Theatre news: Get ready for the gift of festive season fun with The Masque’s Rapunzel – Untangling the Truth

Every year the Masque in Muizenberg, stages a festive season fairy tale show, geared for young audiences, with elements of pantomime and fun. For 2023/2024, the show is: Rapunzel – Untangling the Truth. The show is on December 14-23, 2023 and then from January 4 until 14, 2024. Direction is by Matthew Kingwill. Musical direction is by Aidan Lewis. Read on for more:

Get ready for the gift of festive season fun with The Masque’s new fairy tale Rapunzel – Untangling the Truth

There’s an abundance of festive season fun coming with The Masque’s new fairy tale Rapunzel – Untangling the Truth.

The Masque’s annual fairy tale, which is fast becoming a must-see event on the Western Cape cultural calendar, will run from December 14-23, 2023 and then from January 4 until 14, 2024.

Bookings can be made via Quicket.

Rapunzel – Untangling the Truth isa fun-filled, whacky pantomime-reimagining of the beloved fairy tale, Rapunzel, that’s great festive season entertainment for all the family!

Containing hit songs like Don’t Stop Me Now, One Way or Another, Flowers, and musical classics such as Go the Distance and Mother Knows Best – this musical romp has something for everyone.Following in the footsteps of The Masque’s previous fairy tale outings of Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel is set to rewrite the narrative and have a lot of fun while doing it.

“We are firmly cementing the tradition of a festive season fairy tale onto the Western Cape theatre calendar!”says Faeron Wheeler, programming manager of The Masque.   “This is the third year in a row that we’re going for it. Our fabulous new team is bringing a fresh energy to this year’s edition! Bring your visitors from out of town and why not give the gift of theatre tickets as a Christmas present!”

Everyone knows the story – a young princess kidnapped by the wicked witch Gothel is hidden away in a tower in the forest. The only way in is to climb her exceptionally long hair. The only world she’s ever known is the tower, so chaos is bound to ensue when she escapes with the help of Ryder.

Meanwhile, the queen has her hands full with the royal family. Her daughter wants to run the kingdom one day, but that’s not the traditional way things are done. The artist formerly known as prince, the queen’s son, doesn’t want the responsibility, but the queen is determined for him to find a bride and settle down – ready to take over as king one day.

Fairy Parade at all matinees!

Dress up and enjoy as the young audience members are invited onto the stage at the end of the show to meet Rapunzel, the royal family, Ryder, Mother Gothel and Lady Daphne.

Director Matthew Kingwill says: My earliest and fondest memories of my introduction to theatre are in fact watching Janice Honeyman’s annual pantos on TV every festive season. It is from these beautiful childhood memories that Rapunzel has been born. Pantos and fairy tales are near and dear to all our hearts and Rapunzel is a love letter to 90s and 00s pop culture (with a couple of more modern twists). I am delighted to be directing this special show at The Masque – a special place. We can’t wait to  share what we’ve been creating come December!”

The production is directed by Matthew Kingwill, who also wrote the script. Music direction is by Aidan Lewis, who The Masque family will fondly remember as the prince in Cinderella!  Choreography is by Catherine van Graan and Kerith Coulson.  The show is produced by Faeron Wheeler, with Savannah Steyn as the producer intern under the Masque’s Creative Voices programme funded by the City of Cape Town.

More than 60 years old, The Masque is an iconic venue in the Cape Town cultural landscape. A unique and historic space, it has been home to many community theatre societies over the years and was established by local attorney Bertie Stern with the objective of encouraging voluntary participation in all forms of theatre by all people. Continuing its work into the post-Covid-19 era, The Masque seeks to present high-quality amateur theatre productions, providing a service of artistic engagement with the local community, celebrating diversity and building on the Theatre’s reputation as a sought-after professional venue-for-hire.

Rapunzel – Untangling the Truth  will be performed on:  

December 14, 15, 20, 21 and 22 at 8pm

December 16 and 23 at 2:30pm and 6:30pm

December 17 at 2:30pm

January 2024 performance dates:

January 4, 5, 11 and 12 at 8pm

January 6 and 13 at 2:30pm and 6:30pm

January 7 and 14 at 2:30pm

Tickets cost from R120.

