: the Legacy and worked with Paul Grootboom on The President’s Man.  Terrence played the lead in the production 1606, which received an Ovation Award at the Standard Bank National Arts Festival in 2015. Other theatre roles include Marikana The Musical, Freedom and Sophiatown – all at The State Theatre in Pretoria.

Lebo Borole also joins the company. Lebo studied drama and performance at the National School of the Arts and continued her studies at the University of Witwatersrand, where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree. She has worked as a radio personality at Trans World Radio and performed in an acapella music group called Blacklace. She toured Hong Kong in Disney’s The Lion King as Nala. Lebo was also cast as the lead in the musical Milked Voice and is currently featured in the new musical Tsotsi in Cape Town.

The Color Purple will re-open at The Mandela at Joburg Theatre on August 7th 2018 and will run until September 2nd.  To book you can call 0861 670 670, go online at www.joburgtheatre.com or book in person at the Joburg Theatre box office.  Theatre patrons can also book online and pay at selected Pick N Pay stores.

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The National School of the Arts is proud to showcase their bright young talented performers during their annual NSA Festival of the Arts, running from Tuesday, 6 March, to Sunday, 11 March 2018 on the various NSA and Joburg Theatre stages.

Featuring a diverse program of youth focused productions, the NSA Festival of the Arts, formerly known as Festival of Fame, is set for a 5-day celebration of art, dance, drama and music that is sure to delight Jozi audiences.

Headlining the impressive festival line-up is the flagship production, The Wiz which will be on the Mandela Stage of the Joburg Theatre complex as from Friday, 9 March, to Sunday, 11 March.

This vibrant, feel good, award-winning Broadway musical is a magical retelling of Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz – the modern American fairy tale of Dorothy Gale who finds herself in the mythical Land of Oz following a violent tornado.

Audiences join Dorothy and her travelling friends, the Scarecrow, the Tinman and the Lion as they Ease on Down the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City to meet the magical WIZ. They all have a problem for the WIZ to solve; Dorothy needs to get home to Kansas, the scarecrow needs a brain, the Tinman a heart, and the cowardly lion courage.

The score is a dazzling mix of rock, gospel, R&B, and soul, and the emerging stars from the NSA will delight from curtain up to the finale.

The production is in the inspiring hands of Director and choreographer Tracey Human. Additional choreography comes from Oscar Buthelezi and Laura Cameron, who recently joined the staff of the NSA’s Dance Department. Musical direction is by Marten Van Wyk. Digital projections are in the hands of award-winning scenic designer Wilhelm Disbergen while Cassandra Parsons brings her flair to the costume designs. THE WIZ will leave the audience with a beat in their feet and a melody in their hearts.

The annual NSA musical allows the triple threat performers, those who can sing, dance and act, to shine. The role of Dorothy is played by Angella Mulaudzi who played Killer Queen in the 2017 production of We Will Rock You.  The roles of the three friends are shared by Vuyo Maboe, Lesedi Masheane (Scarecrow); Nkosikhona Mnisi, Loyiso Gqanabisa (Lion); Tshepo Skosana, Deano Paulsen (Tin Man) ;while the title role of THE WIZ is shared by Tumelo Mogoashoa and Siphelele Siphiwa. Siphelele received a 100% scholarship to attend the Joffrey Ballet summer school for musical theatre in New York following the Musical Theatre Boot Camp which she attended in January courtesy of Duane Alexander and Anton Luitingh of MTW.

NSA Festival of the Arts is made possible through the generous support of the RMB Fund and The National Lotteries Commission.  The production is based on the book by William F. Brown, with lyrics and music by Charlie Smalls.  From the story by L. Frank Baum, The Wiz is presented by special arrangement with Samuel French, LTD.

THE WIZ
The Mandela @ Joburg Theatre

Performances:

Friday 9th March @ 9:30 & 19:30

Saturday 10th March @ 15:00 & 19:30

Sunday 11th March @ 15:00

Bookings through www.joburgtheatre.com  or www.webtickets.co.za

Tickets: R100 – R120

For group bookings of 10 or more, contact the theatre directly on 011 877 6853/6815.

