October 4, 2007
By Tabisa Mntengwana
REHEARSALS for this year's pantomime are in full swing, and the cast of 30 has already gathered at the Johannesburg Civic Theatre.
The rehearsals started on Monday, 1 October with musical director Heidi Edeling giving music lessons and naming the songs to be performed at this year's panto, Peter Pan.
Popular hip-hop and pop songs have been chosen and, to add spice, older classics like Bad Moon Rising and Jingle Bell Rock were included, Edeling said.
The story, based on the famous novel by JM Barrie, will take you into the magical world of Peter Pan and The Lost Boys of Kensington. It's again under the able direction of Joburg's queen of pantomime, Janice Honeyman, who adds her usual twist to the story, this time with a new character called Clement Coconut, the dame.
Rehearsals are underway: Captain Hook (Tobie Cronje), Peter Pan (Dewald Louw) and the peppery Tinkerbell (Hlubi Mboya)
"Clement Coconut is a funny and naughty character who loves life," said Mortimer Williams, who plays the dame.
Peter Pan - The Pantomime is on at the Johannesburg Civic Theatre from 31 October until 31 December at the theatre's Nelson Mandela Theatre stage.
"Peter Pan has always been one of my favourite stories," Honeyman said. "My imagination is flying way beyond Neverland and I'm extremely excited to be given this opportunity to write and direct a brand new panto. It's going to be topical and tropical fun."
And in another twist, Peter Pan will fly into the audience, thanks to the special effects by Flying by Foy, a company that specialises in flying effects and equipment.
"I am so excited about this production - and more especially about flying through the audience," said Dewald Louw, who plays Peter Pan.
His best friend, the enchanting but peppery Tinkerbell, is played Isidingo actress Hlubi Mboya. "This production is thrilling, adventurous and a perfect family day out, especially during the festive season," she said. "This is my opportunity to let the inner child in me out."
Another star in the show is the always popular Tobie Cronje, who plays evil Captain Hook. "[He] pretends to be clever and has no dress sense," Cronje explained. His sidekick, Smee, is played by Vusi Kunene, who starred as Jack Mabaso on SABC1's daily soap, Generations.
Although Smee is afraid of his captain, "there comes a point in his life when he stands up to him and claims his dignity as a person", Kunene said.
Andrew Webster is Starkey, the gentle pirate. Webster was in Boogie Nights and worked with Honeyman in a previous panto, Sleeping Beauty. The role of Tiger Lily is played by the young actress, Kim Cloete, who is known for her work as a kykNET presenter.
Completing the cast, the Darling children are played by Vanessa Harris, Matthew Ross Counihan and Jaco van Rensburg, with James van Helsdigen as Mr Darling.
Peter's gang, the Lost Boys of Kensington, are played by Ryan Flynn, Niall Griffin, Bradley Searle, Marisa Bosman, Nacia Erasmus, Alina Funani, Rochelle Jansen, Dolly Louw, Dominique Paccaut, Stefan Carstens and Lindo Sithole, who also fill other roles.
The behind the scenes cast includes choreographer Timothy le Roux, lightning designer Graham McLusky, Edeling and Bronwen Lovegrove as the costume co-ordinator. The costumes were made three years ago here in South Africa by a British company, Qdos Entertainment.
Peter Pan - The Pantomime is on at the Nelson Mandela Theatre at the Civic Theatre complex in Braamfontein, from 31 October to 31 December.
Tickets range from R85 to R195; they are available at Computicket outlets, on 083 915 8000 or through the Computicket website. There are discount rates for groups of 10 or more. For more information call the Johannesburg Civic Theatre on 011 877 6800.
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