Latest news with #performances
News24
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- News24
Jonathan Roxmouth has brought Broadway home
Jonathan Roxmouth performs eight shows of My Favourite Broadway at Montecasino's Teatro in Johannesburg across two weekends, from 25 July to 3 August. Fresh from acclaimed runs overseas, Jonathan Roxmouth has returned to South African stages with this show that will see the performer reinterpret some of the most recognisable songs in musical theatre. Accompanied by the newly formed 32-piece Egoli Symphonic Orchestra and conducted by long-time collaborator Adam Howard, Roxmouth will perform material drawn from a range of Broadway favourites, from Phantom of the Opera to Les Misérables, and Evita to Funny Girl and Oliver! Discounts are available for early bookings and groups; tickets via Webtickets. WATCH | Gospel meets house music: Mörda and Soweto Gospel Choir collaborate for History of House Known for his theatrical precision and vocal command, Roxmouth will also feature songs from shows he has yet to appear in, adding an element of unpredictability to a show otherwise rooted in the familiar. An outstanding moment promises to be his return to the piano for a special segment with the orchestra. The production comes at a milestone in Roxmouth's career. Later in the year, he will reprise his international role as Billy Flynn in Chicago – The Musical, first at Cape Town's Artscape Theatre (from 27 August), followed by a Johannesburg season at Montecasino's Teatro from 3 October to 9 November. Having mostly worked abroad since 2021, I've missed the South African audience, their warmth and how they receive an artist. It's a unique energy. This concert is a return not just to the stage, but to the songs and people that shaped my early career. Jonathan Roxmouth Howard Events, which is producing the concert, describes the collaboration as both a reunion and a culmination of a decade-long working relationship. 'It's a pleasure to work with Jonathan again. Audiences are in for something extraordinary,' says Howard. JOHANNESBURG: Montecasino's Teatro Friday, 25 July to Sunday, 27 July and Friday, 01 August to Sunday, 03 August 2025 SHOW TIMES: Fridays 19h30; Saturdays 15h00, 19h30; Sundays 14h00 SHOW DURATION: Two hours including intermission TICKET PRICES including VAT R240, R280, R380, R440, R490 BOOKINGS: Tickets on sale at Only valid tickets purchased from Webtickets, the exclusive ticketing agent, may be presented. GROUP BOOKINGS Discount of 20% valid for the top two prices; excludes matinee performances. Discounts for groups of 10 or more. No children under four years permitted
CBC
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
200 years after Great Miramichi Fire, a non-profit explores the tragedy's connection to Bathurst
This summer, the Maison Doucet Hennessy House in Bathurst is putting on weekly bilingual performances about some of the people whose lives were affected by a fire that spread through Miramichi and beyond in 1825.
Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Times
Kendrick Lamar and SZA review — when one artist outshines the other
Co-headlining performances are a tricky business — one of the artists is almost inevitably going to outshine the other. At Primavera Sound festival in Barcelona in June, Troye Sivan's sections during Charli XCX's headline set often felt like ad breaks. The same was true of many of the R&B star SZA's moments during her sold-out concert with the rapper Kendrick Lamar at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Tens of thousands of fans bounced ecstatically to Lamar's meticulous, exhilarating delivery before popping out for a drink when SZA appeared. It seems her disappointing turn as Glastonbury headliner in 2024 wasn't a one-off. It didn't help that the drums were too loud for the majority of the show, often drowning out her vocals, nor that she missed out a few of her best tracks, such as Supermodel and Prom. Her penchant for dressing as an insect is interesting (she has said that this stems from her view that 'being a person is daunting'), and there was added excitement when she flew up as a butterfly for Nobody Gets Me. I was less sure about the giant ant she sat on during Kitchen, which stayed stationary until her dancers rolled it around a bit. She and Lamar do have one of the biggest hits in the pop canon together: the hopeful, romantic belter All the Stars, which they delivered from opposite sides of the stadium, facing each other on raised platforms. But are they friends? When did they meet? They gave no context for their decision to tour together; even if the motive was purely financial (and it is the highest grossing co-headlining tour yet, earning $254 million on its North American leg alone), they could have dressed it up with at least a hint of a story. • Read more music reviews, interviews and guides on what to listen to next Thankfully Lamar was brilliant as ever, playing on his continuing beef with fellow rapper Drake — the latter is suing Universal Music Group for defamation over Lamar's Grammy-winning track Not Like Us — and showing cheeky video clips of him at a mock deposition between songs. The feud may be petty, but Lamar's response in music has led to some crackers: the fiery, pyrotechnic-fuelled Like That was a standout. Of his older work, Backstreet Freestyle from 2012 was enhanced by exquisitely timed performances by his dancers, as was Money Trees and Humble. The Black Lives Matter anthem Alright hit as hard as ever. A band on stage wouldn't have gone amiss, especially for the piano riffs in Reincarnated. But in the end, less than two weeks after Drake's underwhelming gigs at the London festival Wireless, Lamar has once again firmly established himself as the superior artist.★★★☆☆Kendrick Lamar and SZA perform at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, tonight, @timesculture to read the latest reviews
CBC
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
2025 Hamilton Fringe Festival biggest in years and sure to 'spark joy,' says executive director
