South Africa Interviews

The QUEEN: IT'S A KINDA MAGIC tribute show returns to Joburg Theatre from 5 April to 14 April. The Rock Symphony Orchestra is excited to announce star Italian conductor Roberto Molinelli who has collaborated with such artists as Andrea Bocelli, Sarah Brightman, the Russian Philharmonic and South Africa's own Belinda Davids....

YOUR PERFECT LIFE took audiences by storm when it made its debut at the National Arts Festival in 2019. The production, which is loosely inspired by the lives of the two writers and performers, Erika Breytenbach-Marais and Faeron Wheeler, snatched up two Standard Bank Ovation Awards – one in 2019 and another in 2021....

FINDING THE LIGHT - AN EVENING WITH MUSICAL THEATRE STARS is set to hit the Artscape Opera House stage this week. The star-studded lineup of both local and international musical theatre stars is sure to make it a performance audiences won't soon forget....

YOUR PERFECT LIFE took audiences by storm when it made its debut at the National Arts Festival in 2019. The production, which is loosely inspired by the lives of the two writers and performers, Erika Breytenbach-Marais and Faeron Wheeler, snatched up two Standard Bank Ovation Awards – one in 2019 an...

EAT THE STARS runs as part of the IN THE DARK season, which in turn takes place from 15 to 25 February at venues around Cape Town, and which is presented by Theatre Arts. This innovative piece of theatre is a “meditation in dance, poetry, and space on the metaphor of human stories in a cosmic contex...

EXPELLED is a brand-new play from writer Rosalind Butler. It was developed as part of The Writers’ Collective - an initiative from How Now Brown Cow that ran through COVID and lockdown. It's now ready to take to the stage in February, and director Craig Freimond talks to us about bringing it to life...

It looks like fans of Michael Jackson in Joburg are in for a real treat this year. Showtime Australia is bringing their international hit tribute concert to SA - MICHAEL JACKSON HISTORY TRIBUTE SHOW! The new lead, stepping into the role of the King of Pop, is South African Garth Field. He chatted to...

LAMTA is celebrating five years of work with their final student production of the year - SPRING AWAKENING. Co-founder of the school and musical director for the show, Anton Luitingh, spoke to us about this....

From the producers that brought audiences the unforgettable HERE’S TO YOU – THE SIMON & GARFUNKEL SONGBOOK, VR Theatrical proudly presents this year's highly anticipated musical tribute: UP ON THE ROOF – THE CAROLE KING SONGBOOK, a second instalment in the Staged Songbook genre....

Creator of SEX AND THE CITY, Candace Bushnell, is on her way to South Africa with her new one-woman show - TRUE TALES OF SEX, SUCCESS AND SEX AND THE CITY. She took some time to chat to us about the show, about her experiences and about how excited she is to visit our beautiful country....

After a stellar debut season at the Joburg Theatre, TOSCA is coming to the Artscape Opera House this September. This directorial team from Cape Town Opera includes Fiona Du Plooy as Movement Director, and she took some time out to chat to us about her role in the production and the production itself...

SNAPPED is set to return to the stage in September this year. The play was first conceived of and staged under lockdown in 2021. We spoke to director Mark Fleischman about bringing this play back to life....

She is back! The phenomenal Lana English, the unforgettable Christine in PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, who has a considerable number of years graced the international waters, has decided to anchor in Cape Town. Her new show A MUSICAL DELIGHT hits the Wave Theater on 26 and 27 August....

August is National Women's Month, a month which presents us with the oppurtunity to celebrate women and to recommit ourselves to the fight for women's empowerment. The Women’s Month Festival offers exactly this - an oppurtunity to uplift and commemorate female-centric visions in theatre. We sat down...

Here's one for the Whitney Huston fans! We spoke to renowned impersonator and singer, Belinda Davids about her tour of THE GREATEST LOVE OF ALL and what it means to her to pay tribute to such an icon....

Brent Van Rensburg, the artistic director of MOYA and co-founder of Zip Zap Circus, and Phelelani Ndakrokra, one of the main stars of the show, sat down with us and shared a glimpse of the MOYA magic....

THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE, written by acclaimed Irish playwright Martin McDonagh, and presented by How Now Brown Cow, will have its Cape Town premiere at the Baxter Theatre in August. The production stars Jennifer Steyn, Julie-Anne McDowell, Bryan Hiles, and Sven Ruygrok, and is directed by multi-...

An enchanting operatic production of CINDERELLA is coming to the Artscape Opera House from 4 to 8 July 2023. Presented by Cape Town Opera (CTO) in association with AM Productions, this is the South African premiere of this brand-new adaptation of Pauline Viardot’s chamber opera CENDRILLON....

South African author, satirist, and social activist Pieter-Dirk Uys brings his latest show, SELL-BY DATE, to Pieter Toerien's Theatre on the Bay later this month....

Opera fans in Cape Town are in for a very exciting treat this May. Winner of the 2017 Operalia Award, Levy Sekgapane, has returned home to lead Cape Town Opera in their latest production - THE PEARL FISHER....

