Joburg theatre

Matilda Jr.

/ antakalipa / Leave a comment

Matilda Jr.

At the Peoples Theatre, Joburg Theatre for the opening of Matilda Jr. I was so excited for this one! As a kid, I used to love the movie. To be honest, I still love it today. I would never dare change the channel if it’s on. Nostalgia, it takes me back to simpler times. A time when I yearned for telekinetic powers to defeat and outwit my bullies. I truly loved the show, it had me laughing and reminiscing all the way. There’s nothing better than hearing a child’s laughter, the show had that effect. Everyone was entertained, it is mellow, humorous, light and family-friendly.

The set is colorful and the transition between scenes is seamless and efficient. Everyone knew their cues and the show just flowed. I absolutely loved Peo-entle Pitso as Matilda. She is sharp witted and fast. She performs with a lot of love, she’s mischievous, she sings and she’s convincing, she is simply brilliant! One for the future. Luciano Zuppa is straight-up Miss Trunchbull. Musculine, crooked teeth, towering and intimidating. Raymond Skinner as Mr. Wormwood is definitely my favorite. He has zero regard for reading and derisively calls Matilda a “bookworm”. It’s crazy that Matilda has read “Crime and Punishment”, I agree with his father’s assessment. He ultimately gets in trouble with the Russian mafia for his shady deals. Jordan Rogers is gorgeous and enjoyable as Mrs. Wormwood. She is materialistic and wants the good life. She also doesn’t understand Matilda and she doesn’t waste her time trying to, she’d rather spend time with her boy toy, dancing with her wedding ring out of sight. Amelia Stephens is simple as Miss Honey. Long dresses, clean presentation, tame and a calm demeanor. I laughed out loud when Matilda asked if she was poor. Yes, she is poor. However she is kind, caring and empathetic – qualities that make her a great teacher and she gets the big house at the end.

Amazing show, the kids are in sync and well practiced. They sang, they danced and they delivered lines with precision. The writing is fabulous, everything and everyone is fabulous! Highly recommended, wonderful, wonderful show!

Directed by Jill Girard and Sandy Richardson-Dyer
Musical Director – Coenraad Rall
Set Design – Grant Knottenbelt

Congratulations to the Peoples Theatre and the whole team for a great show and a deserved standing ovation.

Hidden giants

/ antakalipa / Leave a comment

Hidden giants

If only schools taught physics like the “Hidden giants” lecture. An out the box lecture with live original score by composer Yasheen Modi who plays the piano and violinist Siobhan Lloyd-Jones. The sound is immersive and the visuals by Darius Botha cinematic and bold. That lecture is so cool, it is an experience, it has life, it has feeling, it’s the type of show that makes you fall in love with science. Science for me at school was never that cool, if it were, I’d have a PhD in Physics. That’s how good I feel about Physics and the Universe right now!

Dr. Luca Pontiggia serves at the lecturer for the show. He simplifies the Universe for the common man. He makes it fun and strips away all the fear factor. It’s not intimidating, the visuals on the screen paint a picture, they tell a story. We learned so much about the nature of the Universe, it’s inception, how old it is and how it expanded. We learned about Isaac Newton and the gravitational force. We learned about Albert Einstein and the theory of relativity. We learned about Black holes, spacetime and the singularity. Black holes are dead stars that are dense who pull in everything in their orbit and Supanovas are exploding stars! The lecture is divided into 3 acts: The object, the minds and the image.

Act 1 explores the cycle of stars and violent forces that give birth to black holes. Act 2 explores the great thinkers like Newton and Einstein who conceived of these mathematical formulas that enabled a better understanding of our Universe. Act 3 is proof, Einstein’s theory of relativity is just that – theory. We need tangible evidence of a black hole, E.H (Event Horizon), Accretion Disc, Photon Sphere and the Singularity. Unbelievably, we get proof, we have a picture, Albert Einstein was right. We get this proof with the of help from lasers, telescopes stationed strategically all over the world, a dedicated team and supercomputers. This picture is everything, it’s a scientific leap, proof of the Universe and existence, something to build on in our understanding of string-theory and perhaps the big bang itself.

This is such a cool lecture, something you can watch over and over again. Pity it has a limited run at Joburg Theatre, everyone should see it – it has a lot of enthusiasm, the theatre was filled to the brim, literally every seat was occupied. The teaching is world-class and the music – out of this world! You don’t want it to end, you just want to learn and learn and learn. They made Physics and the Universe really cool.

