Curtain rises on PE's Showtime revue

The curtain rises on the annual Nelson Mandela Bay revue Showtime on Sunday and for the first time, in addition to the principal core cast of six, there is also a junior core cast of two in 13-year-olds Kalyn du Plessis and Angelica Staples.

The 2019 Woodlands Dairy Showtime Awards revue, Those Were the Days,  will run at the Pemads Little Theatre from Sunday January 27, to Saturday February 2.

Both Kalyn and Angelica are second generation Showtimers with Angelica’s father, Neville, now a Showtime awards judge, having been in the 1994 and 1995 casts, and Kalyn’s mother, Amanda du Plessis, then Venter, with him in the 1995 line-up.

This year there are six second-generations in the show, with another Charlo kid, Holly Staples, joining her sister in the overall line-up. then there are Jonathan and Nicholas, sons of Showtime musical director Wayne Hughes, again all joining Kalyn's older brother, Dylan, who is the bass guitarist in the revue's orchestra.

This year’s show, co-presented by Pemads and Business and Arts South Africa (Basa), focuses on music and comedy from Broadway and Hollywood in the 1960s.

It follows 2018’s 1950s salute  Let The Good Times Roll.

As usual the revue has many original touches, with special gowns for the core cast, junior core cast and special guest star Liske Hemingway by noted Bay designer Johan Wolmarans.

Special dance routines staged by guest choreographer Natasha Tait by seven of her studio's dancers, who also feature in other numbers.

Siobhan Day directs and choreographs for the second time, with Marlene Pieterse as creative consultant, handling a production that is, for the 29th time, created and written by executive producer Bob Eveleigh.

For bookings and more information e-mail Phrosné Phillips at phrosne1@gmail.com