Blog Post 1 by Emily Fallon
Orpheus in Africa
by: David Kramer
Within one week, I have a newfound appreciation for the arts in South Africa. The vibrant energy, enticing performances, and passion are unmistakable. South African artists have a clear pride in their various art forms. It is truly captivating to see their forms between street performing, drawing portraits and live theatre. It was exciting to step into a new culture as a performer myself. I see expressive art in a different way and I feel I have a different opinion on them. South African art is gorgeous, unique and comedic. Our paper can definitely benefit from the forms I have seen. In multiple restaurants, there are comedy clubs or stages for bands to play. South Africans are open and hungry for art. In both South Africa and the US, art can be seen as underfunded and unappreciated. The community I am viewing in South Africa are at least welcoming art with open arms. Like in the States, there are art centers, theatres and venues where art can be created and enjoyed.
This week our class enjoyed a professional production of Orpheus: In Africa by David Kramer. The Fugard Theatre is a remarkable theatre in Cape Town. In the South African community, this musical has done extremely well. At the interlude, I talked with a technical employee and this musical has brought many sales. This specific production we saw was the official last performance! It was astounding. The show has been running since February 2015. The incredible performers gave a wonderful last performance. The technical employee informed me some of the cast has been part of the show since it opened in February. In comparison with the United States, this is extremely successful for a musical. Commonly, musicals last for about ten-fourteen days. Orpheus has been successful for a little less than a year! The musical was a depiction of the famous Orpheus McAdoo and his Virginia Jubilee singers circa 1890. It followed his journey of bringing his troupe to different areas of the world. The group travelled to the Cape of Good Hope and Australia.
This show surrounded multiple art forms such as vaudeville, minstrelsy, jazz, British music hall, spiritual and ragtime. By the end of the show, McAdoo’s opinion on the group’s future was clear. Two ragtime performers, at the bar, persuaded him to adapt to the changing times and take on ragtime. Ragtime is a style of music that has a syncopated melodic line and regular accented orchestrations. It was music introduced by Americans in the 1890s. However, the show took a different spin on it and Australians knew it as well. This music was so revolutionary that it spread from America to Australia and other parts of the world. Ragtime served as the foundation for future success of the singers. Orpheus’ fiancée, Mattie, was not on board at first. She got scared and wanted to stick to only spiritual, operatic sounds that she was used to singing. She tried to reason with Orpheus and tell him she was going back home to be a teacher. Orpheus had an inner drive spinning within him. He believed ragtime was going to change the music world. It was going to make their group even more famous. At first, Mattie wasn’t interested in the idea but slowly she chose love and joined Orpheus.
Musical theatre history encompasses a large umbrella of different music styles. I was absolutely shocked to see minstrelsy performed on a South African stage. It is strongly frowned upon in the United States. A musical called, The Scottsboro Boys, included black face, coon songs, and minstrelsy. When it opened in 2010, there would be herds of rioters and people with signs outside the theatre. The show lasted on Broadway for merely 49 performances. I was surprised to see it used in Orpheus: In Africa because the theatre culture is so different. I felt that audiences accepted it more as a historical aspect other than it being taken the wrong way.
The Fugard itself is a well-oiled machine. It reminded me of an Off-Broadway Theatre in New York City. The space was very intimate and had three small tiers of seats. Theatres in the United States are not this intimate unless you count a high school auditorium. I thoroughly enjoyed the show more than I thought I would. I would not consider myself a harsh critic but as a theatre person you grasp mistakes and odd mishaps faster than most audience members. All in all, Orpheus: In Africa was a successful piece of theatre. The atmosphere prior to the show was a bustling bar filled with excited citizens of the community. Theatre is well respected in Cape Town; it was wonderful to see. The quality of theatre was impressive and their voices were powerful and told a story. It was so special to see the last performance; as the cast sang their encore, melancholy tears filled some people’s eyes. This show has been a haven for these actors for a little less than a year. It reminded me of doing shows and gave me that same sense of sadness because this show was closing. Beautiful theatre that can be created and performed for many times is depressing to close. I completely resonated with their feelings of ending Orpheus: In Africa, because many artists go through a depressive states. I am happy to say that theatre in Cape Town, South Africa is alive and well; growing more successful and expanding everyday.