Bee Gees show

/ antakalipa / Leave a comment

Bee Gees show

Joburg Theatre, the Bee Gees show, we came in a bit earlier, thought the show was at 7:30 pm. Oh well, being early never hurt anybody, relax, it’s chilly, it’s cold, let’s get some hot chocolate, the show starts at 8:00 pm.

We watched people enter, excitement, a turn out, while we were waiting for the show, “Across 110th street” is playing on the speaker, priming people for the experience. It was a fantastic show as expected. Showtime Australia the culprits, fingerprints all over. Incredible performers, they were totally in sync with us, the audience, even gave us 3 bonuses after we demanded for more, but that’s expected, how can you stop the show after “Staying Alive” – highly improbable. They also performed “You should be dancing”, “Tragedy, “Jive Talking”, Nights on Broadway”, “Night Fever”, “More than a woman”, “Spicks and Specks”, “Words”, “Massachusetts”, “Don’t forget to Remember” and other hits and classics.

Zac Coombs, Andre Behnke and Warren Vernon-Discoll are the incredible vocalists. I saw Prince on keyboards, the talented Dale Ray. The Electric guitarist was on super God mode, outstanding as usual. The drums, guitars, piano, keyboard, singing, everything was executed to great fanfare and engagement with the fans. Everyone delivered. Amazing show that encapsulates the spirit of the 60’s and 70’s, like a time capsule. Congratulations Showtime Australia and the whole team for a great show and a deserved standing ovation.

You strike a woman, you strike a rock!

/ antakalipa / Leave a comment

You strike a woman, you strike a rock!

SamSays delivered the through ball and I controlled and finessed for the match ball, hatrick! I deliver over and over again. Thank you Sam, SamSays on the credits.

I was at Joburg Theatre to watch “You strike a woman, you strike a rock” (Wathint’ abafazi, wathint’ imbokotho). Live theatre at the highest level. The play is set in the Apartheid era, PW Botha is the president, the story world is plauged by inequality, social injustice and poverty. The story opens with a Helicopter scattering, hovering and surveilling the location. The residents hate the roaming Helicopter, they call it a bird, they see it for what it is, spying, surveillance by the government. They curse and swear at every time it features in the show. This describes the relationship the people of the story have with the  government and unjust system. It’s hate, resentment, they feel oppression and utter contempt for the system. We are introduced to the three main characters in a typical market in the Transkei. Children and chaos co-existing in the market, Mambhele and Mampompo sell chickens and Sdudla sells oranges and vetkoeks. They all operate their stalls illegally without permits or permission. The threat of the police or authority is ever present. It’s a woman’s world and men are hardly present. These women fight on a daily to secure their families future, money is tough to get and they work hard. Seeing that opportunities for money are few in the Transkei, they move to a township in Cape Town. In the world of the township, violence prevails as the unrest is prevalent. It is a story-world that is not fair for women, they are easily fired from work by their white employers for coming late, their transport issues not factored in, they are sexually abused for standing up for themselves at the farms and deadbeat unemployed husband’s drink away the family’s money at the shebeen. Despite everything, the women stand strong and they miraculously prevail in this unjust, unequal and in different world.

Money and survival are paramount in this world, we see Mambhele practically prostituting herself to sell chickens, letting her customers interact and touch her inappropriately, boob grabs and just about anything that gets the job done. Mampompo is notorious for robbing his customers change and hiking up prices. Sdudla is surprisingly level headed out of the three. It is physical theatre at its best, sounds of chickens and objects in the play are mimicked to perfection. The performers created a realistic environment, we were transported to their world. They imitated chickens, busses, babies, windows, knocks on doors and the protests on the streets. They have tremendous stage presence and chemistry. They know each other instinctively and intuitively on the stage, they just flow, they just play. They fully embodied their characters on the stage, it was convincing, humorous, wholesome and relatable.The characters are 3 dimensional, they have hopes, dreams and fears. The conversations and interactions felt natural. The play is in English but has an Eastern Cape dialect, you can hear the Xhosa accent and undertone. The characters are alive, they are real, they exist. The performance and acting is just incredible! The performers have incredible range, they were serious, humorous, tearful, excited and Ziaphora even regressed to a child. Incredible endurance and stamina too – a lot happened, they created magic, they were simply amazing.

Barileng Malebye plays Mambhele, Keitumetse ‘Kitty’ Moepang plays Mampompo and Ziaphora Dakile is Sdudla. Excellence all around, live theatre at its very best.

Congratulations Rorisang Motuba and the whole team and a deserved standing ovation.

