GRAAFF-REINET NEWS - Due to an enormously generous grant from the Judith Neilson Foundation, Cape Town Opera will be touring La Bohème this spring to Graaff-Reinet, Oudtshoorn, Gqeberha and East London.
The performances in Graaff-Reinet will take place at the John Rupert Little Theatre on 15 and 16 September at 19h00.
This grant enables Cape Town Opera to perform a reduced-size production in smaller towns throughout the country, giving talented singers, that are not Cape Town-based, the opportunity to receive vocal coaching and to perform live on stage.
The tour is the first in a series of three and was originally scheduled for 2020, but was postponed to September due to Covid-19.
The cast is led by soprano Zandile Mzazi (Mimì) and Lukhanyo Moyake as Rodolfo, with direction by Magdalene Minnaar.
Minnaar prefers small venues and intimate productions over grand opera on large stages, which makes her ideally suited for this assignment.
Furthermore, she has previously directed Puccini's masterpiece (in 2019 at a festival in Nelspruit).
"Given that we only have three weeks for rehearsals, it's just as well I'm so familiar with this work," she remarks, adding that it happens to be one of her favourite operas.
"I'm not a fan of Puccini per se, but in La Bohème the perfect symbiosis of music and words gives it an organic cohesion that is amazing. It's a relatable story told with the attention to detail you usually only find in films."
Her approach judiciously combines traditional and contemporary concepts, without fully committing to either: "The characters are paramount, so vibrant that instead of having them subordinate to the set and costumes I've put it the other way around so that the setting supports the characters; this version of La Bohème is set in a township in a dystopian South Africa."
The close rapport between the characters makes it far from easy to practise Covid-requisite social distancing in rehearsals, which are carried out with masks covering the singers' faces.
"We just have to do the best we can," says Minnaar philosophically, acknowledging that vaccination does facilitate the process up to a point.
"She has not yet seen the four venues in which the cast will perform, but will be able to do so before the tour begins.
"I love new theatres, and over the years of directing in smaller towns and for small communities I've learned how to improvise at short notice when moving into a venue the day before the performance, and how to make it work".
Her positive attitude and conviction that opera is a team effort ("no room for egos") are bound to result in a production that reflects the generosity of spirit, as well as a commitment to excellence, that have become the hallmarks of Cape Town Opera.
Bookings can be made through the Graaff-Reinet Tourism Bureau or by phoning them at 049 892 4248.
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