This year's Fringe Festival in Hamilton is "the biggest festival that we've had since the pandemic," said its executive director, Christopher Stanton. Stanton said there are over 400 performances happening in the city's downtown core over the next week. Many shows will be on more than once over the course of the 12-day festival, which started on Wednesday evening. Stanton said 2025 is a banner year for the festival, as it received over 200 applicants for 28 "main series" spots. "There's no sort of artistic director choosing what gets to go on the stages," he said. "It's either by a random draw or it is first come, first serve, so all of those folks that got in, they were chosen randomly." Stanton said this model gives new artists the same chance to get into the festival as those with more experience. "It really does level the playing field," he said. "It gives everybody a chance to have their voice heard and platformed." The festival has 18 indoor and outdoor stages around the city and an "insane diversity of shows," including magic and comedy shows, puppets, dances and musicals. "I guarantee something is gonna spark joy for you," said Stanton. The festival has transformed King William Street, part of which is now closed until mid-September, into a "vibrant, pedestrian-friendly hub filled with music, dance, drag, film, painting, and performance," noted the Hamilton Fringe website. "It's the living, beating heart of the festival—and the place to celebrate the weird, wild, and wonderful Hamilton Fringe community!" Programming on the street is free. Some shows and events include: Limb Loss, Love, a comedy show about the life and intersections of a disabled, mixed race and Jewish person. Fringe on the Streets – Outdoor Walking Tour, a free outdoor performance where attendees will "experience a wild and wonderful version of the city through live art." Brown Noise, a comedy play exploring different sides of the South Asian-Canadian experience. 3 Hours, 10 Minutes, a two-person drama play. A Very Queer Easter Pageant, a "drag-infused" comedy and "dramatization of the Bible's Easter story." Mind the Gaps, a performance from queer and disabled artist Nathan Lise exploring true stories from his life. Ugly Privilege, a stand-up comedy set with Vancouver comedian Jessica Pigeau. Hope in Hot Times, a "clown-inspired" physical comedy show. The Fruits that Rot in our Bellies, an "afro-surrealist ghost story" about a "young non-binary person coming face to face with the spirit realm." 500 Doubloons, a play about people's theories on a real story about a pirate who paid what is now worth $400,000 for a woman to take off her clothes. Visiting my Mother and Other Repetition Compulsions, a drama about "the complicated ways families love but not always like each other," according to its playwright, Patrick Michael Teed. Katherine Teed-Arthur, who is part od 500 Doubloons, said she's been to Fringe before and this year "feels special." "It feels like there's a real joy and exuberance and excitement for the Fringe this year that has been feeling like we were cautious in years prior, and now we've really come back into it and are able to embrace it without as much trepidation," Teed-Arthur said.
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Advance bookings plea to protect local theatres
Theatre goers are being asked to purchase their tickets further in advance to help keep performances running. The Corn Hall theatre in Diss, Norfolk, say they have had to cancel or postpone performances due to a low number of advanced sales. Lee Johnson, general manager at the theatre, said that as a charity, they needed people to book further in advance to work out if a show is financially viable. He said: "Booking your tickets early helps us to ensure that the event can go ahead. I can say to the producer that we've sold 100 tickets... Then they're happy, and I'm happy." Three performances have been cancelled at the Corn Hall this year because of low sales, and other have been postponed to a later date. The change in habit to favour late bookings is something that Mr Johnson said became more "prominent" after the COVID 19 pandemic. "I think people became so used to events getting cancelled during that difficult time," he said. "You'd book a ticket, and the show would be cancelled, or it would get shunted forwards by six months, then something else would happen." Mr Johnson said the cancellations had an "immense" effect on both the theatre's finances and reputation. "It's not just the impact on the charity when we need to refund people, but people also think, 'well if they've cancelled that, what else are they going to cancel'. "I really don't want to cancel any shows, but when you're talking to producers who say we are not going to make any money out of this, we are left with no other option." Adam Taylor, chief executive of Norfolk charity The Garage Trust, said he has also noticed a shift in consumer habits. He runs both The Garage theatre in Norwich, and The Workshop performing arts venue in King's Lynn. "We are seeing the same trends that are being reported by a number of other theatres across the county in terms of ticket sales being much, much later than they were before," he said. 'Rising costs' Mr Taylor said this meant more unpredictability with box office sales, and changes to programme to reflect it. "Our programmes might now be more risk averse than they were three or four years ago, presenting less of a broad stroke in programmes," he said. "Coming out of the pandemic we assumed that things were going to reset, and they very much haven't... Behaviours have changed quite substantially." UK Theatre, which supports theatres and practitioners, said they were beginning to see audiences returning to advance bookings. Hannah Essex, co-chief executive, said: "Encouragingly, there has been a marked return to earlier booking habits among regional audiences. "While theatre is more popular than ever, many venues are facing rising costs with flat or declining public investment – a situation that is increasingly unsustainable. "If we are to secure the future of regional theatres for the next generation of audiences and creatives, we must ensure there is a strategy for sustainable long-term investment." Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. More on this story Big drop in plays staged by theatres over past decade 'I want to promote small theatres' - Suranne Jones Gavin & Stacey star pops in to friend's show
