Whether you love comedy, drama or magic and illusion, this year’s Hilton Arts Festival, supported by The Witness and Capital Newspapers, has something to delight theatre-goers.
One of the undoubted highlights of this year’s event, which runs from Friday, August 2 to Sunday, August 4 at Hilton College, will be the South African premiere of the stage adaptation of Elizabeth Strout’s Pullitzer Prize-winning novel, My Name is Lucy Barton.
Presented by How Now Brown Cow, the play is directed by award-winning Charmaine Weir Smith (The Beauty Queen of Leenane, The Train Driver) and stars Julie-Anne McDowell (The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Revlon Girl) in the role played by Laura Linney in London and on Broadway.
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My Name is Lucy Barton tells the story of a woman, who wakes up after an operation to discover – much to her surprise – her estranged mother at the foot of her bed.
Over the course of her mother’s visit, she and Lucy seem to reconnect, but just below the surface lies the tension and longing that have informed every aspect of Lucy’s life.
Her encounter with her mother brings into sharp focus her troubled childhood in rural Illinois and her current life in New York City. Knitting these powerful memories together, Lucy begins to come to terms with her past and her future as a writer.
My Name is Lucy Barton is a story for anyone who has questioned how family defines oneself. It is a powerful narrative of hope and triumph about a woman who finds her truth and reclaims her story. Absolutely unmissable if you love good theatre!
Relationships also feature in 2 Lovers: A Comedy About Heartbreak, which comes to the Hilton Arts Festival fresh from a successful run at the Theatre on the Square in Johannesburg.
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Starring Tessa Jubber and Terr Hollman and directed by Craig Morris, the play tells the story of Annabel and David, who fall in and out of love. What happens to them in between will make you laugh while it breaks your heart.
Another show, which has been making waves in Johannesburg is the revival of Paul Slabolepszy’s The Return of Elvis du Pisane.
When a suicidal 49-year-old East Rand salesman switches on the radio and hears Elvis Presley singing, he abandons his plans to gas himself and drives 200km to Witbank where he grew up.
Finding a lamp post, opposite the ex-Carlton Bioscope, he retraces his life and wonders how he could have changed his destiny. ‘Elvis’ du Pisane is about to find out.
Originally devised and performed by Slabolepszy in 1992, he now directs Ashley Dowds in a play hailed as ‘a milestone for South African theatre’ and won more awards in a single year than any other.
Another multi-award-winning show coming to the Hilton Arts Festival is Mike van Graan’s My Fellow South Africans. Starring Kim Blanche Adonis, this is a satirical take on contemporary SA which has resonated with audiences, touching on issues with which many in our country can identify.
This political satire taps into our current anxieties and frustrations while allowing us a moment of catharsis and hope. Adonis is funny and fabulous and there are laugh out moments that we all sorely need.
South Africa’s apartheid past casts long shadows in the drama, Pieces of Me, written and performed by Bo Petersen.
Growing up in a white family in Apartheid South Africa, Bo was 19 she uncovered her father’s secret. He was not white, but had managed to marry the love of his life, who was.
From the age of 28 her father lived as a white man. When Bo found out about her father’s hidden life, her life changed in a profound way.
Another two unmissable shows, which are returning to the Hilton Arts Festival, are Vincent and The King of Broken Things.
Award-winning actor, Daniel Anderson celebrates the life and art of Vincent van Gogh in his exquisite one-man show, Vincent.
Switching between a narrative voice and being Van Gogh himself, who speaks aloud as he writes letters to his brother, Theo, Anderson uses reimagined versions of popular musical theatre, pop, rock and jazz numbers, to create a picture of a troubled man with a drive to create and a deep desire to love and be loved.
Cara Roberts, fresh from runs at the Baxter and Market Theatres, returns to Hilton with The King of Broken Things.
This multi-award-winning theatrical gem is an adventurous and magical excursion into the rehabilitation of broken and discarded objects, hearts included. This bittersweet journey, viewed through the unfiltered mind of a child, wise beyond his years, will rehabilitate every heart. Imagine, believe, dream.
For something a little lighter, Aaron McIlroy and Lisa Bobbert bring their National Arts Festival Ovation Award-winner, Mr and Mrs Normal, to Hilton.
Billed as an ‘all-you-can-eat comedy buffet’, you’d best hold onto your seats, as these two Durbanites plunge right into the vortex of funny. All your favourite characters are there – even if somewhat more elderly – along with a host of new characters. A festival is not a festival without Veejay, Bruce and Charmaine!
Monika, It’s Me, meanwhile, offers a comedic perspective on the realities of growing old, being alone, and the ‘Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning’.
Maryna is an accomplished Facebook Marketplace seller, an award-winning dog trainer and now also the unlikely caretaker for Monika, a stately, suburban housewife, formal model and actress who has been left behind by her family, (now expats in New Zealand).
The show, created by Jenine Collocott (The Snow Goose) and Klara van Wyk, is directed by Jenine and performed by Klara.
For something completely different, Born Naked invites you to join two young drag queens, Blaq Widow and Queen Bling, as they travel from the theatre and onto trains, to drag pageants inside back rooms and dressing rooms.
Fasten your wigs Hilton and prepare to be assaulted by storytelling, glitz and glamour, courtesy of Lethabo Bereng and Sihle Shona. The show is directed by Kirsten Harris.
Illusionist, Brendon Peel, a Hilton Festival favourite is bringing his new show, Double Bluff: The Extreme Magic Show to the Hilton Arts Festival.
Magic is an art form that is nearly 4 000 years old, dating back to ancient Egyptian times. Peel and his colleague, Li Lau, are set to bring the ancient art of magic and illusion right into the 21st century in the most extreme way possible.
The daring duo have performed what was called the most dangerous act in Britain’s Got Talent history and even left Simon Cowell speechless.
Last, but not least, Urban Circus brings their new production, World’s Away, to the festival. Join the adventure as a young star makes his way across the skies in search of his sparkle.
A cast of dancers, acrobats, and aerialists transports the audience into a mystical realm teeming with adventure, danger and otherworldly creatures.
Booking for the Hilton Arts Festival opens on June 28. Go to www.hiltonfestival.co.za
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