Cape Times

Old-style musical set to delight

- Debashine Thangevelo

KATE Normington is no stranger to the small screen or the stage.

Viewers would have seen her in Scandal, The Res, Backstage, Hard Copy and The Lab. She also spent five years in London but that wasn’t before she’d bagged a few stage production­s and won an FNB Vita Award for excellence in Comedy and a Fleur du Cap for Best Actress in Nunsense, where she played Sister Mary Amnesia in 1987.

This time around, she returns to the stage in the semi-biographic­al musical, Funny Girl, which is based on the life and career of Fanny Brice, a Broadway star, film actress and comedienne.

On what she enjoys about this medium, she reveals: “Musicals teach you a daily discipline. They are a rare visceral treat where you engage with an audience in an immediate way.

There is a degree of fear and exhilarati­on in equal measure because you never know how people will respond in any given moment. Musicals are for the young at heart because they teach you how to play again.”

As for how she came to be cast as Rose Brice, she recalls: “I wasn’t going to play Mrs Brice but I received a lovely message from The Fugard Theatre’s Daniel Galloway while I was on holiday in March, suggesting that I do it, and I am so thrilled I did because it’s been one of the happiest production­s I’ve ever done.

She continues: “Mrs Brice is the same wise-cracking, witty retorting personalit­y that her daughter is.

“They come from a long line of American Jews who made it their business never to be at a loss for words because I suppose their survival depended on it. She has a lot of heart and warmth and wants her family to be happy in an old fashioned hard knock way. The women of her era were very strong-willed and independen­t but still had surprising­ly traditiona­l views in terms of women’s role in society, which is what Fanny ultimately challenges. Mrs Brice is still bowed a little by convention, unlike Fanny who consistent­ly explodes into her own independen­ce and person.”

While she is familiar to some of her co-stars, this is the first time she is working with Clyde Berning, Diane Wilson, Jenna Robinson-Child, Sibu Mxosana, Ambre Chanel Fulton, Tamryn van Houten, Grant Towers, and Sven-Eric Muller.

“So nearly half the cast I hadn’t worked with before,” she points out.

Revisiting some behind-thescenes moments during rehearsals, she offers: “I loved coming to work with ideas and suggestion­s, being able to give input into this original Fugard production. The costumes are designed by Birrie Le Roux, who drew inspiratio­n from the original era, between 1910 and 1925. They are very beautiful; great fabrics and lots of glamour for Fanny Brice, Nick Arnstein and, of course, the Ziegfeld Follies.”

She recalls a funny moment: “One rehearsal, I remember inadverten­tly patting one of the characters in the groin area during one of my speeches and because the cast had found it really funny Matthew (Wild – the director) kept it for the scene and it gets a good laugh each night.”

How would you describe Charl-Johan Lingenfeld­er’s musical direction as well as Louisa Talbot’s choreograp­hy?

She says: “Charl is extremely articulate and inventive so it translates what he wants in a stress- free manner that really encourages confidence. He is a people person and understand­s his medium brilliantl­y.

“He’s interested and interestin­g; a sort of Renaissanc­e man. He is well loved. The same goes for Louisa who is incredibly hard working, getting the very best from the people she works with. This is a talent because it requires insight and skill. Understand­ing who you work with means you are able to be creative around their skill sets. She has brilliant ideas about how to use people in new ways especially the stranger individual­s like myself who require some inventiven­ess!”

As for Wild’s approach, she notes: “I’d never worked with Matthew before so I was interested in the way he first blocks a scene and thereafter finesses it. The cast are all very hard working and ultimately brave coming to work with ideas and suggestion­s which helped move the process involved in producing an original production.

“Some days were terrifying trying to hit the right marks artistical­ly but we got there. Matthew knows exactly what he wants and ultimately leads you there without you realising he has! He’ll suggest things quietly and you end up thinking you’ve done the work yourself which is very clever on his part. He’s a sort of horse whisperer only with actors!”

So what else is on the cards for Normington?

She says: “I am going to be performing in a ‘mocumentar­y’ with Suzelle DIY, playing her mother but this time she is playing a different character called Tali, an entitled Jewish princess documentin­g her insufferab­le wedding plans. We will be filming it this June.”

Back to Funny Girl – “Audiences will fall in love with the story telling. It is an old fashioned love story told with loads of passion, dance, and beautiful song. And Ashleigh Harvey as Fanny will blow people away with her brilliant voice and stage craft. She is a new star in the musical theatre firmament and people will be missing an important milestone in SA theatre if they don’t see her,” she says. Funny Girl is on at The Fugard Theatre. Tickets cost between R130 and R350. Call 021 461 4554 for more info or book through Computicke­t on 0861 915 8000.

 ??  ?? STAR CAST: Ashleigh Harvey as Fanny Brice, Kate Normington as Rose Brice and Clyde Berning as Nick Arnstein in the semi-biographic­al musical, Funny Girl. Picture: DANIEL RUTLAND MANNERS
STAR CAST: Ashleigh Harvey as Fanny Brice, Kate Normington as Rose Brice and Clyde Berning as Nick Arnstein in the semi-biographic­al musical, Funny Girl. Picture: DANIEL RUTLAND MANNERS

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