In light of all the rewards and acknowledgments through the Naledi Theatre awards, Stage and Screen is dedicated this article, to the memory of Francois Theron, who too soon, left us with so much more curtains to be called!

The 14^th Annual Naledi Theatre Awards were held at Johannesburg this week, with Montecasino’s Teatro hosting the event.  The ceremony will also be broadcast on kykNET and Mzanzi Magic, on August 5, 2018.

We do not want to highlight anyone, and we believe all the artists who had stepped on a stage, ensemble, lead, or somewhere with a musical instrument in a pit, together with every hand behind the scenes, are due for a Theatre award.

But the winners for the night, are:

Best Supporting Actress

Khutjo Green – Molière’s Tartuffe

Best Supporting Actor

John Lata – The Suitcase

Best Production For Children; Age 0-12

Cloud Catcher

Best Production For Young Audiences; Ages 13-17

Onderwêreld

Best Performance In A Production For Young Audiences

Jaques De Silva – Taking Flight

Best Newcomer/Breakthrough

Phillip Schnetler – Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

Best Costume Design

Sasha Ehlers – Molière’s Tartuffe

Best Lighting Design

Joshua Cutts – West Side Story

Best Set Design

Conor Murphy – West Side Story

Best Sound Design or Soundscape

Gladman Balintulo – Sarafina!

Best Original Score / Arrangement / Musical Adaptation

Charl-Johan Lingenfelder – King Kong: Legend of a Boxer

Best Musical Director

Charl-Johan Lingenfelder – West Side Story

Best Ensemble

Molière’s Tartuffe

Best Original Choreography For A Play, Musical / Revue

Louisa Talbot – West Side Story

Best Director Of A Musical / Revue

Jonathan Munby – King Kong: Legend of a Boxer

Best Director Of A Play

Lesedi Job – When Swallows Cry

Best Supporting / Featured Performance In A Musical / Revue: Female

Ntambo Rapatla – King Kong: Legend of a Boxer

Best Supporting / Featured Performance In A Musical / Revue: Male

Sanda Shandu – King Kong: Legend of a Boxer

Best Lead Performance In A Musical: Female

Lynelle Kenned – West Side Story

Best Lead Performance In A Musical: Male

David Dennis – Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

Best Lead Performance In A Play: Female

Jennifer Steyn – The Inconvenience of Wings

Best Lead Performance In A Play: Male

Andrew Buckland – The Inconvenience of Wings

Best Performance In A Solo Production: Female / Male

Gideon Lombard – Die Reuk van appels

Best New South African Script

When Swallows Cry – written by Mike van Graan

Best Production Of A Play

When Swallows Cry

Best Production Of A Musical

King Kong: Legend of a Boxer

World Impact Award

William Kentridge

Lesedi Spirit of Courage Award

Oscar von Memerty

Innovation in Theatre Award

Dorothy Ann Gould

Lifetime Achievement Awards

Sandra Prinsloo & Don Mattera

“Congratulations to Everyone who made a curtain call possible in 2017. 

Here is to standing ovations through the years to come” – Stage and Screen

The post Winners of the 2018 Naledi Theatre Awards appeared first on Stage and Screen.

by Louw Mulder.

After a sold-out season in Cape Town, with raving and praising reviews, it was time for Priscilla, Queen of the Desert to embark on its Johannesburg journey. Its run at the Artscape Theatre set the standard very high, and after the opening night in Johannesburg, Priscilla, the Musical, matched all expectations.

Over the years, the South African Theatre industry has proved that it can do justice to classical masterpieces like Phantom of the Opera, Annie, Sound of Music, but recently with Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and now Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, it has also shown that it can pull off the fun genres in musical theatre, to high acclaims. And that is what I am most proud of overall; the health of our Musical Theatre industry.