Taylor Swift

/ antakalipa / Leave a comment

Taylor Swift

I always liked Taylor Swift, especially in her country days. My earliest experience of her music was “Speak Now”. It has one of my favorite songs of all time “Never grow up”, an acoustic guitar-led ballad about time, youth, growth, nostalgia, life. It’s beautiful and personal, it always made me reminisce about my life, my experiences, my childhood, simpler times when everything made sense. The lyrics are so descriptive and vivid, the guitar strings you along the different perspectives. How I wish I lived in a loop where youth is forever, time stands still and the smiles lasted an eternity. It’s an emotive song, it’s tragic, life goes on and we all grow up. The album also contains “Mine”, “Sparks fly”, “Dear John” and another favorite of mine “Mean”. Her writing always distinguished her from everybody else, she writes with a lot of feeling and from real life experience, you feel her words anchored in reality. I always liked Taylor Swift and when she released her fourth album “Red”, I went to the music store and purchased the CD. I loved “Red”, it had “Starlight”, “Begin Again”, “Everything has changed”, “Sad beautiful tragic”, “The Last Time”, “Holy Ground” and “Stay, stay, stay”. It also had your chart toppers like “22”, “I Knew You Were Trouble” and “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”. It was great album, still love this album to this day, my last Taylor Swift album, I lost touch after “1989”, ironically, that’s when she really took off! She’s an icon now, selling stadiums is easy, topping charts is a given, platinum records automatic and four “Album of the year” Grammy awards – no one has ever done that period.

I always liked Taylor Swift, she’s the biggest gangster in the game, when she releases an album everyone else changes their release dates. She re-recorded her albums because the record company was playing hardball with her masters – ownership, they will never give you what’s due to you, exploitation is the name of the game. She took her publishing and re-recorded the music so she can own the masters. She redistributed the music as “Taylor’s version” and they sold better than before. She is the first billionaire with music as the primary source of income. The lesson? Ownership will make you a Billionaire. 14 Grammy awards and just about every conceivable award in music – Taylor Swift, the biggest gangster in the game.

Showtime Australia is having a Taylor Swift tribute show of different eras at the Joburg Theatre in April and Bronwen invited me for a meet and greet with the star of the show, Josette. She’s leaving for Australia in a couple of days to prepare for the show so it was imperative that I meet her. She’s pretty and she loves Taylor Swift. Her first experience of Taylor was at home on the internet, her broadband disappointing, she could only stream the first 15 seconds of “Teardrops on my guitar”, so she played it over and over again. Her favorite album is “Fearless” and the self-titled album. I love the fact that she has been with Taylor from the very beginning. The show is a blend of different eras, we had different costumes that dazzled with sequins to illustrate this. From the country days, to Red, to her current era. All in all, 7 eras, the show promises to be a great one. She’s enthused, there’s a sparkle in her eyes, she’ll be performing the music of a cultural icon and she’s still alive, Josette knows she has to bring it, there will be an expectation. She explained that she won’t go out of her way to be Taylor Swift, that’s not possible, she’s still alive, selling out stadiums in the process – no one is expecting that, she will perform as authentically as she can embodying Taylor’s stage presence and mannerisms and honoring her in the best possible way. It’s a tribute show of a cultural icon, one of the most influential people in the world, the biggest gangster in the game and Showtime Australia is behind it. This is going to be a great one, I can feel it.

ABBA

/ antakalipa / Leave a comment

ABBA

Money, money, money, must be funny, in a rich man’s world. Money, money, money, must be sunny, in a rich man’s world. Yet another great production from Showtime Australia, yet another great pass from Bronwen and B-Sharp entertainment.

I was at the opening of the ABBA Dancing Queen concert hosted by Joburg Theatre. It was Abbasolutely Fabbaulous! I was with Sam and Mia, big fans of ABBA and it’s easy to see why. They were excited about the show but it was not just them. The excitement was in the air and it was contagious! Everyone was excited for this show. The atmosphere was 70’s like, with disco balls and retro music playing in the background before the show commenced. Everyone was in their 70’s outfits, sequins and sparkles were everywhere, it was dazzling! A full house, I love the Joburg Theatre, the experience was memorable. When we finally got inside the auditorium, there was an expectation. We were primed with classics from Micheal Jackson and the Village People – everyone was singing YMCA and that’s before the show! When the show finally commenced it exceeded all expectations. The lighting, the band, the performers, the costumes, it was all grand, we were in the ABBA world and it was awesome! The audience couldn’t stop singing and dancing. The show is interactive, the performers led the songs we were singing and encouraged us to let loose. The show was simply outstanding! Some of the songs performed were Dancing Queen, Waterloo, Gimme, Gimme, Gimme!, Mamma Mia, Take a chance on me, SOS, Money, Money, Money, Knowing Me, Knowing You, Fernando, Thank for the music and other timeless classics! I loved Money, Money, Money, the performers encouraged the audience to participate and we all sang at the top of our lungs. The last song of the program, ” The Winner takes it all” was truly epic, it was mezmarrizing, it was fire – Dracarys!

