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The music of Andrew Lloyd-Webber will be the focus of the next main stage production at Harare's Reps Theatre, where The Music Man will run from May 18 to June 3.
Directed by Adrian Stanley with assistance from Mark West, the show will feature a singing and dancing cast of 18 performers and will present 30 musical numbers from no fewer than 12 famous Lloyd-Webber shows.
The Music Man will also be Reps Theatre's 75th anniversary production, marking three-quarters of a century of theatrical success from the country's foremost amateur dramatic society.
Musical direction for the show is being provided by Annette Eastwood, who has assembled a musical band to accompany the singing and dancing, while choreography is being undertaken by Debbie Fleming, who won an African Distillers Award of Excellence for her direction of the 2005 musical show Broadway Hits and Musical Bits. Ms Fleming will also appear on stage in the show.
Other cast members include seasoned performers such as Fiona Garrity, Chiyedza Nyahuye, Sue Bolt, Storm Evershed and Josh Ansley, with a long line-up of newcomers such as Ivan Nadalet, Nigel Hopkins, Julie Everswick, Sarah-Kate Waugh, Nakimuli Spieler and Zeena Beins. Alex Fairlie, Samantha Tirivacho and Rosie Osborne, who starred in the recent Do U Want Rock show, will also star, as will Nick Tigere from last year's Boy Band Blockbusters and the husband and wife team of Steve and June Cochrane.
"This will be a spectacular show with a string of well-known musical hits under the firm direction of our leading director, Adrian Stanley, who has been staging productions here since 1959 and was resident director for many of the past 42 years," said Gill West, who chairs the Reps production committee.
Colin Swinton, another Reps award- winner for 2005, has designed the set, which has been put in place by Robert Swinton and Linda Hyde. Paul Shepherd, who has been musically involved with a number of Reps productions in recent years, has assisted Annette Eastwood with the music. The band includes Ms Eastwood, Mr Shepherd, Linda Frampton, Corrado Trinci and girls from the Chisipite School orchestra. Dave Fleming will mastermind all the backstage work as stage manager.
The Repertory Players have enjoyed a busy year to date, with The Spirit of the West End Shows and Do U Wanna Rock on the main stage and The Drawer Boy in Theatre Upstairs. In rehearsal or about to start rehearsals are the Tennessee Williams drama, A Streetcar Named Desire, which will be directed by Rory Kilalea, and two musical comedies, Return to the Forbidden Planet (helmed by Jamie McLaren) and Debbie Fleming's Sister Action, based loosely on the hit movie Sister Act.
"As this is our 75th anniversary year we hope to have a full and busy programme for Harare theatre-lovers right throughout 2006," said Ms West.
Bookings are now open at The Spotlight.
Ends
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