This show is colourful, crazy, and fun-filled with all types of elements that will make a theatre experience as entertaining as Priscilla was. The story is about the journey of a transsexual performer, and her two drag-queen friends who decided to travel across Australia, in their bus called Priscilla. The gay characters are played humorously, with no offensive scenes towards the more straight theatre goer.

There are many moods within this production of Priscilla.  From homophobia, to nobody cares, from the need for love, to the acceptance between a son and his gay dad.  Yes, it sometimes tickles the not-so-funny bone.  Be it as it may, it all adds up to a realistic tale, with more truths hidden in the storyline than just the super fun tale of three queens.  On a serious note, seeing this production on stage here in South Africa, with no censorship or rebellious campaigns against its main theme, made me as gay man myself, very proud of how far we have come.

With this Metro Goldwyn Mayer feature film adapted for the stage, this production flows with international standards, produced locally without flaw. The script is witty, cheeky, and creates delightful enjoyment during the whole journey. The music is well-known, and are anthems in their own right. The set is successfully a huge contributing factor to the whole experience; bus and all.

As with every gay-themed production, wigs and costumes, put the cherry on the cake, or more fitting, the tiara on the queen. It is big, extravagant, and spectacular. To say that this production uses 471 costumes, 45 wigs, 120 pairs of shoes and 200 hats and headdresses, you might get an idea of how huge the wardrobe department for Priscilla is. What is remarkable, is how quick and fast some of these costume, and make-up changes are. A fun fact of the show, is that the fastest wig and make-up change, is only 15 seconds – it sometimes just seems like magic.

But with a great script, loved music and awesome costumes, you still need a cast good enough to give these elements life on stage. Even this was done with a stellar cast, energetic and true to the show. The ensemble see names like Zane Gillion, Thembeka Mnguni, Michael Fullard, and one of my favourite actresses, Taryn-Lee Buys. David Dennis plays Bernadette as if he created the persona, while Tick and Mitzi were played by a very talented straight guy, Daniel Buys.

But then there was the role that stole the show. Everyone loved the rebelliousness and the cocky attitude of young Adam, or in some instances Felicia, the loose cannon of the touring threesome. Phillip Schnetler plays this role to the tee, and his role has been raved about in almost every review, even mine. His flamboyant attitude and camp, yet talented portrayal of this character, adds a different dimension to the show. At times it felt as if Dennis and Buys’ character was to support the role of Schnetler’s, and not the other way around.  I really enjoyed seeing Schnetler playing this role as it was clear he made this character his own.  I would look out for his name in future productions.

Overall, Priscilla, Queen of the theatre, sorry, the desert, is a production that will make every member of the audience feel good. It is like the serotonin of theatre, promising a feel-good, entertaining experience. But thinking back after the show, there was one thing that didn’t work for me as well as I hoped. The final curtain call was very short. With music of this nature, the very capable band, under the direction of Bryan Schimmel, I thought that a few minutes longer with a medley of all the songs, could have been an even bigger memorable finale… seeing that the whole house was on their feet in any case, after a given standing ovation.

Well done to everyone involved with this production. It is a must see, and so you must, before you miss the bus.

This journey to fabulousness is produced by Showtime Management, Lunchbox Theatrical Productions, and Nullarbar Productions in association with MGM on Stage.  Priscilla, Queen of the Desert will be on stage at the Teatro in Montecasino, till the 18^th of June, 2017.

This review was edit by Bronwyn Kerry.  Photos by Nardus Engelbrecht

The post Review: Priscilla, Queen of the Desert appeared first on Stage and Screen.

by Louw Mulder

There are a couple of good reasons why we can celebrate the healthy state of South African Theatre, especially if I look at a couple of the highly acclaimed and professional shows I have seen lately; like Annie, Sound Of Music, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and now, Priscilla. But the real couple worth mentioning, is our country’s most successful Director and Choreographer duo, Anton Luitingh and his fiancé, Duane Alexander.

