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Hilda Cronje, Bongile Mantsai in Mies Julie. PHOTO: Rodger Bosch |
MIES JULIE AT THE MARKET THEATRE
After taking New York by storm the award-winning Mies Julie returns home to South Africa for a season at the Market Theatre in Johannesburg this January and February
The Baxter’s runaway hit play Mies Julie returns home from its triumphant success in New York, bringing along a string of prestigious awards and accolades, for a season in The Laager at the Market Theatre from 17 January to 24 February 2013, Tuesdays to Saturdays at 8.15pm and Sundays at 3.15pm.
After braving the aftermath of New York’s devastating ‘Frankenstorm’, the production commenced its international tour with its US premiere at St Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn in November. It played to critical acclaim and was voted as one of New York’s 10 Best Productions for 2012 by Ben Brantley from the New York Times.
Further praise came from Lyn Gardner from the Guardian who placed it at number five in her Best theatre of 2012 listings as did Die Burger’s Marianna Malan and Marina Griebenouw who listed it as one of their top five theatre shows in Cape Town.
Based on August Strindberg’s 1888 classic, Miss Julie, director Yael Farber’s explosive new version is set in the remote, bleak beauty of the Eastern Cape Karoo and tackles the deeper complexities of South African society.
Farber has assembled a formidable cast led by Thoko Ntshinga as Christine, with Bongile Mantsai as John and Hilda Cronje as Julie. Canadian brothers Daniel and Matthew Pencer created the music for the production, in collaboration with Tandiwe Nofirst Lungisa from the Ngqoko Cultural Group. Production and lighting design is by Patrick Curtis (original lighting design by Paul Abrams) and costumes by Birrie le Roux. The music is performed by Brydon Bolton and Mark Fransman.
After premiering at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown earlier this year to rave reviews from local critics, the play enjoyed a sell-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland, the largest and most prestigious arts festival in the world. The production was met with unanimous critical acclaim and garnered three of the Festival’s top awards and numerous five-star reviews.
Renowned theatre critic Dominic Cavendish of the Daily Telegraph describes it thus: “Yael Farber has enjoyed successes on the Edinburgh Fringe before but this year the dream has come true in a way that has taken even her breath away. She has a sell-out hit on her hands, the subject of five-star raves - ‘The best Miss Julie I’ve ever seen’ - and the kind of word of mouth that means it’s only a matter of time before what looks, at the end of the second week of the Fringe, like the big ‘find’ of this year.”
He continues, “It’s easy to get carried away in Edinburgh after only a few giddy days but I have to say: believe the hype. Mies Julie isn’t just the crowning glory of Assembly Festival’s superb South African mini-season. Produced by Cape Town’s Baxter Theatre, it has set a benchmark of excellence - and visceral relevance - that productions elsewhere, have struggled to match.”
The Guardian’s Lyn Gardner called it “Brilliant” and “definitely the best Miss Julie I’ve ever seen - and I’ve seen a few.”
The production beat over 2 600 other offerings to earn the Bank of Scotland Herald Angel Award, the Scotsman Fringe First Award and most recently the Carol Tambor Best of the Edinburgh Fringe Award. It was also shortlisted for the Amnesty Freedom of Expression Award and received a nomination for The Stage Best Ensemble Award.
Edinburgh Assembly’s Artistic Director William Burdett-Coutts maintains: "Mies Julie has been the most phenomenal theatrical success that I have known in all my time at the festival. It caught people’s attention immediately and received the most astounding reviews from our national papers and went on to be 'the show' of the festival, winning a raft of awards. The play is one of the most powerful pieces of theatre I have seen in my life.”
The Director of the National Arts Festival, Ismail Mohamed, concurs: “From the moment that Mies Julie premiered in Grahamstown, we were all very confident that the outstanding artistic values benchmarked by this Baxter Theatre Centre production and created in association with the State Theatre and the National Arts Festival, was going to open new avenues for South African theatre in the international market.”
“We are also delighted that the success of this multi-award winning work has been headed by two Standard Bank Young Artists, Yael Farber (2003) and Lara Foot (1996). This is a strong affirmation for the role that our Festival has played in supporting local artists to create work of the highest calibre that can stand its ground on any international platform,” says Mohamed.
During its run at the National Arts Festival and the Baxter Flipside and before all the hype in Scotland, South African media also offered praise to Farber’s explosive adaptation of August Strindberg’s 1888 classic Miss Julie. Marina Nel from Die Burger gave it five stars and said: “Mies Julie is contemporary, relevant, shocking, intellectually challenging and just simply heart-rending. It’s real theatre.” She also said: “All three actors deliver performances of the highest quality, supported by excellent technical contributions.”
“It has been tremendously exciting to work with Yael again and to be part of bringing to life her incredible vision and interpretation of this classic, aptly transposed to contemporary South Africa,” says Lara Foot.
“The journey so far is nothing short of overwhelming and exhilarating. Yael has brought together an absolutely amazing cast and creative team to present a fresh take on this play which made theatre history in South Africa in the 1980s. We are truly grateful for and proud of our partnerships with the National Arts Festival, Grahamstown, the Edinburgh Festival and the South African State Theatre, who all share in this phenomenal success,” adds Foot.
