Adventures in Pantoland – the perfect antidote to a very rough year

Image: Joburg Theatre

By Ferial Haffajee

23 Nov 2022

No amount of load shedding, taxi strikes or even ANC conferences can get you down after watching this year’s Johannesburg Theatre pantomime.

I went to see it early in November, and I’m still smiling.

In this year’s edition, uber-director Janice Honeyman has pushed the boats out to deliver a rollicking, bawdy and subversively funny pantomime. And the little ones loved it too.

At the launch, they were mesmerised, with several arriving in their costumes and singing along. The Joburg pantomime is always made for children but it’s funny enough to keep their adult guests fully engaged.

Pantoland is an extravaganza of stories – it draws from the most beloved fairy tales, including Jack and the Beanstalk, Snow White, Tinkerbell, Aladdin and others. Adventures in Pantoland is a beautiful antidote to a rough year.

We sat a few seats behind Honeyman, and the doyenne of South African theatre watched her cast with love and care.

The story of her life in theatre is the stuff of legend, both in South Africa and abroad.

Last year, we watched Honeyman’s production of Kunene and the King with John Kani, which she produced for the Fugard Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company in Hamlet. Her direction of the musical, The Color Purple, was as wrenching as Alice Walker intended. It feels like pantomime is her most joyful medium, and she transmits that to the audience. She giggled and enjoyed her work, as she should.

Adventures in Pantoland. Image: enroC photo & video

As always, the forces of good battle those of evil, with a golden goblet at the centre of the plot. The residents of Happyville live in what its detractors call a South African rainbow la-la land of good and cheer, with the delightful Hlengiwe Lushaba-Madlala as the Good Fairy Flora-Dora. Her shadow character is the equally splendid Brenda Radloff, who plays the nasty queen Evelina.

The cast is inter-generational, with young talents so promising they already have performance records that are long and exciting – and it shows. Dale-Ray Scheepers’ musical score and direction underpins the pantomime and will keep you bopping in your seat.

In the ensuing 90-minute tussle between good and evil, this musical score, the costumes and the new digital stage smarts of the Joburg Theatre give audiences a world-class performance.

Adventures in Pantoland. Image: enroC photo & video

South Africa’s musicals and stars nearly all have global accolades – if you look at their biographies, they perform globally and are in demand and highly regarded.

We have Honeyman and other directors to thank for this, because their production standards through many productions have created a soft skills export of significant clout and excellence.

She has directed Hair, La Cage aux Folles and over a score of other musicals.

This is her 33rd pantomime, and the Joburg Theatre celebrated the production as one of the pinnacle performances for its 60th anniversary celebrations this year.

The annual pantomime always strikes me as a Johannesburg masterclass in what we can do. That it takes a dig at all the things we fail at as a country makes it a great satire, too – load shedding, hopeless politicians and the national chaos all get a mention in theatre that is world-class and yet very homegrown.

Do go, if you can. DM/ML

Janice Honeyman’s Adventure in Pantoland is at the Johannesburg Theatre until 24 December 2022. The show is 2 hours and 20 minutes long with intervals. You can book tickets here.

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