The Metropolitan Opera may have its spectacular Julie Taymor production of THE MAGIC FLUTE, but the real fun in town is the Mozart at the new Victory Theatre on West 42nd Street, where the South African Isango Ensemble is in residence.
g its Off-Broadway debut at The New Victory Theater from today, November 1 - November 9, Isango Ensemble's Young Vic production of The Magic Flute: Impempe Yomlingo reimagines Mozart's masterpiece opera with a South African context. Featuring township percussion, an orchestra of marimbas and a cast of more than thirty vibrant voices from the townships surrounding Cape Town, and winner of the 2008 Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival and a Globes de Cristal for Best Opera, this Magic Flute dazzles with drama, comedy and the sublime joy of finding true love.
Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) presents Isango Ensemble's The Magic Flute (Impempe Yomlingo), bringing thirty actors and musicians from South Africa to Chicago as part of CST's celebrated World's Stage Series. The Magic Flute reimagines Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's most beloved operatic work, incorporating African singing, pulsating beats and spirited storytelling into this 223-year-old classic. Based in Cape Town, the vibrant company of the Isango Ensemble unites the diverse nation of Africa by reinventing classics from the Western theater canon within a South African setting. Adapted and directed by Isango co-founder Mark Dornford-May, The Magic Flute took London by storm, garnering London's prestigious Laurence Olivier Award. The production will be performed at Skyline Stage on Navy Pier (next door to CST) for a limited engagement, September 25-28, 2014. Check out highlights below!
Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) presents Isango Ensemble's The Magic Flute (Impempe Yomlingo), bringing thirty actors and musicians from South Africa to Chicago as part of CST's celebrated World's Stage Series. The Magic Flute reimagines Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's most beloved operatic work, incorporating African singing, pulsating beats and spirited storytelling into this 223-year-old classic. Based in Cape Town, the vibrant company of the Isango Ensemble unites the diverse nation of Africa by reinventing classics from the Western theater canon within a South African setting. Adapted and directed by Isango co-founder Mark Dornford-May, The Magic Flute took London by storm, garnering London's prestigious Laurence Olivier Award. The production will be performed at Skyline Stage on Navy Pier (next door to CST) for a limited engagement, today, September 25-28, 2014.
The month-long, citywide festival UBUNTU: Music and Arts of South Africa concludes in early November with events ranging from concerts at Carnegie Hall to music, theater, and film screenings at partner venues throughout New York City.
Making its Off-Broadway debut at The New Victory Theater from November 1 - November 9, Isango Ensemble's Young Vic production of The Magic Flute: Impempe Yomlingo reimagines Mozart's masterpiece opera with a South African context. Featuring township percussion, an orchestra of marimbas and a cast of more than thirty vibrant voices from the townships surrounding Cape Town, and winner of the 2008 Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival and a Globes de Cristal for Best Opera, this Magic Flute dazzles with drama, comedy and the sublime joy of finding true love.
Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) continues the dynamic World's Stage Series with the U.S. debut of Theatre de la Ville's Ionesco Suite from Paris, France. Directed by Emmanuel Demarcy-Mota, this absurdist masterpiece celebrates the work of maverick avant-garde playwright Eugene Ionesco with a whirlwind montage encapsulating seven of his plays, brimming with wicked humor and hard-hitting themes. Ionesco Suite will be performed in the theater Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare, October 15-October 19, 2014.
Offering a South African spin on Mozart's beloved opera, the Isango Ensemble brings simple stagecraft and a unique musical flair to Washington for a limited run. Performing in repertory with Shakespeare's VENUS AND ADONIS for a limited run, Isango displays their expert ensemble in a must-see production. THE MAGIC FLUTE - IMPEMPE YOMLINGO distills the characters, story and music from one of the most popular operas in the Western repertoire.
