Stage and Screen Stage and Screen is an online publication offering the latest Entertainment news of Productions on Stage, and on Screens.

A richly woven story of love, friendship and the strong bond of Womanhood. By David Simmons If there was ever a greater time for women to feel empowered in the world and most importantly in South Africa, that time is now! The Color Purple, currently showing at the Joburg Theatre, couldn’t have come at a more auspicious time. Women all over the world, empowered by ...

Very Funny, Somewhat Dirty, but Let’s Rock! by Louw Mulder There are only a few things better in life than to leave a theatre production where you have hit the epiphany of sheer entertainment. Taking nothing away from all the other brilliant theatre productions that stunned audiences this year, but with reference to Rock of Ages, now showing at the Lyric theatre in Gold Reef ...

Reawakening the magic of an age-old fable by David Simmons I am always in awe of the Joburg theatre, especially how year after year, when the silly season snakes its way through the city, we are treated to another enchanting piece of Pantomime magic! The 2017 offering brings a nostalgic and somewhat meaningful story to life, where we get to experience a rollicking ride of ...

A Tale Twisted, Sheer Entertainment. by Louw Mulder I often hear all the whines and the moans from Cape Townians and Durbanites who complain about top shows only coming to Johannesburg. However, lately I am constantly seeing marketing and promotional material of quality productions staged in Cape Town, which never get to see the backstage of a Johannesburg theatre. At this moment, I am referring ...

Powerful Classic brought to life by Vibrant Modern Cast By Louw Mulder After 39 years, when the Original London Cast took to the stage for the inaugural performance of Evita, I was honoured to attend the opening performance of the same production at the Teatro in Montecasino, by Pieter Toerien Productions and David Ian Productions. Knowing the music very well, but with very little knowledge ...

A New Age Homage to an Age-Old Classic! By David Simmons The Brothers Grimm fairy tale of the naïve princess who falls into the trap of the evil queen comes to life in the 2017 Joburg Ballet production of Snow White. If you’re waiting for the part where those 7 quirky Dwarves are mentioned, think again, as this Ballet is a total reimagining for a ...

A reawakening of South Africa’s rich history by David Simmons Let’s reflect for a few moments and take a brisk walk down memory lane. It’s 1959 Johannesburg. Sophiatown is a melting pot of culture, vibrancy and not forgetting the impenetrable sounds of Jazz. People come and go, the streets are bustling in true 1950’s style and the gossip at the local bus station imbues a ...

Ballet meets its Modern Match By Jaco Lotriet A lot has been said recently about collaborations and the effect it can have on the power of the final product. This theory has yet again been proven on the Mandela Stage of the Joburg Theatre when Joburg Ballet collaborated with Vuyani Dance Theatre and Moving Into Dance Mphatong to create the energetic, vibrant and commanding dance ...

Mr Uys, F@k is spelt with an F not a V! by Jaco du Plessis If there is something we South African’s know how to do, it is to laugh at ourselves. We always see the funny side of this rainbow nation of ours, and one man has been a leading force behind some of the best, yet sometimes controversial laughs. Pieter-Dirk Uys stands like ...

Peter gives Wendy a house at Canal Walk By Jaco du Plessis Ask every young boy what superpower he desires and the answer you will most likely get, is to fly! We all know of a young boy who can do just that, Peter Pan. This classic, originally created by author J.M. Barrie in 1904, gets a revival from Fred Abrahamse and Marcel Meyer, just ...

Die Oog van die Storm sien Muller se Tweede Album. Deur Jaco Lotriet Miskien lê die vreugde van die lewe daarin om al die verskillende seisoene van die lewe te aanvaar. Om die geleenthede wat elke seisoen bied, te vier. Dit is juis hierdie tema wat deurgans op Len Muller se nuwe album na vore gebring word. Met hierdie blymoedige mantra het die onverskrokke oud-inwoner ...

For the Love of Musicals… by David Simmons Theatre lovers and those whose fondness for the arts continue to strengthen, will understand the common togetherness one feels when sitting in a packed theatre. This oneness in essence is something very uncommon in these unpredictable times we live in, however the safe, bright refuge that we call The Theatre, allows us to escape, to experience and ...

A tuneful peek into the inner workings of a gentle soul. By Jaco Lotriet Stepping out of one’s comfort zone to embrace a larger view of the world, can be a daunting experience. Songstress and musician Stella, did just that, by immersing herself in the world of solo artistry. Having been a member of Duis:Lig, the Ghoema and Tempo awarded gospel band, she fearlessly braved ...

by David Simmons Ian and Vivienne Von MemertyWhat do we know about Synergy? For starters, it’s the new song and dance celebration between husband and wife duo Ian and Vivienne Von Memerty. However....

“Met elke album, groei my musiek saam my” deur Louw Mulder As ek ooit wou weet hoe die trots van ‘n pa voel as sy seun goed presteer en naam vir homself maak, was daardie aand amper so. Ek het Willem Botha ontmoet op sy reis tot tweede plek in die Idols op Kyknet kompetisie in 2006, en hierdie week, het ek toegekyk hoe hy ...

Add-Life Produksies se nuwe Panto bring kleur en klank deur Coen Jacobs Sprokiesverhale met hul elemente van woude, kastele, waters en koninkryke is al vir duisende jare deel van elke kultuur, veral stories wat op die verhoog in soveel vorms vertel word. Een van die bekendste sprokies, Doringrosie; Die slapende Skone, het pas geopen as die derde Afrikaanse pantomime deur Add-Life Produksies, na die sukesvolle ...

