| What: Sunday in the Park with Sondheim, February 16 and 23 at Maynardville Open-Air Festival 2025 Where: Maynardville Park, Piers Rd, Wynberg, Cape Town, 7800 Website with programme: www.maynardville.co.za Info: 069 792 6020 (10h00-16h00 daily) or leave a WhatsApp to get a response Bookings: Quicket Direct booking link: http://bit.ly/Waves2025 Ticket discounts: pensioners & students: 15% off on Premium and Tier 2 tickets. For school block bookings and ticket enquiries e-mail Boxoffice@maynardville.co.za Maynardville Open-Air Festival 2025: January 22 to March 8, 2025. The Tempest is on until March 8 |
I was amazed by Sunday in the Park with Sondheim at Maynardville Open-Air Festival, Sunday February 23, 2025. Sold out show. I expected a homage to Sondheim and that’s it. It was way more than that; a sensational evening of musical theatre, superbly directed by Elizma Badenhorst with musical direction by Wessel Odendaal.
The performance we saw (there was a performance on February 16) featured Jonathan Roxmouth, Kate Normington, Isabella Jane, Andre Terblanche and the Vivox Voices and the Winelands Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Reghardt Kühn.
Sublime voices, evoking the nuances of Sondheim. There was choreography, props and costume changes. The singers started off in brightly coloured clothes and then they changed into black. In his intro, Roxmouth explained that the programme was in two parts: The first foregrounding the lighter side of Sondheim and the 2nd, the darker side. Brilliant ringing of mood shifts by Badenhorst, with her direction and attention to detail.
It was a joy to see Roxmouth, Normington, Jane and Terblanche work as an ensemble and solo. Roxmouth played piano in one set. Terblanche played guitar. Voice was the medium and they wowed us with glorious voices, comedic timing and characterisation. Loved The Sweeney Todd numbers. Beautiful singing by the Vivox Voices.
All the singers used the space of the Tempest set. Isabella Jane climbed the jungle gym playground of the set. The cast gave insights into Sondheim’s process, influences and thematic preoccupations. Excellent script with vivid imaging through props. For instance, the Georges Seurat painting, Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte which inspired Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park, was brought into the space. Archival voice footage with Sondheim was played. All this created a vivid portrait of Sondheim as artist and an individual looking for love. He found love at age 60.
I am sorry that this show was not on for enough performances to make it eligible for nomination for a Fleur du Cap Theatre Award.
Congrats to VR Theatrical for producing Maynardville 2025 and to all its partners and sponsors. The Tempest runs until March 8. It has been a season of Waves Of Wonder. See https://www.facebook.com/share/p/14sxBrvYvg/ for more pics from Sondheim in the Park, February 23, 2025.
✳ Sunday in the Park with Sondheim. February 16 and 23 at Maynardville Open-Air Festival 2025. Photo: Tamryn Oates. Supplied.