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Bongile Mantsai, Hilda Cronje, Thoko Ntshing, Nofirst in Mies Julie. PHOTO: Murdo MacLeod |
A 1985 production of Miss Julie generated controversy when it was performed at the Baxter and Market Theatres and starred Sandra Prinsloo and John Kani. Their stage kiss sparked a national outcry by right-wing organisations and saw protests, and even death threats, that led to immense pressure on the Censorship Board to ban the production.
Farber’s version takes place in a post-apartheid Karoo kitchen which becomes a potent convergence point for domination, domestic practicality and untenable sadness. The visceral struggles of contemporary South Africa are laid bare in this domestic setting, as the protagonists engage in a deadly battle over power, sexuality, memory, and land – a battle that eventually spirals out of control.
“The events that ignite overnight in the play, in this remote farmland kitchen, reflect the larger dilemmas of the nation and, indeed, today’s world. The tensions so central to Strindberg’s original text assume deeper, darker proportions in this adaptation,” explains Farber.
“This is a Miss Julie for a world grappling to redefine itself. It is a disturbing yet mesmerising theatrical experience that reaches to address issues of restitution and the reality of what can and cannot ever be recovered.” There is an age restriction of 18 and parental guidance is advised.
The production continues its international tour when it transfers to the Riverside Studios in London for a three-month long run from March to May.
Mies Julie runs at the Market Theatre from 17 January to 24 February at 8.15pm with 3.15pm Sunday matinee performances at 3.15pm. Booking is through Computicket on 0861 915 8000, on-line at www.computicket.co.za or at any Shoprite Checkers outlet. For discounted block and corporate bookings please contact Anthony Ezeoke or Neo Letsogo on 011 832 1641 or visit www.markettheatre.co.za for more information.
PRODUCTION INFORMATION
MIES JULIE
Restitutions of Body and Soil
Since The Bantu Land Act No. 27 of 1913 and The Immorality Act No. 5 of 1927
Based on the play Miss Julie by August Strindberg
Written and directed by Yael Farber
Produced by The Baxter Theatre Centre at the University of Cape Town and the South African State Theatre in association with National Arts Festival, Grahamstown
Cast
Thoko Ntshinga as Christine
Bongile Mantsai as John
Hilda Cronje as Mies Julie
Music composed by: Daniel and Matthew Pencer
Singer & Musician: Tandiwe Nofirst Lungisa
Set and Lighting Design: Patrick Curtis
Original Lighting Design: Paul Abrams
Costumes: Birrie le Roux
Music performed by: Brydon Bolton and Mark Fransman
Age restriction: 18 years
Running Time: 90 minutes
Venue: The Laager, Market Theatre
Dates: 17 January to 24 February, 2013
Times: 8.15pm Tuesdays to Saturdays, 3.15pm on Sundays
Ticket prices: From R75 to R150
Booking: Computicket on 0861 915 8000, on-line at www.computicket.co.za or at any Shoprite Checkers outlet
Block booking: Anthony Ezeoke or Neo Letsogo on 011 832 1641 or visit www.markettheatre.co.za
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA RESPONSES TO MIES JULIE
What the media had to say about Mies Julie in New York
“Raw and unapologetic … A big hit.”- The New York Times
“impeccable production” - Sarah Lucie, showbusinessweekly.com
“inspired South African adaptation” - Ben Brantley, The New York Times
“The temperature never stops rising in Yael Farber’s Mies Julie” - Ben Brantley, New York Times
“Farber’s adaptation is the strongest I have ever read, and completely her own” - Hilton Als, The New Yorker
“Cronje is an outstandingly beautiful actress” - Hilton Als, The New Yorker
“‘Julie’ a real jewel” - Frank Scheck, New York Post
“deeply resonant production” - Frank Scheck, New York Post
“Inhabiting their roles with a ferocious erotic intensity, Cronje are Mantsai are riveting. Thanks to them and their playwright-director, Strindberg’s incendiary drama is more fiery than ever.” - Frank Scheck, New York Post
“smart and emotionally perceptive” - hotreview.org
“enthralling and unnerving” - Melissa Rose, Bernado, entertainment weekly
“high voltage” - Ron Cohen, backstage.com
“astoundingly brave performances that crackle with energy while taking you deep into the characters” – Ron Cohen, backstage.com
“enacted with a breathtaking explosion of ecstacy and savagery” - Ron Cohen, backstage.com
“Mies Julie is first-class theatre” - Dan Callahan, The L Magazine.com
What the media had to say about Mies Julie in Edinburgh
Tim Cornwell, The Scotsman
*****
“Gut-wrenchingly powerful”
“a heartbreaking performance by Hilda Cronje’
“Mantsai then pulls off an impressive transformation”
Joyce McMillan, The Scotsman
*****
"This is a brilliant, tightly-focussed rewrite of Miss Julie, which takes Strindberg's sensationally powerful drama, and doubles or trebles its force by weaving it tightly into the contemporary politics of race, class, power and land ownership in South Africa.”