Jessica Driver is Agnetha Falskoy, Andre Behnke is Benny Andersson, Jimmy James is Bjorn Ulvaeus and Giverny Allen is Anni-Frid Lyngstad. I even saw familiar faces from previous shows produced by Showtime Australia like Dale Ray who was Prince, I see you and Hi Nadine, she was in the Micheal Jackson HIStory Show! Outstanding show, we couldn’t get enough of it! Everything is perfection, from lighting, cheography, music solos, the singing is just out of this world – no hyperbole, go see for yourself, I’ll put my reputation on the line!

Congratulations Showtime Australia and the whole team and a deserved standing ovation!

Beauty and the Beast

/ antakalipa / Leave a comment

Beauty and the Beast

Perfect show, a great theatrical experience. I loved everything about the show. It’s bursting with with imagination. It is grand, magical, energic, interactive, vibrant and refreshing. It is a show that has a lot of enthusiasm, from the diverse cast, the multiple sets that keep on changing, the costumes that transport you to that world, outstanding lighting, the amazing sound and sound effects, the singing, dancing and cheography, the rich story world and mesmerizing performers on the stage. It is so humorous and entertaining, I was hooked from the first moment to the last. The songs had the audience singing along. We even sang Shosholoza. The timeless story of “Beauty and the Beast” is revamped and given more color, it has a South African context, it has personality, it is memorable. Gavascon is my favorite character, he is brash, vain, narcissistic and has that Jonny Bravo “I am pretty” aura. The “macho, macho man”, it’s hard to be humble when you are perfect. But of course, he does give everyone indigestion, heartburn and stomach complications. Last infamous words of his first appearance, “They eating the dogs, they eating the cats”, I thought that was funny. The sound effect when the beast was talking, it was raucous and deep, he growled, he was thundering, he was menacing. The witch is really a witch. She flys on her broom, casts spells and has the most wicked laugh. She is diabolical, she shot the audience with her snort gun and turned the prince into a beast. I can’t believe her assistant ate her snort, proclaiming it’s protein. That was nasty. She really doesn’t give a damn about a bad reputation. Beauty is just refreshing and so beautiful. I loved the donkey, the movements, very donkeylike, comedic and talked a lot, reminded me Shrek. Mama (Fairy god mother) and Bonnyface are charming and relatable, very South African too, uses words in the South African lexicon, like kleva, Soweto and mfanawami. Mama is eccentric, she keeps watch over the story and makes sure everyone sticks to the script of the story. I Loved when Mama, Bonnyface, Beauty and the Dad performed the “friends” theme song. That was nostalgic. The 3 sisters are funny, whinny and an echo. It was great to see the beauty of the ballerina and the character with the bread on his head and torso was very peculiar. Not sure what he was. So I went to Sam and she clarified, Monsieur Brioche, a sweet French bread. Thank you so much Sam. SamSays on the credits. I loved everything about the show. The costumes, lighting and sets are truly epic. I can’t wait for Pinocchio next year, a real favorite of mine. Congratulations Janice Honeyman and the whole team for a great show and a deserved standing ovation.

Charlie and the Chocolate factory

/ antakalipa / Leave a comment

Charlie and the Chocolate factory

Follow the music of the Maestro, feel it, let it envelop your whole being, breath through your pores and express itself in your movements. Ballet, sensitivity, technique, balance, composure, calm, grace, poise and beauty. Let go, immerse yourself in the present moment, time moves for you, stretch your anatomy, be the pulse in which life revolves around, be one with all of life, be vulnerable, feel. Conductor, conductor, conductor, I love it when they walk on their toes, it’s like they are floating, spinning like tops in the air, like gravity isn’t a factor, like clouds are made of concrete but it doesn’t matter because they are skipping ahead. It’s unbelievable how they do splits in the air, complete 180 degrees airborne and they stick the landing. The leap in the air is totally gorgeous. Sam and I were excited for this one weeks prior and it delivered with flying colors. SamSays on the credits. It’s mind-boggling how the ballet dancers can support the whole of their weight on their toes, it’s like they don’t have ankles, it’s effortless too, like it’s not a big deal, like this is how I walk, like I make time slow down. The beauty of the human anatomy, finally I understand. It’s art, how it stretches, the muscles, how it bends, how flexible it is, and how glorious it is when it has attained mastery. It’s pure awe, it takes your breath away. Ballet is the celebration of God’s glory, he is showing off. The motion of their hands when they move on stage, it’s like current is flowing through their bodies, it’s slow motion, freeze frame, photogenic, zen, graceful, absolutely beautiful.