Bookings can be made at Quicket – https://qkt.io/Rapunzel

For discounted block bookings of more than 10 tickets – please contact manager@themasque.co.za

The Masque Box Office is open from 9am to 2pm every Wednesday.

Cash bar and simple snacks are available for sale at the Theatre.

The Masque is situated at 37 Main Rd, Muizenberg, Cape Town, 7950, South Africa.

Parking is available at the venue.  Wheelchair access and facilities available.

The Masque has a back-up generator so the show will go on, even when there is load shedding.

Join the Masque community: Become a member and have your say in the theatre. You can also sign up as a volunteer to participate on stage or behind the scenes, from stage management to archiving the wardrobe department:

MATTHEW KINGWILL (director)

Matthew, an award-winning actor and director, has dazzled audiences with his performances on both amateur and professional stages. His diverse roles include Roger de Bris in Producers, Malvolio in Twelfth Night, and a memorable portrayal of Edna in Hairspray on the Artscape stage. Matthew is also a writer and director, currently leading the creative charge in his own adaptation of Rapunzel, set to premiere at the Masque by year-end. Alongside his stage career, he pursued a Business Science Finance degree at UCT and now works at UCT in the Finance department while completing his studies. Matthew’s dedication to the arts continues to captivate audiences, making him a notable figure in the performing arts community.

AIDAN LEWIS (musical director)

Aidan Garth Lewis is a multi-faceted performer and musician from Stellenbosch, South Africa.

The highly distinguished Stellenbosch University knows Lewis as a Diploma in Practical Music and Vocal Performance graduate (2019), which he completed under the tutelage of South African Soprano, Lauren Dasappa. The scope of his skill and training also include: Choral Conducting (with Dr Martin Berger) and Orchestral Conducting (With Prof. Corvin Mattei). SU also gave him the challenge of portraying heavy weight roles like Bogdanowitsch (Frank Lehar’s Die Lustige Witwe), which he took in his stride.

His wide-ranging vocal style and ability has allowed him to not only grace classical stages but also, mainstream music stages. In 2019, he landed a role in the renowned musical Hairspray (Pinelands Players) on South Africa’s illustrious Artscape Theatre stage, and performed as backing vocalist in Stellenbosch City Orchestra’s tribute to the legendary rock `n roll band, Queen (2018, 2019).

The formidable capacity of Lewis’ performance stamina made roles like – ‘Bogdanowitsch’ in AGL Opera’s version of The Merry Widow (Suidoosterfees – May, 2019); ‘Commissionario’ (Mamre Opera & The Stellenbosch Conservatoire’s  collaborative production of Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata, March 2020), Prince Charming in The Masque Theatre’s Cinderella (2021) and Lucas Beinecke (in the SU Drama Department and Paul Roos Gymnasium collaborative production of The Addams Family Musical (August 2023) – easily conquerable.

Lewis is also passionate about music in the community, having assisted Niël Rademan with the Suidoosterfees’ choral workshops in the Boland since February 2019.

CATHERINE VAN GRAAN (choreographer)

Catherine van Graan is the head of the dance and drama department at PnxGlobal. Since she was 5 years old, she has been dancing, acting and singing in various productions. In 2010, she joined PnxGlobal as a Performing Arts Student and majored in dance and drama. In 2013, she opened her own Dance and Fitness Studio and has co-produced for Marvel (2016). In 2018, she wrote and produced Say What and Watermark.

She has also had the privilege of performing and choreographing for a few shows at The Playhouse:

–        Showstoppers (2018)

–        Cinderella The Pantomime  (2019)

–        The Little Mermaid (2021)

–        Grease (2022)

–        Hairspray (2023)

Catherine is thrilled to be part of the Rapunzel choreography team and absolutely loves the dynamic cast!

KERITH COULSON (choreographer)

Kerith has been a member of the Cape Town amateur dramatics circles since joining in 2018. Her love for the stage stems from a young age as both a dancer and actor. Kerith enjoys DIY challenges and often gets involved creating set pieces and props. Dance is a way of life to this lass and an important outlet of her self-expression. Kerith is enjoying culminating all her skills, silliness and creativity in this adaptation of Rapunzel.

✳ Sponsored content. Featured image: Roux Nel and Andrew Munnik in Rapunzel – Untangling the Truth, which will be staged at The Masque in December 2023 and January 2024.  Photo: Joshua Lopez. Supplied.