Last night we went to On Broadway to see The 80s Show and had great fun. I am showing my age when I say that it was my era, matric and the first years of Varisty. It was a wonderful trip of nostalgia for me, with each song fetching old memories long forgotten. The show started with snatches of TV show theme tunes which had us all guessing. I obviously spent a lot of time in front of the TV back then.
I loved the way each costume change introduced a new 80s feature such as the leg warmers, Madonna fish net glove, the fighter pilot sunglasses and, oh my goodness, the white jacket. There was the lovely recognition and the cringe factor of "did we really wear that?" There was a nice touch of a DVD in the background with snippets from the 80s. I won't spoil it, but look out for the sketch - very well done and fascinating to watch the picture unfurl.
Part of the set were cubes which the cast kept moving around. I was being slow and didn't figure it out until someone told me it was supposed to be the rubic cubic cube - aah! Althought the moving around was slick, it did get irritating after a while. But hey I was too busy singing along, wriggling in my seat and clapping for all I was worth to really mind. What was great was that they included songs that didn't make it past the 80s but which were really hot back then. The cast had excellent voices and Bronwyn who sang "Must have been an Angel" and "Forever young" had the perfect voice and hit the high notes effortlessly. The medelys were great and provided a wonderful combination. Call for the encore, the medley is great. It was one of those evenings where I didn't want it to stop, just keep on singing.
Just a warning, my guests were more 60s and 70s children and although they remember the songs, sang along and had a great night out, felt that there was something missing - but then you can never say what is missing. So it won't necessarily appeal to everyone. It felt like a high school romp - but then that was my time. I would definitely go back again and see how the show develops during its run. I would love to hear what others thought of the show.
Angela
Showing posts with label Encore. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Encore. Show all posts
Friday, November 21, 2008
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Encore: How it all started
I thought that I would introduce myself better and the intention behind the blog.
It has been a dream for over 12 years to start a publication about the performing arts in Cape Town. I use the word publication because magazine sounds very grand, especially for someone with much experince but not in publishing. The idea started when I was part of the Silapha oureach committee of the then Nico Malan Opera House (now Artscape) looking at how to make the complex more accessible and relevant.
I felt that there was a need for some means of advertising shows well in advance so that people had no reason for not attending a show. I must admit that I was guilty of saying that I love going to the theatre but never actually getting there. Since starting Encore we go at least twice a month, and love every performance.
In April 2007 I started an electronic newslettter which lists as many different performances as we (Paul and I) can find in the newspapers, web sites and referrals. I thought that the newsletter would be about 5 pages long, I had no idea just how much is going on in just Cape Town and the newsletter averages 22 pages! Just over a year later we have at least 4000 readers.
Towards the end of 2007 we started the long learning curve of electronic media and slowly getting the hang of web sites and blogs. In May (2008) we started the web site which gives us much more space to give details about the different performances and we want to start including articles on local artists, companies and other interesting information about the theatre.
I started the blog as a way of joining a conversation about the theatre and relevant issues. What I didn't bank on was feeling shy about sharing my thoughts. I am an enthusiastic member of the audience and not really qualified in any way to comment on shows. What I am hoping is that this will be a space where other enthusiastic members of the audience can share their comments on shows. Just think the whole of the Western Cape becoming theatre critics!
Or just a place to be enthusiastic about theatre. What do you think?
It has been a dream for over 12 years to start a publication about the performing arts in Cape Town. I use the word publication because magazine sounds very grand, especially for someone with much experince but not in publishing. The idea started when I was part of the Silapha oureach committee of the then Nico Malan Opera House (now Artscape) looking at how to make the complex more accessible and relevant.
I felt that there was a need for some means of advertising shows well in advance so that people had no reason for not attending a show. I must admit that I was guilty of saying that I love going to the theatre but never actually getting there. Since starting Encore we go at least twice a month, and love every performance.
In April 2007 I started an electronic newslettter which lists as many different performances as we (Paul and I) can find in the newspapers, web sites and referrals. I thought that the newsletter would be about 5 pages long, I had no idea just how much is going on in just Cape Town and the newsletter averages 22 pages! Just over a year later we have at least 4000 readers.
Towards the end of 2007 we started the long learning curve of electronic media and slowly getting the hang of web sites and blogs. In May (2008) we started the web site which gives us much more space to give details about the different performances and we want to start including articles on local artists, companies and other interesting information about the theatre.
I started the blog as a way of joining a conversation about the theatre and relevant issues. What I didn't bank on was feeling shy about sharing my thoughts. I am an enthusiastic member of the audience and not really qualified in any way to comment on shows. What I am hoping is that this will be a space where other enthusiastic members of the audience can share their comments on shows. Just think the whole of the Western Cape becoming theatre critics!
Or just a place to be enthusiastic about theatre. What do you think?
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