A STAR IS BORN Comes to Arena@Artscape in December

WELA KAPELA PRODUCTIONS presents A STAR IS BORN – the rise and fall of Judy Garland 13 to 23 December 2023 in the  Arena@ Artscape. 

Garlands career began at the age of two and a half and at the age of 13 she signed her first movie contract. The Wizard of Oz earned her an Oscar at 17... by 47 she was dead. How did Hollywoods brightest star dim so fast? Garland was Hollywoods queen of the comebacks. Whenever her career and personal life hit rock bottom, she would stage a spectacular comeback and again hit the bigtime. The multi-Grammy-winning recording, of her Carnegie Hall performance, is still regarded as the single greatest live album by a singer of popular American standards. 

A Star is Born is a cabaret by Kerry Hiles and  Luke Holder, it follows the life of this iconic artist from her first stage appearance to her untimely death. This Wela Kapela’s production of A STAR IS BORN has played to sell out audience at the Edinburgh Festival and received not one but 2 Standard Bank Ovation awards at the National Arts Festival in Makanda. The audience’s reaction to A Star is Born is fascinating.  Every night, they gasp, they groan, they shake their heads in disbelief. The audience is transfixed by this riveting story of Judy Garland. 

A STAR IS BORN written and directed by Amanda Bothma tells the story of a child star, abused by the studio system, her mother who fed her upper and downers, later her husbands, her business managers - everyone wanted a piece of the pie. It is both an entertaining and sophisticated work.

Wela Kapela Productions is fun, frivolous, provocative, daring and, perhaps, even a little boastful. Founded in 2018 by Amanda Bothma this East London company, has become one of the major cabaret producers in South Africa. 

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