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By David Simmons

If there was ever a greater time for women to feel empowered in the world and most importantly in South Africa, that time is now! The Color Purple, currently showing at the Joburg Theatre, couldn’t have come at a more auspicious time. Women all over the world, empowered by the Times Up movement are uniting as one and marching with a clear and powerful voice, echoing the struggles of their ancestors and all the many hardships they had to endure. The Color Purple is one such story, a celebration and at times a strained battle of the struggles of women, their determination to survive and overcome their darkest adversities.

Stories of hope, love, friendship and ultimately redemption always ring true to one’s heart and through music, song and dance we tend to hear and understand the message with a more vivid and clear ring. It is not often one gets to witness on stage something so remarkable and poignant that it leaves you feeling numb and speechless, yet at the same time empowered and overjoyed. The Color Purple with its rich cocktail of emotions will leave a completely different imprint on each and every theatre goer, making the experience all the more worthwhile.

The production which officially opened on Sunday the 4^th of February to rapturous applause, is its first major international staging since the Broadway revival and this musical, with its smart and clever direction, is bound to take Johannesburg by storm. The Color Purple is by no means a glamourous showcase. It’s raw, its gutsy but has a temperament that is bound to have you leaping out of your seats and rejoicing in unison with the characters on stage!

It takes a massive team to bring a production of this scale to life and huge credit needs to be given to Production Designer, Sarah Roberts, and Mannie Manim as the Lightening Designer, who both transported audience members to a bygone era where the atmosphere was bleak, yet the characters vivid and commanding in their respective roles. The music, under the baton of Rowan Bakker, brilliantly brought the sumptuous and evocative score to life, filling the theatre with sounds of jazz, gospel and ragtime numbers. Executive Producer Bernard Jay and Director Janice Honeyman, both who need very little introduction, have given this rousing musical wings and gifted us with an incredible and moving story.

The plot is simple, but the characters are complicated, allowing the audience to witness their troubled lives of anguish and determination up close and personal. We are introduced to sisters Celie and Nettie both intrinsically connected not only by birth but with a bond that will stand the test of time. They are separated through circumstance and both have to venture into the unknown hardships of life and the difficulties of being a woman. Celie, under the abusive and watchful eye of Mister finds her voice through two exceptional characters, Sofia and Shug Avery whose friendship and morals allow her to find her true path in the world.

I revisited Alice Walker’s novel for a light recap a few weeks before the Musical opened. I whisked through the book savouring every page and understanding the complexities of the characters and the women who are central in making this story so real and relatable. Stand out performances from Didintle Khunou who brought Celie’s character to life and Sebe Leotlela who played Nettie with dignity and affection both expressing buckets loads of rich and notable talent.

Neo Motaung’s Sofia, who as played by Oprah Winfrey in Steven Spielberg’s 1985 film, blew me away. I loved her character from beginning to end, her strength, spirit and gutsy laugh was a joy to watch. Lerato Mvelase who played Shug Avery gave a memorable and determined role capturing equal amounts of strength and vulnerability.

Other noteworthy performances were Aubrey Poo whose character resembled the antagonist of the story, was stoic and memorable. The all South African cast were exceptional with clockwork performances showcasing some of the best talents we have in the country. Once couldn’t fault their deep southern drawl’s which made this stirring musical all the more authentic. Oscar Buthelezi, The Color Puple’s Choreographer, expertly created dance numbers of substance, bringing the past to life. With musical numbers such as Hell No and I’m Here, you’ll soon discover that this musical means business.

Oprah Winfrey’s Cecil B Demille Life time achievement speech at the 2018 Golden Globe Awards echoed everything that The Color Purple stands for. It was profound, real and captured the hearts of women and audience members alike:

‘What I know for sure, is speaking your truth is the most powerful tool we all have. And I am especially proud and inspired by all the women who have felt strong enough and empowered enough to speak up and share their personal stories”.

This hugely ambitious offering has an almost spiritual voice, one that I haven’t experienced on a South African stage in a very long time. I laughed, I cried but most importantly I felt a wonderful togetherness with my fellow theatre goers who collectively experienced and witnessed something quite remarkable on stage. If there is one musical you see this year- let it be this one!

The Color Purple will be running at the Joburg Theatre until 4 March 2018. Tickets are available at Webtickets or at the theatre.

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