The Isango Ensemble, brought to Washington as part of The Shakespeare Theatre Company's Presentations Series focusing on works from around the world, is based in Cape Town, South Africa, and is made up of performers from the surrounding area, who were sought out and brought together in 2000 by Director and co-founder Mark Dornford-May. Isango looks at Western works through an African lens, and what they bring to this 400 year old classic work is both ancient and contemporary, simple and lush, quiet and thunderous, straightforward and nuanced. Weaving the African rhythms, music, vocalizations and instrumentation with Venus and Adonis, uses a deeply human, very grounded style to tell a vaunted story of the love of a goddess for a mere mortal.
The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. It's our Super September Fall Preview! 'Evil Dead,' a South African 'Magic Flute,' Aurora's 'Cats,' 'Women On The Verge...,' Theo's Kurt Weill and LOW's Cole Porter, Bailiwick's 'Wild Party,' Porchlight's 'Sweeney Todd' and more!
Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) presents Isango Ensemble's The Magic Flute (Impempe Yomlingo), bringing thirty actors and musicians from South Africa to Chicago as part of CST's celebrated World's Stage Series. The Magic Flute reimagines Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's most beloved operatic work, incorporating African singing, pulsating beats and spirited storytelling into this 223-year-old classic. Based in Cape Town, the vibrant company of the Isango Ensemble unites the diverse nation of Africa by reinventing classics from the Western theater canon within a South African setting. Adapted and directed by Isango co-founder Mark Dornford-May, The Magic Flute took London by storm, garnering London's prestigious Laurence Olivier Award. The production will be performed at Skyline Stage on Navy Pier (next door to CST) for a limited engagement, September 25-28, 2014.
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 Shakespeare Theatre Company brings two productions by the Isango Ensemble to Washington, D.C., as part of STC's 2014-2015 Presentation Series. The Isango Ensemble's unique performances reset Western theatre classics within a South African township, utilizing music, dance and elements of South African heritage. The Ensemble will perform an adaption of Mozart's opera The Magic Flute- Impempe Yomlingo and Shakespeare's epic love poem Venus and Adonis in repertory at the Lansburgh Theatre September 12-21, 2014. Tickets for non-subscribers will be available starting August 1, when individual tickets for the 2014-2015 STC Season go on sale.
As New York's premier Off-Broadway theater dedicated to kids and families, The New Victory Theater previously announced six NY premieres and seven U.S. premieres from eight different countries around the world in a new season that runs from September 26, 2014 through June 7, 2015. The New Victory 2014-15 season goes on sale today, July 1.
The Shakespeare Theatre Company announces the addition of David Greig's Dunsinane from the National Theatre of Scotland and the Royal Shakespeare Company to its upcoming 2014-2015 Season. This international production, which has toured Scotland, the U.K., Russia and China, will replace the previously announced production of Enrico IV, slated for spring 2015.
Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) announces today the 2014/15 World's Stage Series-bringing the most fresh and innovative work from theater companies around the world to Chicago and touring CST-developed productions to festivals abroad. From Australia, South Africa, France, England, Scotland and Belgium, this season's offerings for Chicago audiences feature productions from eight internationally acclaimed theater companies. In keeping with the mission of the World's Stage program to serve as an international cultural ambassador for Chicago, the Theater is also touring CST-produced work abroad to Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
As New York's premier Off-Broadway theater dedicated to kids and families, The New Victory Theater has announced six NY premieres and seven U.S. premieres from eight different countries around the world in a new season that runs from September 26, 2014 through June 7, 2015.
Building on the achievements of 2012, Shakespeare's Globe opens public booking for the 2013 theatre season today, 11 February. 'Season of Plenty' follows a watershed year at the Globe and offers theatre's brightest talents in a rich season of fifteen plays, including three world premieres, an expansion of the Globe's award-winning touring, and the return of three Globe to Globe productions from last year's once-in-a-lifetime festival.
Building on the achievements of 2012, Shakespeare's Globe opens public booking for the 2013 theatre season on Monday 11 February. 'Season of Plenty' follows a watershed year at the Globe and offers theatre's brightest talents in a rich season of fifteen plays, including three world premieres, an expansion of the Globe's award-winning touring, and the return of three Globe to Globe productions from last year's once-in-a-lifetime festival.
Gary Naylor sees a legendary novel brought to the stage.
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