TELL ME ON A SUNDAY. One-Act Musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Lyrics: Don Black. Produced by Jonathan Walker-Kane. Director Lighting: Simon Lord. Musical Director: Alastair Cockburn. At The Avalon Auditorium. (formerly Fugard Theatre), Cape Town, from 24 to 28 April, 2024. SHEILA CHISHOLM attended a Sunday afternoon rehearsal.
Hailing from Newcastle, UK, Jonathan Walker-Kane, a North East Circuit Barrister, has brought to our shores a fresh approach to producing and directing a musical theatre show.
A Capetonian by adoption, after a serendipitous meeting with maestro Alistair Cockburn, who fortuitously attended the Gilbert and Sullivan presentations of Ruddigore and their 1997 South Pacific in which Sian Atterbury starred, Walker-Kane elected to take a three-month sabbatical. While keeping his computer handy for ‘just-in-case’, Walter-Kane subsequently fulfilled his ambition to produce and premier in Cape Town Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s 1979 one-woman musical Tell Me On A Sunday.
Rehearsals began in March, and with opening night just days away, Sunday’s rehearsal, took the form of a ‘start to finish’ run through. First, I watched Atterbury, after which Regina Malan – Atterbury’s alternate for two performances, showed her mettle. Both are experienced performers. So it wasn’t surprising that each brought individual dynamics to unwrap Don Black’s wit and poignant lyrics.
The story
Emma is the young English girl around whom this tale is centered. She is desperately seeking love. However, her proclivity for falling for men – with a wife, or child, in tow – only leads to heartbreak.
Even after fleeing London to seek true love in New York, it takes time, and several disastrous affairs, before she realizes, she must find her own self-worth, before love will find her.
Quietly spoken. Always encouraging when giving correction or altering moves, director Walker-Kane, does permit both Emma’s to introduce individual movement/mime to bring ‘alive’ the men whose betrayal has caused so much pain. Audiences need to concentrate on Emma’s use of props which bring life to her mother and girl-friends (computer/cell). Other props indicate her lovers.
Back at a bandstand, Cockburn’s team include Stefan Lombard on keyboard, Sean Sanby on bass, Robert Jeffrey on guitar, Schalk Wasserman on drums, Dane Coetzee on cello and Richard Hall on alto flute and saxophone
Tell Me On A Sunday is a charming, topical 90 minute one-woman show. Typically it boasts Lloyd-Webber’s, genre and tempo changes.
Showing at the Avalon Auditorium (formerly Fugard). Don’t miss out. Booking: Quicket from R150.
What: Tell Me On A Sunday
Where: Avalon Auditorium Cape Town
When: 24 to 28 April 2024
WS
