Cape Town Opera's The Magic Flute receives standing ovation on the Cape Flats
The Magic Flute cast will be dazzling audiences young and old at the Joseph Stone Auditorium, in Athlone, with shows at 10am and 1pm daily until Saturday September 20.
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Opera in the middle of the Cape Flats and in the middle of the day has audiences on their feet, enjoying Cape Town Opera's vibrant adaptation of Mozart's The Magic Flute.
There are daily shows at the Joseph Stone Auditorium, in Athlone, at 10am and 1pm until Saturday, September 20.
Luvo Maranti, from Khayelitsha, the bird catcher Papageno, and his love Papagena Sisi Mngenela, from Wynberg.
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Tailored for primary and high school pupils, the production of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is a singspiel, a genre of German opera characterised by spoken dialogue alternating with song.
Pupils from Bloubergrant High School and Spine Road High School attended a performance on Tuesday, September 16.
They gave the cast a standing ovation.
Bloubergrant High School pupils enjoyed watching The Magic Flute at the Joseph Stone Auditorium, in Athlone, on Tuesday, September 16.
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Bloubergrant High School Grade 11 pupil Sharicka Lawrence said the performance was insightful and that it is not every day that they are exposed to opera.
"It was a reminder that true creativity begins with something that you are passionate about. It was evident that the singers and actors were passionate, seeing the way they interacted with the audience," she said.
Grade 9 pupil Calsey Bratz said: "It was amazing".
"From the stage design to the coordination of the musical instruments. It was marvellous. I really loved the way the actors of the characters created humour in the acting scenes that really brought a few giggles in me," she said.
Teacher Angelique Scheepers thanked CTO for creating opportunities for pupils from various backgrounds and contexts to be exposed to the world of arts, through such experiences.
"As a school that does not have its own music, drama, or arts departments, nor the funding or resources to create our own experiences of this nature. It is always overwhelming hearing the learners' response and sensing the awe and amazement they feel after watching these shows and seeing a theatre or auditorium space, in many instances, for the very first time," she said.
Ms Scheepers said that only so much could be taught in a classroom.
"The value of exposure to the arts and culture out in the world is immeasurable as it brings a wave of new thoughts, feelings, and outlooks to young impressionable minds," she said.
Spine Road High School pupils enjoyed watching The Magic Flute, by Cape Town Opera, at the Joseph Stone Auditorium, in Athlone, on Tuesday September 16.
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Spine Road High School's Grade 8 pupil Bella Isaacs said it was a "good new experience" for her.
"I'd never been to an opera before and neither had I been to a theatre," she said.
"The performance was very creative. The set looked beautiful, the actors and the actresses played their roles excellently," she said.
Another Grade 8 pupil, Kliara Mitchell said that the play was relatable.
"It was extremely entertaining and also informative. It was a reminder that singing can be combined with acting, which makes it more expressive," she said.
The opera teaches that reason, knowledge, and virtue - representing enlightenment - will ultimately overcome ignorance, fear and tyranny - representing darkness.
Teacher Desré Davids said that it was beautiful to witness the pupils' excitement about the arts.
"The performance was entertaining, kept us engaged with laughter and a good storyline," she said.
Cape Town Opera's Spirits of the Forest singers Sasha Damons, from Bellville, Ernestine Nur Stuurman, from Mitchell's Plain, Ntombizodwa Nkosi, from Khayelitsha, and Luvo Maranti, from Khayelitsha, who plays Papageno, the bird catcher.
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Narrator Sandile Kamle had the pupils in stitches by giving them snippets of what they had missed in the ordinarily three-hour production, which was condensed to 90 minutes.
"Wat het julle gemis?" he asks intermittently, trying to keep the audience up to speed.
He also explained that attending an opera in the 1700s was an experience that could last up to 12.5 hours.
Mr Kamle explained that it was the entertainment of the TikTok, the reel, movie, concert, or show experience of that era.
"Now, seeing that we are on the same WhatsApp group, let's get on with the show," he says, trying to keep the young audience engaged.
The older folk can enjoy the original ballads arias.
Catch the show at the Toyota Stellenbosch Wootrdfees next month.
The short season runs at the Joseph Stone Auditorium until Saturday, September 20, with two shows daily at 10am and 1pm. Tickets cost R80 via Webtickets