Going green for a monster musical
SOME 220m of fairylights, 65 litres of glue, 600m of canvas sewn into backdrops, 170m of timber, 85m of steel and 275 litres (and counting) of paint in assorted rainbow colours…
All have found their way into creating the sets and props for Shrek The Musical, the latest sumptuous production from Durban’s award-winning KickstArt theatre company.
But that’s not all… in the past seven weeks of preparation and rehearsal alone, the company that gave us The Wizard of Oz, Sweeney Todd, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Annie and Little Shop of Horrors, has also gone through 324 cups of tea, nine bulk bags of double-chocolate Cape Cookies and four cases of Wolftrap Syrah/Viognier, says designer Greg King.
The production, opening on May 23 at Durban’s Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre, and running there until June 28, marks the South African premiere of this charming and amusing musical.
It’s a costly affair – the non-refundable production rights alone are costing KickstArt R200 000, compared to R60 000 for Annie and R30 000 for Sweeney Todd.
The show, of course, is inspired by the Oscar-winning 2001 animated movie about the green ogre of the title, who, aided by a ditzy donkey, crosses paths with assorted fairy-tale characters in a quest that sees him find love.
Lyle Buxton is donning the green paint and prosthetics in the title role, Rory Booth fills a fat suit as Donkey and Jessica Sole is playing Shrek’s love interest, Princess Fiona.
Also in the cast are Jacobus van Heerden as the diminutive Lord Farquaad, Graeme Wicks as Pinocchio, Charon Williams-Ros as Gingy the Gingerbread Man and Peter Court as the ferocious, firebreathing dragon.
We also get a huge cast of fairy-tale characters and a chorus of tap-dancing rats of the first act as younger actresses portray the princess in her earlier years.
Although from Durban, Sole is now based in Vredehoek, having been in Cape Town for close on two years.
In January, she performed there in the premiere of a new musical by David Kramer, Orpheus In Africa.
“It was an amazing experience being part of the original cast – creating a character from scratch, with no previous incarnations to reference.
“I will be returning to Cape Town after Shrek to begin re-rehearsing Orpheus in September, after which we will have a four-month run at The Fugard Theatre,” she adds.
Discussing Fiona’s love interest in Shrek The Musical, Sole says the ogre is the ultimate unlikely hero.
“He captures the audience’s affections right from the start with his honesty and his Idon’t-care-what-anybodythinksattitude.
“His sarcastic wit and hard exterior slowly give way as the show progresses to reveal a truly soft-hearted and sensitive individual.”
Buxton, who plays the ogre, has captured Shrek’s sincerity and underlying fragility superbly, says Sole.
“And when he sings, it melts your heart. I am extremely fortunate to be playing opposite such a talented performer.
“Lyle has a commanding presence and his height is perfect for Shrek’s larger-thanlife ‘ogre-ness’. He is able to oscillate between the grumpy, tough-skinned, defensive Shrek and the gentle, funloving Shrek – both in acting and in singing.”
Sole’s first production for KickstArt was starring alongside Stead, Lisa Bobbert and Roland Perold in I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, which she rates as a career highlight.
“It was such a small team, but such a big-hearted show,” she recalls, pointing out that her performance won her an award in 2011 for best newcomer at the Mercury Durban Theatre Awards. The role also saw her nominated in the category for best lead actress in a musical.
At last year’s awards ceremony, the former Durban Girls’ College pupil was nominated twice again – as supporting actress for Annie and lead actress for another KickstArt success, Jack and the Beanstalk.
Sole was bitten by the acting bug when she first appeared on the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre stage as a member of the Unilever Young Performers’ Project musical, Fiddler on the Roof, while still at school. She went on to also feature in The Wiz and Annie with the group.
Her earliest memory of being on stage was in Grade 1, singing How Much Is That Doggy in the Window?, while wearing a polka-dot bikini.
“There is still video evidence of it somewhere,” she smiles.
Sole studied drama and linguistics at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and, before her acting successes, was a member of the popular Durban female trio, Dr Fly and The Nurses, a closeharmony group inspired by 1940s music.
Career goals are to tread the boards in London, which Sole visited recently to see the stage hits Wicked and The Book of Mormon.
When she is not acting or singing, she interns for Sonke Gender Justice, a nongovernmental organisation fighting for gender equality in South Africa.
“They do really important work trying to change pervasive gender norms that result in gendered oppression and gender-based violence. Social justice is definitely a passion of mine,” she says.
In her spare time, Sole likes to explore Cape Town’s forests and mountain paths.
Booking for Shrek The Musical, which features lighting by Tina le Roux, is at Computicket. For block bookings of 10 or more, call Ailsa at 083 250 2690.