MUSIC BY JEROME KERN BOOKS AND LYRICS OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN A TOP CLASS SHOW WITH LAVISH SET TEATERBÅTEN SIMPLY THE BEST SHOW I VE SEEN THIS YEAR BUZZ TRUE BROADWAY STYLE ARTISTIKREZO
BACKGROUND As a musical, Kern s Show Boat has all the The Lowry in Manchester, Wales Millennium flourish and glamour of the old Americanstyle big family musical, but the content of Theatre in Dublin. Centre in Cardiff and Bord Gais Energy something that goes much deeper. Cape Show Boat is a musical of the old American Town Opera s production of Show Boat has South, rich with nostalgia, humour, love enjoyed several triumphant seasons since stories and well-loved melodies. The its South African premiere in 2005. The combination of the Cape Town Opera s show has had nightly standing ovations in gutsy rendition of Ol Man River, the witty Artscape in Cape Town, the Nürnberg State and glamorous production, the over hundred Theatre in Nürnberg, Den Norske Opera period costumes and the stylish set has House in Oslo, the Malmö Opera House made Cape Town Opera s production a in Sweden, Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, winner wherever it tours. Birmingham Hippodrome in Birmingham, This superb musical gives the audience a memorable journey aboard the Cotton Blossom, a Mississippi showboat packed with characters, entertainers, love stories and drama. BIRMINGHAM MAIL This superb production is both a feast to the ear with memorable music and to the eye with over 200 period costumes MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS
A TIMELESS PIECE Why Show Boat? Why, in this day and age when we have situations and stories of our own, should this story be of any relevance to us? The longer I ve worked on this piece and the deeper my creative team and I have delved, the more interesting and meaningful the piece has become. Together with Porgy and Bess, this is possibly the classical musical that has the most telling reverberations for the South African situation. It deals with haves and have-nots, the arrogance of the advantaged, and their ignorance regarding poverty and racial discrimination. There is the hope of change all the way through. But, ultimately, as has been the case throughout history, while change is advantageous to some, for those most in need it is ultimately not experienced. This perception of the piece may give the impression that it is grim and depressing, but as we have seen from Show Boat s performance history, it works on many levels outside of the political. Florenz Ziegfeld, the original producer, was known for his Follies and dance extravaganzas. Although he gave Kern and Hammerstein the opportunity to create a challenging and visionary book musical, was he perhaps nervous of both the political content and the text and story? Perhaps, being the commercially minded man he was, he decided that, wherever possible, highly theatrical and visually exciting showstoppers were to be inserted. Or was it Kern and Hammerstein who decided to create something both serious and showy, gritty and glamorous? In Show Boat, we, as audiences, are excited and enchanted by the all- American Chicago World Fair. We are thrilled by the explosion of the modern age in dances like the Charleston and the Black Bottom. We are transported by the nostalgic and lyrical masterpieces of Make Believe and You Are Love. Yet, underlying all of this, we hear constant voices and reminders, which reflect shattered dreams and unfulfilled expectations. This timeless piece has stood its ground and has appealed for over 80 years. We trust we can give you the fun and frivolity, the thrill and enjoyment, and the pain and passion of a beautifully crafted musical. Janice Honeyman DIRECTOR
Every step you take from the theatre the more and more you begin to think and love everything about the show you just saw... It is simply the best show I ve seen this year. BUZZ SOUTH WALES CULTURE IN THE PRESS Within a few minutes the performance by the South African ensemble was halted by spontaneous applause in between the scenes... the ice was broken and the showboat was sailing on this wave of goodwill HANS-PETER KLATT NÜRNBERGER ZEITUNG a top class show, with lavish sets and costume and ingeniously directed by Janice Honeyman... the chorus are the stars of the show. LARS ERIK LARSSON TEATERBÅTEN Cape Town Opera s production is enjoying a triumphant season with nightly standing ovations exceeding the response on opening night when the audience gave a standing ovation for 20 minutes. FIONA CHISHOLM CAPE TIMES Sheer entertainment in true Broadway style transforms the Théâtre du Châtelet into a boat on the Mississippi... One leaves the theatre revived, with a spring in your step and your head brimming with music AUDREY CHAIX ARTISTIKREZO
PERFORMANCE HISTORY 2014 Artscape Opera House, Cape Town, South Africa Birmingham Hippodrome, Birmingham, England The Lowry, Manchester, England Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff, Wales Bord Gais Energy Theatre, Dublin, Ireland 2010 Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris, France 2009 Malmö Opera, Malmö, Sweden 2006 Straatstheater Nürnberg, Nürnberg, Germany 2005 Opera House at Artscape, Cape Town, South Africa Staatstheater Nurnberg, Nurnberg, Germany Den Norske Opera, Oslo, Norway
LAVISH AMAZING STARS REMARKABLE
Cape Town Opera Non Profit Company (NPC) Reg no. 99/17712/08 PBO no. 930000748 e. info@capetownopera.co.za t. +27 (0)21 4109807 www.capetownopera.co.za