LAMTA PRESENTS VINTAGE JUKEBOX. A LAMTA student production. At Theatre on the Bay, Cape Town. MEGAN CHORITZ reviews.
Seriously. These young student performers. Seriously. Anton Luitingh and Duane Alexander (who are the LAMTA power couple and genius behind this school) have changed the face of musical theatre training. Upped the bar. Rewritten the script. And it is powerful, joyous and (even though I keep telling everyone how much I do not love dance shows) I love it.
I wasn’t sure that last year’s Come Together could be matched, and I am exactly 100% not interested in the Roaring Twenties, but I was still totally blown away by Vintage Jukebox!
A party from the get-go
We entered the theatre by a side door, as if going to a speak easy. It’s hard to change the vibe of Theatre on The Bay, a solid, glamourous lump of a theatre, but the students and the live music in the foyer, as well as some moody lighting transformed the space, and it was a party from the get-go.
And then the show. Two halves of superb, energetic, mesmerising and world class magic, from traditional to the more obscure and contemporary, everything with a twist, everything with a 1000% commitment, flair, comedy, skill, and design.
It helps that Duane, a superb, world class choreographer in his own right, also gets a choreographic team on board that challenges, excites and demands from the students their absolute best. And they deliver, deliver, deliver. I know the students a little bit, yet even I was amazed at how integrated the first years are with the second and third years. Brilliant.
Varied, amazing, original
Vintage Jukebox is a varied, beautiful, amazing, and original showcase of these LAMTA students. And it is a testament to their love, passion, and dedication. It was hard to pick a favourite act, and each one became my new favourite, but I keep thinking about the extraordinary, hilarious, and magical Death of Jazz, choreographed by Michelle Reid. But. I loved everything. Why did you force me to choose?
The weather was bleak, the water was pouring off the mountain, but inside Theatre on the Bay electrifying magic happened.
Tickets are R150 – R250, either Here or at the theatre box-office on 021 438 3300/1.
See reviewer SHEILA CHISHOLM’S take on the show here.
What: LAMTA Vintage Jukebox
Where and when: Theatre on the Bay from 14 to 24 June 2023
Tickets: Here
Info: Here
WS