“All three actors give superb performances, in a production that takes one of the most familiar texts in the canon, and makes it new, in a time and place where its themes could hardly matter more."
Mark Fisher, Scotland on Sunday
*****
‘the stunning performances in Yael Farber’s production are all the actors’ own. Just as much as any athletic triumph, their achievement is a breathtaking control and prowess.”
“sensational hit”
“brilliant re-imagining”
Lyn Gardner, The Guardian and Theatreblog with Lyn Gardner
*****
“Brilliant”
“Miss Julie is suddenly on the rage again ... But she has never raged quite so fiercely as she does in this searing and fearless new version by Yael Farber”
“... the rare five-star shows like the South African Mies Julie at Assembly Mound - definitely the best Miss Julie I’ve ever seen – and I’ve seen a few - always stand out.”
Fiona Mountford, London Evening Standard,
*****
“a scintillating treat”
“It’s a pitch-perfect repositioning of the action from adaptor/director Yael Farber”
“Farber has also thrillingly realigned the dramatis personae (cast) to add a poignant layer of commentary on the theme of absent mothers.”
“The crackling sexual tension between Cronje and Mantsai, both outstanding, could power an independent Scotland”
Neil Cooper, The Herald
*****
“Perhaps the most striking new work is Mies Julie, writer-director Yael Farber’s brilliant, graphic, superbly-acted rewrite for the Baxter Theatre in Cape Town, of the great Strindberg classic Miss Julie”
Mark Brown, The Herald
“Performances of the most powerful kind”
“This is, quite simply, a tour de force”
“The brilliance and strength of Farber's script and her directing is manifested in emotionally and physically unrestrained performances by Hilda Cronjé (who plays Julie with extraordinary desire and vicious bitterness) and Bongile Mantsai (whose John shudders with the fear, rage and pride of a great bull). They are supported wonderfully by Thokozile Ntshinga (as John's mother), singer and musician Tandiwe Nofirst Lungisa, and composers and musicians Daniel and Matthew Pencer (all of whom contribute powerfully to the extraordinary, premonitory atmosphere of the production).”
Keith Bruce, arts editor, The Herald
“The sexual tension between the two is electric – and explicit – in a show that makes the reality of the change in that nation visceral.”
ScotsGay Magazine and blog SGfringe, TC
*****
“there are some striking visual tableau”
“the acting of both Hilda Cronje as Mies Julie and Bongile Mantsai as John are extremely effective, we
believe in them immediately, and are drawn into the dangerous currents of their relationship”
“Director Yael Farber has an impressive reputation, and she has enhanced her standing here”
Dominic Cavedish, The Daily Telegraph
*****
“Mies Julie: The smash hit of the Fringe”
“I have to say: believe the hype”
“Mies Julie isn’t just the crowning glory of Assembly Festival’s superb South African mini-season ... it has set a benchmark of excellence - and visceral relevance - that productions elsewhere, have struggled to match.”
“the big ‘find’ of this year”
“sell-out hit”
“the subject of five-star reviews”
Honour Bayes, The Stage
“A Must See!”
“You could cut the sexual tension with a knife in Yael Farber’s charged adaptation of Miss Julie.”
“Hilda Cronje’s Julie is a writhing girl/woman, languidly twirling and flicking her silky hair, she’s a controlling temptress but her eyes scream wildly for escape.”
“Bongile Manstai as John oozes sexuality and fury.”
New York Times, ArtsBeat
“South African Mies Julie captivates Edinburgh Festival”
What the South African media have said about Mies Julie
-Die Burger,Marina Nel
*****
“Mies Julie is contemporary, relevant, shocking, intellectually challenging and just simply heart-rending. It’s real theatre.”
“All three actors deliver performances of the highest quality, supported by excellent technical contributions.”
“Ntshinga gives an outstanding performance.”
Mantsai is physically enormously impressive. He is attractive and virile and towers over the delicate but fiery Cronje.”
“Cronje plays a difficult character, but she moves admirably like quicksilver between the different emotions.”
“There are moments of real accomplishments in Mies Julie. These include an excellent performance by Ntshinga, as well as haunting sound and set design.” - The New Age, Genna Gardini
“The performances are riveting” – City Press, Gayle Edmunds
“Potent desire, threat and danger pervade the theatre.” - Cue, contributing editor
“Cronje and Mantsai track each other in perfect counterpoint as the roles of hunter and hunted shift backwards and forwards between them. The performances are utterly remarkable.” - Cue, contributing editor
“Yael Farber has woven her customary magic in adapting a classic text to the South African context.” -Cue, contributing editor
“there is potency to this production that pins the audience to their seats” - Cue, contributing editor
“Visceral’ - Cue, contributing editor
“Emotionally devastating and riveting to watch” - Natal Witness, Estelle Sinkins
“One of the most powerful plays I have seen in many years. Don’t miss it!” – Natal Witness, Estelle Sinkins