A pure delight. (Review by Caroline Smart)
Presented by the Johannesburg Youth Ballet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream which is currently
appearing on the National Arts Festival’s Main Programme, is a pure delight. It
was first performed last year in October in Johannesburg.
This production features guest dancers from Cape Town City
Ballet, Casey Swales, Rachel Abrahams, Fanelo Ndweni and Thato Nkwe.
Mark Hawkins, the Artistic Director of the Johannesburg
Youth Ballet, originally choreographed the work in 1995 when it was performed
in Durban. He created the role of Titania for Mary-Ann de Wet who will be
remembered by Durban audiences for her splendid ballet appearances. Now
Mary-Ann Mottram, she helped shape the ballet this year and is the Johannesburg
Youth Ballet’s Ballet Mistress. Andrew Botha’s original set and charming costume
designs are highly effective as is Nicholas Michaletos’ lighting
Now based in Johannesburg, Hawkins is well-known in KZN as
the Artistic Director of the former Playhouse Dance Company and founder of
Fantastic Flying Fish Dance Company. His work is always innovative, clever –
often off-the-wall - and filled with humour. This production is no different.
Putting in great performances as Oberon and Titania were Casey Swales and Rachel Abrahams originally from Durban. Another KZN
connection was Marc Kay and Mthokozisi Zulu who provided much humour as two of
the Actors.
Special mention must be made of Leela-Lind Devar and Thato
Nkwe who played Hermia and Lysander as well as Robyn Jordaan and Armand van der
Merwe as Helena and Demetrius. Fanelo Ndweni was a suitably cheeky and
energetic Puck, spreading magic flower juice into the wrong people’s eyes and
creating chaos in the process!
The Actors are given a new slant. They are on their way to
perform a great Welcome Back concert to do the story of Pyramus and Thisbe but suddenly find that their vehicle has been “affirmatively
borrowed” with three of their actors in it. They are stranded in the forest and
now have to rethink the play with half the cast. The dialogue was scripted and
workshopped by the actors and made for some hilarious moments. Tshepiso Mashego,
as the third Actor, provided a hilarious slant on the wall’s “chink”.
The corps de ballet
was made up of young members of the Johannesburg Youth Ballet and there is certainly
much talent in this company which celebrates its 40th anniversary
this year.
There is one more performance this afternoon (July 9) at
15h00 in the Guy Butler Theatre at the Monument in Grahamstown. – Caroline Smart
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