Stephanie Baartman, Lorri Strauss and Sharon Spiegel Wagner have teamed up to strut their stuff in their new musical revue, THE DRESS CODE, which comes to Theatre on the Square in Sandton in May 2023. Musical direction is by Clifford Cooper and Alan Swerdlow directs this show all about clothes, fash...

CRUISE, written and originally performed by Jack Holden is a one-one play that tells the story of Michael Spencer, a young, gay man who is diagnosed with HIV in the 1980s and whose time left to live is limited....

It's not often I get to talk about theatre happening up in Joburg. However, last year I met Daphne Kuhn - owner and artisitic director of Theatre on the Square - and have seen some of the amazing work done there. This year, I chatted to Daphne about her theatre, the challenges they've faced over the...

Dal Segno Theatre is bringing what they're calling a devilish new cabaret to the stage this month. DEVIL SONG is set to premiere to Cape Town audiences at the Avalon Auditorium at the Homecoming Centre towards the end of March. Star of the show, Schoeman Smit chatted to us about bring DEVIL SONG to ...

It's the 100th anniversary of Maria Callas’ birth and what better way to celebrate it than with a run of the Terrence McNally ode to the opera singer, MASTER CLASS? This production sees Pieter Torien teaming up with Cape Town Opera to bring the story to life. In the titular role is Sandra Prinsloo....

COME TOGETHER, a Beatles-inspired dance production presented by LAMTA, enjoyed a sold out run at the Theatre on the Bay in June last year. Since then, the show travelled to Johannesburg for a November 2022 season and now, it returns to the Mother City....

It's a brand-new year, and Cape Town's theatre scene (and weather) is warming up. Looking at the line-up, it's impressive to see the variety of productions offered. If your viewing palate thirsts for something darkly comedic, Louis Viljoen's latest production, THE GRASS WIDOW, promises to quench tha...

As the world gets ready to launch the international 16 Days of Activism campaign against Gender Based Violence, Cape Town Opera decided to add their voice to the call. Their new production ONE IN THREE is a selection of works that speak about the subject of GBV....

CONSTELLATIONS is an immersive, intimate artistic experience created by Brett Bailey for the wine farm Spier. This year, they celebrate their third iteration of this incredible concept and it's sure to be a hit....

The multi-nominated and award-winning THE UNLIKELY SECRET AGENT is returning to the stage this October. This run sees actor Carlo Daniels joining the cast, and Daniels came to talk to us about the experience so far....

Magnet Theatre graduate, Molupi Lepeli, is no stranger to the Baxter's Zabalaza Festival. In 2019, he won the award for Best Supporting Actor in the festival. This year, however, he took part as a writer and director, creating BACK TO ASHES. The production was nominated as one of the Finest of the F...

Finest of the Fest from Baxter's Zabalaza Festival kicks off this week with Sohail Booise's HOSTEL LIGHTS. This young director also wrote and choreographed the piece. He sat down to tell us more about his experiences at the festival and this play....

BREAKING THE CLOSET is in its third edition. Co-founder of this exciting initiative, Nicola Date, sat down to discuss what the shows are all about and what they mean to her personally....

Leading SA actress, singer and television personality André Hattingh has recorded a new song called GATHERING THE STARS, released on 28 March. The song is a tribute honouring the over 142 SA showbiz personalities who sadly passed away (COVID-19 and other reasons) in the past two years, during lockdo...

Fresh from his Best Supporting Actor win at the 57th FLEUR DU CAP THEATRE AWARDS on Sunday 27 March, Siya Mayola sat down to chat to us about winning, life through the pandemic and his future....

After putting the show on pause due to COVID in 2020, Tally Ho! Productions is finally bringing THE LAST FIVE YEARS to the stage. We sat down to chat with Zoë McLaughlin about the wait and how ready she is to get up on stage to play Cathy Hiatt next month at Theatre on the Bay....

From THE LION KING to The Parlotones, Noeleen Bruton has had a wealth of experience in entertainment marketing and is now co-owner of new Cape Town based marketing and digital agency, Marketing Grit. Ready to take new strides on a well-walked path, Noeleen chats with BroadwayWorld....

Having to replace their scheduled second season, EVOLVE, with a new programme this August, Joburg Ballet has expertly adapted their performing to fit current circumstances. CEO Esther Nasser tells BroadwayWorld of the company's journey thus far, and what to look forward to with the ballet's upcoming...

In a time when live theatre is almost impossible to put on, many artists have turned to the online world. Jonathan Roxmouth, one of SA's leading lights in the musical theatre world, has taken the digital plunge and created SHOWSTOPPERS!...

At the beginning of this year a team of theatre and dance professionals came together to create Noah's Art, a charity organization collecting money and food for local performing artists affected financially by the pandemic. One of its founding members, Vicky Friedman, tells us more about their worth...

Eleven years since being the youngest pianist in Africa to be named a Steinway Artist, Charl du Plessis has had an illustrious career both locally and internationally. Performing as part of Aardklop Aubade classical music concert series in collaboration with the Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool, Du Plessis...

From casting for the Fugard stage to fitting faces into Zoom frames, Neil Coppen has been on a journey with HAMLET since early 2020. The prolific director discusses with BroadwayWorld his experience so far....