I was at the opening of the Mario Gaglione ballet show at the Joburg Theatre, “Charlie and the Chocolate factory” by Roald Dahl, music by Mark Cheyne and the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra. Full house, no empty seat. Unbelievable show, loved every moment of it. A complete theatrical experience with an emsemble that featured all age groups. The show is visually rich and is paced through the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra. The performers are expressive facially and they explore the stage like voyagers, skipping, leaping throughout. The performers are mesmerizing. They dance with complete freedom and expression, like demons allowed to leave hell for a couple of minutes, but it’s not demonic, it’s beautiful – everything is beautiful. No dialogue, the classic story of “Charlie and the Chocolate factory” is told through the medium of ballet, dance, visuals and glorious music that strings you along from the first minute to it’s climax. Even Willy Wanka is a ballet dancer. The dancers are exquisite even the kids. The costumes have personality and the set keeps changing to add to the texture and dimension of the show. The Orchestra have range and have the ability to make you happy, sad or to make you laugh. They are the backbone of the show and keep you hooked from the start. Perfect show, beautifully told and executed with precision and attention to detail. I loved the show, a must watch for theatre enthusiasts. Special praise and reverence for Monike Cristina, I understand beauty because I witnessed her on the stage, her level of focus and execution is second to none, she moved like a swan. Congratulations to Mario Gaglione and the whole team for a beautiful show and a deserved standing ovation.

PRINCE

/ antakalipa / Leave a comment

PRINCE

Micheal is pretty great but if I had to choose, I am going with Prince. Prince inspired Nas, Kendrick Lamar, Bruno Mars Alicia Keys and Beyonce, he lives in their music. He is entrenched in the fiber of popular culture. I am going with Prince because of Eddie Murphy on “Coming to America”, they made a sequel 30 years later and his music still served as a soundtrack to the movie. He makes timeless art, art about love and beautiful girls. Going with Prince because of Electric guitars and ’80 synthesizers. Going with Prince because of “When Doves Cry”, still one of my favorite songs of all time, it gets me in the mood, I can’t help but to dance to it. Going with Prince because he was an amazing creative who in addition to serving as the lead vocalist, produced all his music. No seriously, Prince did everything! He played all the instruments, I am talking guitar, drums, sax and organs. He also chereographed the moves you see on stage. Going with Prince because his music was futuristic yet retro. Contradictory? Juxtaposition? Nah, listen to the music and you’ll understand, it never goes out of style. Going with Prince because of my two EPs, “Projections” and “the hero”, if I were to create a full length LP, it would have a Prince influence, I’d be over the top, talk about love and guitars would dominate. Going with Prince because of “Purple Rain”. “Purple Rain” is “Purple Rain”, self-explaintory, one of the greatest albums ever made and millions around the world have been conceived to it. Going with Prince because of his style, the androgynous sensitive artist and how his music makes me feel. I feel happy, I want to dance and I feel enveloped by love. Prince because I am a romantic. Prince because of “The most beautiful girl in the world”. Prince because of 1999! Prince because “Purple Rain” is better than “Thriller”. Opps! Don’t mean to be inflammatory, this is just one man’s opinion. I love Micheal, but if I had to choose, I am going with Prince, Prince is closer to my spirit.

Joburg Theatre hosted a Prince concert today, Sam put in the through ball and I finished off the move. Outstanding show! Amazing performer Dale Ray is. He is Prince in every sense! He sang like him, he danced like him, he even played all the instruments! No kidding! He played the Electric guitar, piano, sax, keyboard, drums and danced throughout. Great stage presence, he interacted with the audience and made us feel like we were a part of the show. I can’t believe it! I went to a Prince concert! It had all the enthusiasm, the lights, the band, screens, amazing sound, cheographed dancing, beautiful lady back-up singers and I was in unison with the crowd when we sang! It wasn’t a dream, it was live. We were on our feet, some on their knees and we sang to the top of our lungs and Prince himself validated and acknowledged our presence! Prince himself lead us into these songs. Dale Ray is Prince, he is Prince in every sense! “When Doves Cry” was second on the program, “I Would Die 4 You” somewhere, “Kiss” there, “Cream” of course, other classics and “Purple Rain” last, we should have demanded an encore, to stretch the moment a bit longer, stay in that spirit, dance and sing the whole night away. Congratulations to Showtime Australia for an amazing concert and the whole team for a great concert. Unforgettable. Memorable.