Theatre alert: Extended season of the fun and quirky Cinderella at the Masque

Theatre alert: Extended season of the fun and quirky Cinderella at the Masque- January 2022- four performances

On December 9, 2020, I attended the preview performance of Cinderella – a magical, musical celebration, at the Masque Theatre. There were some technical glitches (sound), but I loved being there and was enveloped by the energy, joy and delight of the performers. It is a fun and quirky show- upbeat and affirmative. Read the review here: https://thecaperobyn.co.za/theatre-review-fun-and-quirky-cinderella-at-the-masque-cape-town-dec-2021/ I was blown away by Wayne Ronné who plays Constantinia- one of the step-sisters. As I said in my review, he cracked me up. It was great to see Erika Marais, playing the villain- Lady Vivianna de Meanfacé (wicked stepmother). I last saw Marais on stage in The Unlikely Secret Agent – The Eleanor Kasrils Story, at The Drama Factory in June [2020]. Marais produced and took on the role of Eleanor Kasrils- the late wife of Ronnie Kasrils. Eleanor Kasrils took tremendous risks in her anti-apartheid work and drew on courage and bravery in the Struggle for a democratic South Africa. Ronnie Kasrils wrote an award winning book by the same name and Erika Marais, decided, during lockdown, to take the story from page to stage. That was brave. She got the finance together and assembled a superb cast. With Covid stumbling blocks (a bunch of cast members got Covid and the season had to be cut short and then was extended), the intrepid Marais soldiered on.

Marais was thrilled when her friend and colleague, Faeron Wheeler invited her to take on the role of Lady Vivianna de Meanfacé in Cinderella at The Massque. Faeron Wheeler has been an innovator of note, during the pandemic. She was involved in several online projects and managed to stage her play. Your Perfect Life – live – in Cape Town -September 2020. The play stars Wheeler and Marais https://thecaperobyn.co.za/live-on-stage-your-perfect-life-returns-cape-town/ Last year – 2021- the recorded version of the play- won a Standard Bank Ovation Award at The National Arts Festival, on its online Fringe platform. The play had previously won an Ovation Award in 2019, when it was staged at the NAF, with an audience in attendance. Wheeler is a feisty producer and it is remarkable that she created Cinderella for the festive season 2021- in six weeks. That was how long they had to stage the show- with an original script and with a cast who have day jobs. Theatre is their passion and in the pandemic, they were determined to bring Cinderella to life.  In addition to the nasty Covid Omicron variant, in December 2020, they were dealing with load shedding and the worry that lights would not be fully working.

It was wonderful to be in the audience on the preview opening night. See pic of theatre veterans Celia Musikanth and Coleen van Staden – sitting in their socially distanced bubble – masks firmly in place. Bravo to Wheeler and Marais for producing work and for seamlessly toggling between so-called professional and so-called community theatre. Cinderella at the Masque made me smile- with its anthemic song – Tonight is going to be a good night (by the Black Eyed Peas). Let us say- “2022 is gonna be a good year – a great year.” We don’t know how long Rona will be with us. Let us enjoy moments and celebrate life, at the theatre.

To read more about Cinderella at the Masque and its cast and creative team, see: https://thecaperobyn.co.za/theatre-preview-cinderella-a-magical-musical-celebration-at-the-masque-cape-town/ The three leads give insights into their roles. Read it here: https://thecaperobyn.co.za/happiness-interview-fun-and-joy-of-staging-cinderella-at-masque-cape-town-december-2021/