Local Is Lekker
The South African State Theatre offers a free streaming of Koekeloer from 20 July. A brand new, truly South African comedy farce that takes place in a flat in Stellenbosch during the final round of the Koekeloer reality TV-competition. The two finalists are Marie Coleské, a spinster from Koekenaap, and Marié Kok, a lingerie model from Ruimsig. A clumsy thief and private detective, a jealous boxing champion, a stubborn lingerie designer, a stately pastor, a controversial book and an upside-down cake complete the rest of the ingredients of this hilarious recipe that leads to every possible misunderstanding!
Lucian Msamati (Luther, Game of Thrones, His Dark Materials) plays Salieri in Peter Shaffer’s iconic play, with Adam Gillen as Wolfgang Mozart, filmed live from the National Theatre, and with live orchestral accompaniment by Southbank Sinfonia. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a rowdy young prodigy, arrives in Vienna, the music capital of the world – and he’s determined to make a splash. Awestruck by his genius, court composer Antonio Salieri has the power to promote his talent or destroy his name. Seized by obsessive jealousy he begins a war with Mozart, with music and, ultimately, with God. It is directed by Michael Longhurst (Constellations, The World of Extreme Happiness). After winning multiple Olivier and Tony Awards when it had its premiere at the National Theatre in 1979, Amadeus was adapted into an Academy Award-winning film. It streams until 23 July. The running time is 2 hours 50 minutes with a very short interval. The BBFC age rating is 15 due to some strong language and moderate sex references.
A brutal yet captivating piece of music and theatre, Wozzeck (17 July) is based on Georg Büchner’s groundbreaking play Woyzeck, a searing, shockingly modern drama that was written in the 1830s but first saw the stage some 80 years later as the First World War inexorably approached. It is the harrowing tale of a hapless soldier driven by humiliation and jealousy to murder his lover, and Berg only amplifies the suffering and horror with his brilliantly thorny, overwhelmingly powerful score - the ultimate musical depiction of a mind’s descent into madness. Starring Elza van den Heever, Tamara Mumford, Christopher Ventris, Gerhard Siegel, Andrew Staples, Peter Mattei, and Christian Van Horn, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin.
La Cenerentola (18 July) is a timeless tale told in a florid bel canto style, Rossini’s take on the Cinderella story offers an ideal propellant for a virtuosic mezzo-soprano to rocket from rags to riches. But in this retelling, the supporting characters soar just as high: Cinderella’s Prince, her stepfather, and the Prince’s valet are given memorable arias, and the composer rounds out his score with ingenious ensemble flourishes. A vivacious masterpiece, La Cenerentola brings stock fairy tale characters to dazzling life. Starring Elina Garanča, Lawrence Brownlee, Simone Alberghini and John Relyea, conducted by Maurizio Benini.
Mozart’s immortal opera Le Nozze di Figaro (19 July) is based on a scandalous Beaumarchais play banned in the composer’s own time, delivers a parade of brilliant and memorable numbers, and is at once a riotous comedy of class and sexual politics and an incisive, still-relevant social commentary. Constructed around an upstairs-downstairs narrative, it makes ingenious dramatic use of tangled love interests, interwoven deceptions and slapstick farce, marshals a large ensemble cast of distinctive characters and wraps it all in Mozart’s sublime music. Starring Amanda Majeski, Marlis Petersen, Isabel Leonard, Peter Mattei and Ildar Abdrazakov, conducted by James Levine.
As classic as opera gets: the most-performed work in Met history, in Franco Zeffirelli’s beloved staging of La Boheme (20 July) (the most-performed production in Met history), documented in a 1982 telecast that stars four Met legends: Teresa Stratas, José Carreras, Renata Scotto and James Morris. An archetypal tragedy filled with gorgeous and deeply affecting music, Puccini’s timeless tale of love, camaraderie, jealousy and loss in the garrets and cafés of bohemian Paris has reliably enchanted audiences and left them in tears since its 1896 premiere. Starring Teresa Stratas, Renata Scotto, José Carreras, Richard Stilwell and James Morris, conducted by James Levine. From January 16, 1982.
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