Sun comes out for SA actors . . .
It’s about playing and singing with heart, the cast of ‘Annie’, tell Diane de Beer as she discovers the secrets of the stars in this hotter-than-hot cast…
‘WE’VE made it a bit darker,” says British director Nick Winston about Annie, which begins its Cape Town run on Friday. “That takes care of the saccharine sweetness inherent in the original,” he feels. He argues that it is still one of the best-written stories for any musical, which is why he is excited. He was part of the revival in London, which gives him a second cut with this South African production.
The first time, even when it is a revival, everyone is just trying hard to get the best version on stage. But this time he can fix what could work better because he is working with a show that has been tested.
He’s thrilled with the South African cast and after two weeks of auditions earlier this year, he was really excited about what he saw locally. It’s also good, because even if people tell him about certain performers, his is a blank slate. “I might pick up on something others might not have seen.” He was commenting on my observation of the potential star power of newcomer, Delray Halgryn, during rehearsals.
It is the fun of these large-scale musicals. You have the seasoned and the fledgling performers and can watch them mould their careers.
One of the changes in this Annie is, for example, the age of Daddy Warbucks, which shifts the focus to a man who is trying to find a daughter. This played into the hands of the casting of Neels Claasen, a younger version of what we might have seen in this role in past productions.
But when all’s said and done, it really is about storytelling and this is also where reality sets in. There’s no pussyfooting around the character and flaws of Miss Hannigan. “She’s a functioning alcoholic,” notes Winston who is not allowing her to be performed as caricature. And casting Charon William-Ros in the role underlines their intent. She’s serious firepower!
They are going for the truth on all levels in a story that, at its heart, is about a child trying to find a parent. “It’s an emotional tale,”and one they’re hoping to hit hard. “It’s about finding the truth, finding the character,” he says, smiling comfortably about their progress. Because they’re not working on this one for the first time, he feels they’re flying. Soon there will be wings.
Other changes were about expanding the dance scenes. All of the Annies point to a tap number, NYC, as their favourite in the show simply because of the dance.
A travelling artist, Winston returns to London before opening night where he will be jumping into a new version for Grease and already he knows that next year Wedding Singer is on the cards, which he hopes to bring here.
But he has his assistant choreographer, Heather Scott Martin, to keep an eye and because she has been rehearsing the cast, giving notes and helping with the final cleaning up, hers will be a comforting eye.
As part of the UK show, she’s having fun seeing them work it this second time around and to witness how the show has progressed.
And the difference between the local and her home-based cast? “Because the community is a smaller one here, it is a much tighter one with people looking out for one another.”
All of that adds to the final results of what they are hoping will be a spectacular show. Annie stages at Artscape from Friday to January 8.