Anton and Duane met during the first touring South-African production of Cats, in 2001. This is after Anton obtained his B.Dram (Hons) Cum Laude degree in Drama from Maties, and Duane completed his training as the most outstanding student at the Waterfront Theatre School, and obtained teaching degrees in both modern and Tap Dancing. With these credentials, together with the love and passion both Anton and Duane have for Musical theatre, success was inevitable.

After Cats, Anton and Duane’s resumes speaks for itself, and there are too many success stories to mention in this article. Both have won awards, and played various lead roles in many South African Productions, and even toured the world to showcase their talent. But acting, was only the start. “You have to contribute more to theatre than just one aspect” they both made me understand.

As we went through their long careers in musical theatre so far, we talked about their involvement in the 2007’s production of Rent. “The South African audience loves the typical classic musicals, but Rent was the first challenging and edgy production, which for me was a very sentimental piece,” Anton said. The role of Mark Cohen was also Duane’s first role in the lead, a role he has wanted to play since he was a boy. With much enthusiasm, both Duane and Anton speak about the 10 year reunion of Rent, which is coming to the Teatro later this year. It is a concert staging with the original South African cast, original band and musical director for one night only.

In the last few years, Anton has established himself as South Africa’s leading resident director of full scale Musical theatre, with Duane flourishing in choreography, being resident choreographer in most of these shows, next to Anton. We spoke about the recent production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat quite a lot, which seems to be very special to both Anton and Duane. This production, for which Duane won various awards for his choreography, is the first fully South African produced production that went on tour. Joseph is currently touring Australia and New Zealand, and as Duane says, he suffers a little bit from fomo, not being able to be there himself.

Boldly and passionately they speak about what works and what doesn’t work in today’s theatre productions. Their experience give merit to their comments, and their explanations and motivations are filled with comprehension and a detailed understanding of the industry. I just hung onto their every word for the whole two hours I spent talking to them.

Saddened, Anton explained that he would love to see more involvement in the theatre industry from an audience perspective. He explained that some brilliantly produced shows are not well attended, while others exceed expectations. Anton mentioned how he would love to see schools being more involved in theatre, and for theatre to become more prominent amongst young people. It was very evident to me that they are driven and have a vision for Musical theatre to prosper even more.

Both Anton and Duane are co-directors of the Musical Theatre Workshop, which invest in youngsters, now also expanding internationally. They elaborated that the biggest lesson that they teach in their workshops, is that the only ego anyone should be concerned about, is the ego of the show. No one individual person is bigger than the show.

I really wish I had time, and space to write about everything we spoke about, but the most exciting part is that the story of Anton Luitingh and Duane Alexander is far from over. When Priscilla’s run is concluded, their next project of being the Resident Director and Resident Choreographer couple, is the full scale production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s classic, Evita.   Anton speaks proudly when he tells me of the extensive international tour this production will embark upon, after delighting South African audiences later this year in Johannesburg and Cape Town.  And no, they are still not saying who will be playing the lead in Evita…

But for now, the attention is on Priscilla, which will open at the Montecasino Teatro next week after a very successful sold-out run in the Artscape Theatre in Cape Town. Both Anton and Duane speak fondly of how fun the show is, but also, how this show introduces new talent to the industry. In particular, they refer to Phillip Schnetler, playing his first major role as the very familiar and infamous character, Adam / Felicia.  As  up skilling and development of young future stage stars being high on Duane and Anton’s priority list, their faces both speaks of excitement and enthusiasm as they tell how promising Schnetler’s career can be.

Even though Priscilla will just be another successful entry on both Anton and Duane’s resumes, personally, this will be a production they will least forget.

During the cast party, after the Opening night performance of Priscilla in Cape Town, Duane proposed to Anton, and they got engaged to be married. They have been a happy couple for 16 years, since that first production of Cats in 2001. As both Duane and Anton explained, they waited for the right moment to do this, and an opening of a gay-themed show in their home town, with friends and theatre-family all present… they couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity.

