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Johannesburg - For this year’s Naledi Theatre Awards, the big winners on the night were, unsurprisingly, home-grown reboot King Kong – Legend of a Boxer and evergreen classic West Side Story.
Both were critical hits and they consistently filled theatres.
The musicals won five awards each, with veteran musical director Charl-Johan Lingenfelder winning Best Original Score/ Arrangement/Musical Adaptation for King Kong: and Best Musical Director for West Side Story.
(KNOCK OUT: A scene from King Kong – Legend of a Boxer, which tells the story of 1950s boxing champion Ezekiel Dlamini.)
Ntambo Rapatla (as Miriam) and Sanda Shandu (as Lucky) in King Kong carried off the best supporting performances in a musical awards, while the best lead in a musical went to songbird Lynelle Kenned. The wonderful David Dennis took home the top prize for his role as Bernadette in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
King Kong won the best production of a musical award, and the best ensemble award went to Molière’s Tartuffe, which was produced by The Fortune Cookie Theatre Company.
Mike van Graan’s When Swallows Cry won the best new South African script and the best production of a play awards.
Other winners included Andrew Buckland and Jennifer Steyn for their performances in The Inconvenience of Wings.
Poet Don Mattera and theatre doyen Sandra Prinsloo were presented with lifetime achievement awards, while artist William Kentridge was given the world impact award.
(LOVE SONG: Lynelle Kenned, who plays Maria in West Side Story, with her co-star Jonathan Roxmouth. The musical also took five Naledi awards.)
Dorothy Ann Gould received the innovation in theatre award, and Oscar von Memerty was give the Lesedi Spirit of Courage award.
The directing gongs went to Jonathan Munby for King Kong and Lesedi Job for When Swallows Cry. The audience development and young audiences awards went to Cloud Catcher and Onderwereld. – Staff reporter
CITY PRESS REVIEW: SA musical King Kong is back and a knockout success
