(Verne Rowin Munsamy & Shona Johnson. Pic by Val Adamson)
Youngsters of all
ages, shapes and sizes, come to The Hex in Pietermaritzburg for some jolly
surprises; for a merry morning of magic and mirth, with the Teeniest Tiniest
Circus on Earth!
Roll up, roll up!
The colourful children’s show, The
Fantastical Flea Circus, heads for Pietermaritzburg for the first time, for
a short season at UKZN’s Hexagon Theatre from December 8 to 12.
First staged in
2011 at the Catalina Theatre, this popular production scooped all awards in the
Children’s Category at that year’s Durban Theatre Awards. Since then, the Small
Top antics have been seen by thousands of delighted youngsters, playing at
schools and venues throughout the province.
A jolly mix of song,
dance, rhyming verse and clever tricks, The
Fantastical Flea Circus is directed by award-winning writer Clinton Marius,
creator of the much-loved radio soapie, Lollipop
Lane, as well as the Standard Bank Ovation Award-winning comedy, B!*ch Stole My Doek.
The production
stars the award-winning Shona Johnson as world renowned opera singer, Duchess
De Nunu, and talented Durban actor Verne Rowin Munsamy as her travelling
companion and professor of Fleaology.
Johnson teaches at
the Helen O’ Grady Drama Academy in Durban, and runs her own company - AWEH!
Theatre. The vivacious actress was previously seen in the smash hit, B!*ch Stole My Doek and her
performance won her two awards at the 2015 Mercury Durban Theatre Awards. She
has also appeared in ten other stage productions, including Reality Bytes, Beyond the Big Bangs, and
PopCom.
Verne Rowin
Munsamy, Artistic Director of the Catalina Theatre, and also of ScruffySession
Productions, has written and directed numerous shows, including Reality Bytes and No Contest! He also appeared in the adult panto, Sinderfella, and the Bollywood musical, Consenting Silence.
Together, the duo
present a merry band of fleas in an exciting line-up of circus acts, including
a high-wire routine, a car race, a cannonball and bull’s-eye stunt, a high-dive
act, a strong-o-mometer, and a disappearing hand trick.
“When writing this
play, I wanted to create a piece for youngsters that would also entertain and
amuse their parents and older siblings, so that the whole family could enjoy a theatre-outing
together,” says Marius.
“Wonder-flea
entertaining,” enthused The Daily News reviewer, Latoya Newman, while The
Mercury’s Arts Editor, Billy Suter, found the show “BIG fun from tiny stars…
flecked with fun rhyming verse and featuring some short songs … a charming way
to fill an hour”.
The Fantastical Flea Circus runs from December 8 to 12 daily at 11h00 at
the Hexagon Theatre on the UKZN Pietermaritzburg campus. Tickets R80 booked
through Computicket outlets at Shoprite Checkers. For phone bookings, call 0861
915 8000, or book online at www.computicket.com
Posts