As theatre fanatics, we congratulate Anton and Duane on their engagement, and wish them all the best in their future endeavours. With these humble artists, fully devoted to be involved with world class productions coming to our stages, we are in for some real magical theatre.

Feel free to visit http://www.musicaltheatreworkshop.co.za and also www.antonluitingh.com for more about Duane Alexander and Anton Luitingh and to follow their fascinating journey.

This article was edited by Bronwen Kerry.  Photos from Anton and Duane’s Facebook Pages.

The post We Talk to Duane Alexander and Anton Luitingh appeared first on Stage and Screen.

Priscilla Queen of the Desert The Musical originally opened in Australia in 2006 and after a sell-out two year run, opened on London’s West End followed by Broadway in New York. The show continues to wow audiences across the globe with recent return tours to the UK, Australia and New Zealand. It has won awards all over the world, including prestigious Olivier and Tony awards.

Critics the world over rave! The Herald Sun (Australia) claims the show is “Vivid, daring and over-the-top” while The Daily Telegraph (UK) sums up the show as being “hugely entertaining … insanely glitzy”.

Priscilla Queen of the Desert is a heart-warming and uplifting tale of three drag artist friends who hop aboard a battered old bus aka “Priscilla” and go off on the adventure of a life-time through the Australian Outback, to perform in Alice Springs.  On the way they find friendship, love and far more than they ever dreamed of.

With a dazzling array of over 500 award-winning costumes, 200 extraordinary head-dresses and a hit parade of dance floor favourites including I Will Survive, Hot Stuff, Finally, Boogie Wonderland, Go West, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, and I Love The Nightlife, this wildly fresh and funny musical is a journey to the heart of FABULOUS!

Showtime Management’s Hazel Feldman says: “Priscilla is the ultimate ‘feel-good’ show. This dazzling musical has all the ingredients for a superb night out: the most wonderful costumes, outrageous glamour, music that will have you dancing in your seat and a funny yet touching storyline. No wonder this show has been such a massive hit from the West End to Broadway and beyond.”

The proudly South African, exceptionally talented 28-member cast, live band, crew and creative team will give audiences a night of unforgettable performances, nostalgic music and an entertainment experience with all the sparkle to share in Priscilla’s “fabulousness”.

The principal roles will be played by stellar stage, screen and television performers including David Dennis who has achieved prominence in leading roles from classical to contemporary and musical theatre to film and television over the past three decades (Pirates of Penzance, Starlight Classics and movies 10000BC, Winnie and Zambezia); Daniel Buys (Jersey Boys, West Side Story, Saturday Night Fever); Phillip Schnetler (Saturday Night Fever, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz) and veteran actor, James Borthwick (Sunset Boulevard, Evita and over 200 other productions).

Additional roles are played by Taryn-Lee Hudson (Singin’ in the Rain, Jersey Boys), Chantal Herman (Little Shop of Horrors, Evita, Noah of Cape Town) and Candice van Litsenborgh (Annie, Sweeney Todd, Sunset Boulevard) with Candida Mosoma (Lion King, Sister Act, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat), The Voice of SA finalist, Thembeka Mnguni (High School Musical, Grease) and Durban born Londiwe Dhlomo (Cabaret, Little Shop of Horrors, Puss in Boots) as the three dazzling Diva’s.

The ensemble features a host of multi-talented local performers including Tshepo Ncokoane (Shrek, Janice Honeyman’s Pantomime Sleeping Beauty); Zane Gillion (Sister Act, Saturday Night Fever, Dirty Dancing); Michael Fullard (Hot Mikado, Sleeping Beauty, Sneeuwitjie); Michael Wallace (Rocky Horror Picture Show, Cabaret, West Side Story); Craig Hawks (Black Sails television series, My Fair Lady); Ryan Flynn (Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Sound of Music, Jersey Boys), Samuel Hyde (Singin’ in the Rain SA, Asia and Australia/New Zealand Tour); Henk Opperman (Private Presley, Dirty Dancing the Musical SA and Asia). Fresh new talent includes Dirk Joubert, Jonathan Raath, Nadine Grobbelaar, Donae Brazer, Lourens Obermeyer and Darius Engelbrecht.

