The company of performers in the 29th annual Showtime Awards revue, Those Were the Days, have entered the final stretch of rehearsals leading up to the opening on Sunday January 27 at 3pm in the Pemads Little Theatre.
Again, as in the past three years, the Port Elizabeth Musical and Dramatic Society (Pemads) is collaborating in co-presenting the production, along with naming sponsor Woodlands Dairy, and Business and Arts South Africa (Basa), which annually provides a supporting grant to the overall theatre awards and young talent revue programme.
Those Were the Days is once more devised and written by executive producer Bob Eveleigh, with Siobhan Day returning from her combined debut director/choreographer outing in 2018, and guest choreographer Natasha Tait staging some of the major numbers with her dance academy pupils.
Wayne Hughes again returns as musical and vocal director, with Rocky Mann and Lance Bright as technical consultants, Mari Sharp designing the lighting and Steven van der Merwe designing sound, provided by Clear As a Bell.
Special costumes will be provided by top PE dress designer Johan Wolmarans, while past director Marlene Pieterse is the creative consultant.
This edition of the Showtime revue will salute stage and screen musicals of the 1960s, a decade known as the brightest in Broadway history.
The score will include salutes to Julie Andrews and Barbara Streisand, playwrights Neil Simon and George M Cohan, and songs from hit Broadway and Hollywood musicals such as Bye Bye Birdie, Hello Dolly, Mame, Bells Are Ringing, Gypsy and L'il Abner On the comedy side, Bob Hope, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis are back, with the US’s master of the one-liners, Henny Youngman, making his Showtime bow.
The female core cast has 2018's Kristin Labuschagne and Danielle Viljoen, joined by newcomer Keryn Gillham; with James van der Merwe (returning from 2016, 2017 and 2018) and Jonathan Hughes (returning from 2018), plus first-timer Matthew Perry as the males.
Angelica Staples and Kalyn du Plessis lead the junior cast, while the Natasha Tait dancers are Anel Strauss, Chloe van Rooyen, Gemma Oosthuizen, Karen Weyer, Lia Domin, Monya Meyer and Te' Shan Olwage.
The special guest star is award-winning soprano Liske Hemingway and is specially featured in the salute to Julie Andrews along with several other solo spots.
Those Were the Days will run from the opening matinee for the underprivileged (a returning past favourite) on January 27, the usual senior citizens’ show on January 28 at 7pm, and the Junior and Senior Woodlands Dairy Showtime Awards evenings at the same time on January 29 and February 1.
Public performances are on January 30, 31 and February 2 at 7.30pm.
Tickets for the two awards evenings are R70, and seats for the other nights are R70 for adults and R50 for senior citizens, students and children.
Booking, which opens on January 22, is with Phrosne Phillips on phrosne1@ gmail.com Usually, with Showtime booking, any form of voucher or invitation letter is only exchangeable at the Computicket box office at the PE Opera House but, with that theatre closed until mid-January, such booking can only be done, regardless of type of reservation, by e-mailing Phillips.
Vouchers, at reduced prices of R60 and R40, are available from all Showtime company members.
Showtime is once again supporting the Animal Anti-Cruelty League and patrons may bring donations of dog or cat food.