‘Heathers – The Musical’ to make its SA debut in the Mother City
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“Heathers – The Musical”
Prepare for the Waterfront Theatre School performers to entangle you in the dark and twisted world of high school.
Based on Laurence O’Keefe and Kevin Murphy’s hit musical adaptation of the 1989 cult-classic film of the same name by Daniel Waters, this musical features teenage power plays, croquet games and a trio of “Heathers”, the popular girls who rule the roost with a flick of their perfectly coiffed hair.
This week will be the first time that “Heathers – The Musical“ will be staged in South Africa after adaptations of it were showcased several times around the world.
This includes London’s West End where it was The Best New Musical Winner at the 24th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards in February.
The local version of the show is directed by Paul Griffiths, while top talents from the Waterfront Theatre School make up the cast. They include Liesel Irene Horn, William Young, Rachael Saunders, Azande Dube, Tyde Hickman and Kudzai K Kamwendo.
“Our cast is armed with charisma, killer vocals and a wardrobe that screams ’80s glam,” the producers said.
“A little over the top? We think not. Besides … the extreme always seems to make an impression,” they added.
Where: The Artscape Theatre in Foreshore.
When: Currently, until Saturday, July 27.
Cost: Tickets cost R200 and are available at Webtickets.
“Monika, It’s Me”
Theatregoers are set to be taken on a comedic and emotional journey in this highly-rated production.
“Monika, It’s Me” comes to the Mother City hot on the heels of its staging at The National Arts Festival 2024 last month in Makhanda in the Eastern Cape.
Klara van Wyk takes centre stage in this one-woman show which provides a comedic look at the realities of growing old, being alone and the “Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning”, where people put their homes in order by getting rid of unnecessary belongings.
She stars as Maryna, an adept Facebook Marketplace saleswoman and award-winning dog trainer.
Her life is then thrust into chaos when she becomes the unlikely carer of Monika, who is on the verge of swopping the temporal with the eternal.
“Monika, a stately, suburban housewife, was left behind by her family, who are now expats in New Zealand, and it is just a little too far for them to return to pack up the house,” the producers explained.
They added that it is now up to Maryna to pick up the pieces of Monika’s life.
The show, which was nominated for Best Comedy Performance at the Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees 2024 (KKNK), is directed by Jenine Collocott, who has almost two decades of theatre experience and has also worked as a writer, designer and producer.
She is renowned for productions such as “The Snow Goose”, and “The Old Man and The Sea”, which won the Fleur du Cap prize for Best Puppetry Design.
Van Wyk is also no stranger to the stage. She has earned widespread recognition for her roles in shows such as “You Suck and Other Inescapable Truths” which was performed over a hundred times across the country at schools and festivals.
It was also nominated for a Fleur du Cap Award as well as a Standard Bank Ovation Award. She also performed in the award-winning “Babbelagtig” and “The Epicene Butcher and Other Stories for Consenting Adults”.
Where: The Drama Factory in Somerset West.
When: From Wednesday, July 24, and Thursday, July 25. All shows start at 7.30pm.
Cost: Tickets start from R160 and are available at Webtickets.
“Grease”
Young theatre performers from Wynberg Boys’ and Girls' High Schools will this week stage “Grease”, arguably the world's best-loved musical.
“The iconic teen musical is back and Wynberg Boys’ High School morphs into 1950s Rydell High for four rocking nights of foot-stomping, sing-a-long musical theatre,” the producers said.
It will include two casts, “Lightning” and “Grease”, of over 70 performers, which will take to the stage on different nights.
Since breaking out on Broadway in 1972, “Grease” has cemented its place in pop culture with its lead characters of Danny, Sandy, Kenickie, Rizzo, The T Birds as well as hit songs like “You’re The One That I Want”, “Grease Is The Word”, “Summer Nights” and “Hopelessly Devoted To You”.
The musical, which centres around a teenage love story as well as an abundance of denim, cheerleaders, slick hairstyles, rock ’n’ roll and teenage angst, has proved to be a timeless production.
Where: From July 31, until August 3. All shows start at 7pm.
When: The Clegg Hall at Wynberg Boys’ High School.
Cost: Tickets cost R80 and are available at Quicket.