David Kramer News

With over 100 U.S. cities and 30 international regions featured on our site, we have so many exciting theatre happenings around our Broadway World! Below, we've highlighted our top 10 stories from this week. Check out the roundup below!

ORPHEUS IN AFRICA is all set to be a grand, old-fashioned classic musical in the Rodgers and Hammerstein tradition. Kramer has unearthed a fantastic historical footnote and found the reason that this story deserves to be raised into our consciousness more than a century after Orpheus McAdoo's death in 1900.

The Fugard Theatre in Cape Town has received 8 prestigious Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards nominations for productions presented in 2014.

Following a rave-reviewed opening at the 2014 National Arts Festival, Cape Town is in for a treat with the local premiere of South African musical, YOU BET YOUR LIFE!

Today, on Thursday 12 February, to mark the occasion of the Fugard Theatre's fifth birthday since its official opening, the Fugard Theatre staff and the cast and crew of David Kramer's highly acclaimed musical ORPHEUS IN AFRICA, will light the candles on a birthday cake after the curtain call of the 8pm performance. All patrons attending the show will raise a glass of bubbly in the foyer after the show.

The penultimate column in our 2014 South African Theatre Retrospectives deals with musical theatre and opera. Today we celebrate 'six of the best' opera and musical theatre productions from around the country - with two honourable mentions for an outstanding cabaret and revue - having already looked at some of the best plays and dance productions of the year.

The University of Hartford's Hartt School is pleased to announce its performances for December.

The University of Hartford's Hartt School is pleased to announce its performances for December.

Eric Abraham and the Fugard Theatre are proud to announce the world premiere of David Kramer's new musical ORPHEUS IN AFRICA at the Fugard Theatre in January 2015.

This fall, Carnegie Hall launches UBUNTU: Music and Arts of South Africa, a month-long festival from October 8 to November 5, 2014, featuring an exciting array of events to be presented at Carnegie Hall and partner venues throughout New York City, inviting audiences to explore the incredibly dynamic and diverse culture of South Africa. Single tickets for all festival events at Carnegie Hall will go on sale to the general public on Monday, August 25 at 8:00 a.m.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is extending invitations to join the organization to 271 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures. Those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy's membership in 2014.

You Bet Your Life! is a witty, new, all-South-African musical comedy that's set to rock Vicky's at the National Arts Festival from 3 to 13 July.

With rehearsals for the premiere of YOU BET YOUR LIFE! set to start soon, ROLKSA Productions has announced that a fresh young ensemble has been put together to stage and perform the musical at the National Arts Festival later this year. With the clock ticking until the world premiere, pre-production for this witty and rib-tickling new show has commenced with all players excited to be on board.

Four options for the four public access TV stations in South Africa. A great way to smarten up local television, don't you think?

Willy Russell's iconic musical BLOOD BROTHERS, which has been adapted and directed by David Kramer and has wowed South Africa since it first opened in Cape Town last year, will celebrate its 150th performance on Thursday 1 May 2014. To celebrate this momentous milestone in the show's journey, the Fugard Theatre, where the production is running until Sunday 25 May 2014, is offering the first 30 people who call in to book with the reference "Blood Brothers 150", tickets for R100 each (limited to 4 per person) as well as a glass of bubbly on arrival.

The cast album of BLOOD BROTHERS offers an interesting listening experience to fans of the show and musical theatre enthusiasts - and the fact that it exists at all is to be commended and valued.

One of Cape Town's favourite sons, Loukmaan Adams, presents his first solo show, My Wonderyears, for a limited season at the Baxter Concert Hall. It will be performed from today, 5 to 12 April at 8.15pm with an extra show at 12 noon on 12 April.

Two superb productions, produced by the Fugard Theatre in Cape Town, have been awarded prestigious Fleur du Cap and Naledi Theatre Awards.

One of Cape Town's favourite sons, Loukmaan Adams, presents his first solo show, My Wonderyears, for a limited season at the Baxter Concert Hall. It will be performed from 5 to 12 April at 8.15pm with an extra show at 12 noon on 12 April.

The theatre industry stepped out in style for the 11th annual Naledi Theatre Awards to applaud and cheer their peers who won against the strongest competition to date in 25 categories.