Diane de Beer
IT’S panto time at the Joburg Theatre and we know what that means. Panto darlings, creator and director Janice Honeyman and choreographer and resident director Timothy le Roux, are hard at work with a cast and crew to pull off this year’s Peter Pan which opens at Joburg Theatre with previews tomorrow and runs until December 28.
And as they do every year, they again pull some casting rabbits out of the hat with young talent especially because, as these two taskmasters know, they have to train panto performers for the future.
“We can’t have too many of the same artists year after year because they lose their energy,” notes Honeyman. But also, they need to push those with presence into bigger roles the next year. So they’re constantly watching.
It’s a tough process because playing panto is a very specific process.
“It’s very different if you perform on the Breytie or move to the Mandela stage,” they agree because of the size differences of the auditoriums and the need to project.
But they love casting from the ensemble of the previous years so that talent can be developed and chances presented. It also secures a richer pool of talent to pick from.
One of their trademarks is thinking out of the box when casting, especially in the bigger roles. The villains are always big drawcards and this year’s Captain Hook, who will have audiences booing and hissing, has Craig Urbani slimily sliding into those boots. He is probably still best remembered as Buddy Holly, but those days are long gone and watching him on the rehearsal stage, he will sock it to them and is another brilliant choice.
“Even though he hasn’t done panto locally, he did try it in the UK and he’s always got that comical streak when he’s rehearsing even for serious roles,” notes Le Roux.
Michael Riff Themba will play the gutsy Peter Pan. He’s appeared in Honeyman’s Starlight Express, James Ngcobo’s The Colored Museum and most recently, Monty Python’s Spamalot.
The passionate fairy, Tinker Bell, is played by Thembsie Matu, best known to South Africans for her hilarious character Prudence in the DStv adverts on-screen.
And another regular, Weslee Swain Lauder, is the zany Dame, the nanny of The Darling Family.
There’s promise of a fabulous cast, stunning sets and costumes as well as the unique Odourama experience to add some really bad odours to the experience. Be warned, they are determined to hook you this time around as well!
When Honeyman first unveiled her Peter Pan at Joburg Theatre in 2007, it proved to be the most successful of all her pantomimes to date. Terrific pre-season sales for 2014 indicate that Peter Pan is destined to be just as popular on its return, with more than 40 000 tickets already sold.
“It’s a Scentsation!” says Janice Honeyman who is referring to both good smells and bad that add to the delight of this end-of-year spectacle on The Mandela stage.
R195 to R310 at www.joburg theatre.com or 0861 670 670.