Original Priscilla international Director, Simon Phillips together with Choreographer, Andrew Hallsworth will be coming to South Africa to mount the show together with Resident Director, Anton Luitingh; Musical Director, Bryan Schimmel and Resident Choreographer, Duane Alexander.

Board the bus! Bring your “fabulousness” on this highly entertaining journey. Book now at Computicket by calling 0861 915 8000, visit www.computicket.com or your nearest Computicket service centre.  This musical contains some strong language and adult themes, therefore parental guidance is recommended for children under the age of 12.

Get ready for the musical journey of your life!  The critically-acclaimed hit musical Priscilla Queen of the Desert based on the Oscar-winning hit film makes its South African premiere at Artscape, Cape Town on Tuesday, 28 March 2017.  Presented by Showtime Management in association with Lunchbox Theatrical Productions and Nullarbor Productions, and featuring an all South African cast, Priscilla will be on stage at Artscape until Sunday, 23 April, thereafter moving to Montecasino’s Teatro from Friday, 28 April to 18 June 2017. Tickets are now on sale at Computicket. Hashtag: #PriscillaSA. Brought to South Africa in association with BBC First

SHOW INFORMATION:

C A P E   T O W N

VENUE: Artscape

DATES:  Tuesday, 28 March to Sunday, 23 April 2017

SHOW TIMES:

No Monday performances.

Weekdays: Tuesdays  – Fridays 20h00

Weekends: Saturdays 15h00, 20h00; Sundays 14h00, 18h00

NOTE SHOW SCHEDULE– EASTER WEEKEND 2017

Friday, 14 April: No performance

Saturday, 15 April: 15h00 and 20h00

Sunday, 16  April: 14h00 and 18h00

Monday, 17 April:  No performance

PRICES:

Tuesdays/Wednesdays/Thursdays/Sunday evenings: R150, R250, R350, R450

                Fridays/Saturdays/Sunday matinees: R200, R300, R400, R500

BOOKINGS:

Computicket by calling 0861 915 8000, visit www.computicket.com or visit your nearest Computicket outlet or call Artscape Dial-A-Seat 021 421 7695

GROUP BOOKINGS:

20% Discount on groups of 20 and more – all midweek and Sunday evening performances only

Bookings through Jill Somers, 079 218 1658, sales@showtime.co.za

IMPORTANT INFO:

This musical contains some strong language and adult themes, therefore parental guidance is recommended for children under the age of 12

JOHANNESBURG

VENUE: Teatro at Montecasino

DATES: Friday, 28 April to Sunday, 18 June 2017

SHOW TIMES:

No Monday performances, except for Monday 01 May 6pm (Workers Day Public Holiday).

Weekdays: Tuesdays to Fridays 20h00

Weekends: Saturdays 15h00, 20h00; Sundays 14h00, 18h00

PRICES:

Tuesdays/Wednesdays/Thursdays at 8pm and Sundays 6pm:  R150, R250, R350, R450 inclusive

Fridays/Saturdays (matinee and evening) and Sunday matinees: R200, R300, R400, R500 inclusive

BOOKINGS:

Computicket by calling 0861 915 8000, visit www.computicket.com or

visit your nearest Computicket outlet

GROUP BOOKINGS

20% Discount on groups of 20 and more – all midweek performances  and Sunday evenings only

Bookings through Jill Somers, 079 218 1658, sales@showtime.co.za

GROUP HOSPITALITY PACKAGES:

For Montecasino Group Hospitality Packages (20+ tickets) montecasino.reservations@tsogosun.com or 011 367 4250

SHOW & STAY PACKAGES

For Montecasino Show and Stay Packages at one of the Montecasino Hotels,  telephone 011 367 4250  or montecasino.reservations@tsogosun.com

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

This musical contains some strong language and adult themes, therefore parental guidance is recommended for children under the age of 12

The post Priscilla, Queen of the Desert appeared first on Stage and Screen.

