Film and television star Elton Landrew joins the cast of Langarm, the new musical by South African legend David Kramer. He will create the role of Eddie Jephta, leader of the Moonlight Serenaders langarm band, in the production which has its world premiere at The Fugard Theatre from 20 November.
Produced and presented by Eric Abraham for The Fugard Theatre, Langarm is a story of love and intrigue set in the story-world of Cape Town’s ballroom dance culture in the 1960s. With the threat of the new apartheid laws hanging over their heads, people will do almost anything to survive.
Landrew can be seen in the award-winning, powerful film Ellen: The Ellen Pakkies Story which is currently on circuit. Other credits on the big screen include the recent Number 37 and Forgiveness. He is also a popular television actor, having appeared in shows such as Suidooster, Dryfsand, Huis van Liefde and Home Affairs.
No stranger to the stage, Landrew originally played Young Kat Diamond in the David Kramer and Taliep Petersen musical Kat and the Kings, touring Germany and Austria as well as the Tricycle Theatre in London. He later played the role of Magoo in the same production. Landrew also had a leading role in their production District Six: The Musical (2002/3).
“I am greatly looking forward to working with Elton again and know he is going to bring something special to the role of band leader Eddie Jephta,” says David Kramer.
“Rehearsals are underway, the countdown is on and we can’t wait to present this wonderful new David Kramer musical to our patrons,” says Executive Director of The Fugard Theatre.
Landrew will be joining cast members Cameron Botha (Calling Us Home, West Side Story) as Jeff; Rushney Ferguson (King Kong, District Six: Kanala) as Angelina and Kim Louis (Kat and the Kings on Broadway) as hotel owner Dinah Levin. Pierre Nelson (Poppekas, GodgOdgoD) plays Van der Byl and Julio Jantjies (West Side Story, Giselle) is Lulu.
Also joining the cast are Nadine Suliaman, Nathan Muller, Byron Klassen, Paxton Simons, Shaneé de Beer, Junaide Abrahams and Maya Spector.
The story: it’s 1965 and when Dinah Levin is widowed, she invites her nephew Jeff, whose fiancé has just dumped him, to help her manage her late husband’s Canterbury Hotel. Here he meets the lovely, young ballroom dancer Angelina, and when her partner leaves her in the lurch, she asks Jeff Levin to partner her in The Swaziland Ballroom Championships. Aware that he’ll risk arrest if they get caught flouting the law, he throws caution to the wind and agrees.
Jeff decides to rejuvenate the hotel by offering langarm dances. When Eddie Jephta the leader of the Moonlight Serenaders langarm band comes to play at The Canterbury Hotel, Dinah has to confront the secrets of her past.
Langarm: He was white. She was not. They broke the law to dance. Langarm is written and directed by David Kramer.
The stellar creative team includes Musical Arrangements by Resident Musical Director of The Fugard Theatre Charl-Johan Lingenfelder (West Side Story, King Kong, Funny Girl). Set Design is by Saul Radomsky (The Road to Mecca, Clybourne Park, District Six – Kanala), Lighting Design is by Gerda Kruger (The Music of Queen, Le Nozze di Figaro), Sound Design is by David Classen (Significant Other, Shakespeare in Love), Costume Design is by Widaad Albertus (Significant Other, The Demon Bride, The Eulogists) and Choreography is by Grant van Ster (Aunty Merle the Musical, Calling Us Home, Figure of Eight Dance Collective).
Langarm has a recommended age advisory of no under 12s.
Langarm will be performed at The Fugard Theatre from 20 November from Tuesdays to Saturdays at 20:00 with a matinee performance on Saturdays at 15:00. From Sunday 16 December, there will be an additional Sunday matinee at 15:00. There will be a Monday night performance at 20:00 on New Year’s Eve, 31 December 2018 also at 20:00.
Tickets ranging from R150 to R260 can be booked through The Fugard Theatre box office on 021 461 4554 or through The Fugard Theatre’s website at www.thefugard.com. There is a 20% discount available for the Friends of The Fugard members. These discounted tickets can be booked through the box office. Patrons can avoid the rush and pre-book their drinks and snacks online in advance.