The Legend of King Arthur meets Saturday Night Fever, in a zany highschool pantomime By Jaco Lotriet Stage and Screen has had the pleasure of reviewing many great stage productions over the last 10 years. When Hoёrskool Randburg invited us to their pantomime production, Ar-Fur, I couldn’t resist. Not knowing what to expect, I nestled comfortably into my seat at the Roodepoort Theatre. What was ...

Priscilla, Phenomenal Fabulous Fun!! by Louw Mulder. After a sold-out season in Cape Town, with raving and praising reviews, it was time for Priscilla, Queen of the Desert to embark on its Johannesburg journey. Its run at the Artscape Theatre set the standard very high, and after the opening night in Johannesburg, Priscilla, the Musical, matched all expectations. Over the years, the South African Theatre ...

The Lumineers Wowed crowd of 13 000 in South Africa. by Louw Mulder   When you are attending a Big Concerts production, you can be sure to have a very entertaining experience, no matter who or what you see. This was just yet again the case on Friday night when I got to see The Lumineers live during their second visit to the RSA. A ...

RSA and USA collaboration to hit SA Big Screens by Coen Jacobs   As stated in the 2017 film Love by Chance “Everyone has something special inside of themselves”. This special something is the ingredient of our dreams, but it is yet to be discovered, developed, brought to life and matured to reach its full potential. Even more than that, it has to survive the ...

“The only ego that matters, is the ego of the show” by Louw Mulder   There are a couple of good reasons why we can celebrate the healthy state of South African Theatre, especially if I look at a couple of the highly acclaimed and professional shows I have seen lately; like Annie, Sound Of Music, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and now, Priscilla. ...

‘n Album ‘Stukkie vir Stukkie met Hart en Hand aanmekaar Getimmer’ Deur Louw Mulder Vat nou byvoorbeeld die klanke van Mumford and Sons, asook die Lumineers wat eerskomende maand hier in Suid-Afrika optree, sit ‘n tikkie varsgeskryfde woordkuns en die mooiheid van Afrikaans daarby, en jy kom na aan ‘n beskrywing van Kaleidoskoop se musiek. Ek was bevoorreg om die bekendstellingsgeleentheid van Kaleidoskoop se nuwe ...

A Live Evolution from Madness into Magic By Louw Mulder I was fortunate enough to get invited to the opening performance of the world acclaimed Blue Man Group show for their South African tour at the Teatro in Montecasino. Never ever have I experienced something like this, but what remains a fact, is that I experienced Awesome. It would be close to impossible to categorise ...

A Majesitc, Memorable, Magnificent Musical By Louw Mulder In the mid-nineties, in the middle of my high school career, I took a fieldtrip to the Sand du Plessis Theatre in Bloemfontein to see my first ever musical, West Side Story. Not only was I bowled over by the magic a stage production can enchant, but also the decisive factor was, that it made me fall ...

‘n Aangename Verrassing deur Koos Roets deur Louw Mulder Ná die vorige rolprent van regisseur Koos Roets, ‘n Pawpaw vir my Darling, was my verwagting vir Roets se film hierdie jaar ‘n bietjie onseker, maar my gemoed toe ek by die teater uitloop ná die vertoning van Hoener met die Rooi Skoene was rustig, heel gelukkig en die fliek het my baie vermaak. Soveel só dat ...

Laugh, Dare, Drag by Louw Mulder Yes, they lip-sync, and boldly also admit to this fact early on during their performance, but as they say: “At least we do it better than Britney!” But a performance you can expect from the men of Menopause or rather extravagant drag artists in the true sense of the word, is nothing short of sheer entertainment. This show is not ...

Die ware, humoristiese verhaal van ‘n kronkelrige liefdespad na die kansel Deur Jaco Lotriet Stroopsoete nostalgie. Daar is nie twee beter gekose woorde om hierdie onvergeetlike liefdesverhaal te beskryf nie. ‘n Verhaal so boeiend, beide die karakters en storielyn omvou die gehoor van meet af tot op ‘n punt waar hul met oorgawe verlore gaan in ‘n wêreld van weerloosheid, onverskrokkenheid as antitese, liefde, vriendskap, ...

Altyd daardie een, die een wie se vat jou altyd by bly. Deur Jaco Lotriet   Ek is oor die algemeen ‘n romantikus van hart maar laat ek vanuit die staanspoor getuig dat liefdesverhale my ongemaklik laat voel. In my skeptimisme vooraf, het ek nietemin altyd groot verwagtinge van produksies soos dié en gewoonlik is die eindproduk teleurstellend. Dit wil voorkom of vervaardigers ‘n resep ...

Annie promises Rich and Talented Stage Stars for Tomorrow by Louw Mulder Very seldom a theatre production of this scale makes you proud, and very positive about the future of SA Theatre. In this case, Annie doesn’t disappoint; it is a showcase of the young talent we can expect major success from in the future. There are many aspects of Annie to rave about, but ...

A Disco Mirror-ball, Reflecting SA’s Finest by Louw Mulder   For Joburgers it may be a long drive to Pretoria, but Bernard Jay’s production of Saturday Night Fever will be worth the trip. This uniquely staged production of the Paramount / RSO film featuring John Travolta, sets the scene for a disco-filled experience, featuring some of South Africa’s top theatre performers, and a creative team ...