EASTER PLAY

Save the date and hear the Easter Bunny recall how the children of Hilton almost never got any Easter eggs last year. Local theatre director and playwright Paul Spence and the all-local cast that brought The Railway Cinderella Christmas pantomime to the Hilton Station are back again on the platform stage next month.

This time, they’re taking a trip down memory lane to last year’s lockdown Easter Sunday, to discover “who stole the Easter bunny?” in their latest musical comedy, The Rock & Roll Easter Bunny.

Played by Hilton Christian Fellowship Pastor Richard Pratt, the Easter Bunny is actually a musician whose livelihood has been affected by the Covid-19 hard lockdown.

Desperate for an income, he finds himself taking a Mr Delivery job acting as the Easter Bunny, delivering Easter eggs to the homes of children in Hilton.

Things go awry when the Bunny is hijacked and held as ransom. While Hilton parents rally to raise the R100 000 ransom, with the help of some of the local bootleggers’ cash of course, a nine-yearold girl approaches the town’s detective, who has been out of work for months, and pays him her tooth fairy money to find the missing Easter Bunny.

However, finding the Easter Bunny is like finding Santa Claus and the detective embarks on a scavenger hunt of his own....

There’s a strong theme of nostalgia threaded throughout the play. From reminiscing on the sombre Easter weekend under level five lockdown last year, to the brilliantly matched and remixed selection of retro music hits, this musical comedy is a refreshingly relatable trip down memory lane, custom-made for the community, and offering something for absolutely everyone and every age. Expect lots of laughter, romance, touching moments, and many musical surprises.

And as you enjoy the journey along memory lane, don’t forget about the great nostalgic and historical value the venue itself holds. The production aims to raise awareness for the Hilton Steam Heritage Association’s (HSHA) work and fundraising efforts to restore the station and its locomotives.

In less than two years, the station has been transformed from a derelict and vandalised scrap yard to a thriving and buzzing “village green”.

And this is just the beginning of a string of exciting developments, including getting the steam engines up and running.

The Christmas pantomine’s raffle donations came to R11 000 – the amount needed to fix the roof of one train. More funds are needed to get the engines moving again.

Another driving force behind the show is to enable local musicians and artists to continue their craft during the pandemic. Spence said this is only made possible due to the outdoor set-up of the station platform.

“Thanks to the open air set-up we’re able to safely produce a play during Covid-19.

“Theatres have not been able to put on plays because they’re indoors. This is a unique spot that enables us to continue to celebrate our shared humanity through stories and art – because that’s essentially what a play is, a celebration of our shared humanity,” he said.

Find out who stole the Easter

Bunny on Friday March 19 at 5.30pm; Saturday March 20 at 3pm; or Sunday March 21 at 3pm. Tickets R120 per adult and R60 for seniors or students. Children under five free. To book WhatsApp Paul Spence: 084 341 1742 or email plspence7@gmail. com