Save the date! Showtime Management’s 10^th Anniversary Production of Rent  in Concert takes place at Montecasino’s Teatro on Monday, 15 May 2017 at 8pm. Tickets are now on sale at Computicket.  Presented by Showtime Management, this celebratory one night fund-raising concert features the much loved iconic and popular numbers from the stage production of Rent including Seasons of Love, Out Tonight, Without You, Will I and Take Me Or Leave Me performed by the original South African cast who reunite especially for this concert. They last performed together to rave reviews in the Tony and Pulitzer Award winning musical production of Rent, produced by Showtime Management ten years ago at the Alexander Theatre in Braamfontein and then Artscape, Cape Town.

“One is tempted to return just to relive the glorious music,” raved the Tonight on 20 July 2007 and now “Rentheads”, fans of the musical and theatre-goers are invited to take this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to enjoy Rent in Concert.  Based loosely on Puccini’s La Boheme, the musical production of Rent follows a year in the life of a group of impoverished friends struggling to make it in New York’s East City Village as they struggle with relationships, drugs, loss, love, creativity, HIV/AIDS and paying their “rent”.

This concert version presents the entire score sung and performed with minimal staging. It’s all about the music, the songs and the strength of the beautiful voices that will have audiences singing along or sitting mesmerized, longing for more.  All proceeds go to HospiceWits whose “no end to caring” motto resonates with Rent’s themes of love, losing a loved one to a terminal illness, friendship and support. The music and lyrics written by Jonathan Larson performed by the South African cast tell the touching story though song.

The cast is passionate about the concert and eager to give of their time to support HospiceWits. All the 2007 leads – including Shaun V who is flying in from Dubai – and some from around the country, sees Duane Alexander, Aubrey Poo, Zane Gillion, Thokozani “Zano” Nzima, Talia Kodesh, Sivan Raphaely and Ilse Klink together with fellow cast members Chantal Herman, Jaco Van Rensburg, Anton Luitingh, Megan Victor-Carelse and Lorri Strauss on stage on 15 May. New to this staging will be Phillip Schnetler and Nicholas “Nicksoul” Nkuna, who are looking forward to joining the original performers.

What started as a light-hearted Facebook chat about getting together for the 10^th Anniversary of RENT is now becoming a reality.  Hazel Feldman and Tony Feldman of Showtime Management, the original producers of Rent are lending their full support to Rent in Concert and Montecasino, the concert host is providing the Teatro as the concert venue. Technical companies Gearhouse Splitbeam, ProSound and Computicket have donated their services while Music Theatre International New York and the Jonathan Larson Estate has waivered performance royalties, therefore greatly assisting in raising funds for Hospice Wits.

The concert also reunites the 2007 creative team of choreographer Jill Somers with Anton Luitingh and Duane Alexander who will recreate their performances in RENT as well as co-direct the concert version. Music Supervisor, Bryan Schimmel will once again, lead the band.

“Rent radically changed the Broadway musical in the 1990’s, so in keeping with our vision to continually provide world class entertainment that is unique to our venue, the Teatro at Montecasino is thrilled to be hosting this once off event to raise money for a very hardworking organisation such as Hospice Wits” Bryan Hill, General Manager, Teatro

Tickets for this one night only concert are limited and patrons are encouraged to book at Computicket as soon as possible. #RentConcertSA

SHOW INFORMATION

Monday, 15 May 2017 at 20:00

TICKET PRICES:

R150, R250, R350, R450

BOOKINGS:

Computicket by calling 0861 915 8000, visit www.computicket.com or visit your nearest Computicket service centre.

The post Rent In Concert 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.