Johannesburg audiences are in for a treat when the world premiere of the new and original musical, Calling Me Home takes place on The Mandela Stage at the Joburg Theatre on August 17.
Calling me Home is a powerful love story of hope, courage, longing and compassion that will resonate with people everywhere as the audience follows the story of Grace on an exciting journey stretching from the splendours of the African continent, across the ocean to a great foreign city.
In this new, hugely diverse and colourful community, Grace experiences both joy and great danger.
She also falls deeply in love and, most importantly, learns the true meaning of ‘home’.
Premiering in Women’s Month, Calling Me Home is a collaboration between two highly creative and powerful women in the South African music and theatre industry.
The book, score and libretto were written by composer and producer Alice Gillham, who is signed with EMI Music Publishing/Sony/ATV and who lives and works in South Africa.
She effortlessly fuses the genres of classical music, African hybrid, jazz and traditional folksong to create bewitching and evocative music that brings the story to life, providing her audience with a deeply human and emotional experience.
Joining Gillham in bringing this musical to the stage, is director Magdalene Minnaar.
According to Minnaar this production has the potential to have a profound impact on the world.
Minnaar says: “The content is extremely current and we have incredibly talented people in Africa. You rarely get a chance to be part of a brand new local production of this calibre.”
Calling Me Home depicts the journeys of three women who each find their own personal power.
Grace (Lynelle Kenned), a young African woman, flees her war-torn homeland to try to survive in a country of concrete cityscapes, crime and danger.
With her is her new friend Lindiwe (Zolani Mahola), who too has fled her home, but in Lindiwe’s case it is a flight from abuse and pain.
Finally, there is the beautiful but deeply troubled Isabella (Samantha Peo), who finds the strength and courage to conquer almost insurmountable challenges when she overcomes addiction, both chemical and emotional, to take the moral lead in her community.
The work is a global story with far-reaching current relevance.
Each cast member of this large ensemble piece will play a vital part in the story.
According to Minnaar, choosing the right artists was critical, as they will have the opportunity to bring their characters to life for the very first time.
“We have carefully chosen hugely talented singers who bring storytelling energy, creativity and a spirit of adventure to this journey.
“Their energy is amazing and their talent world-class,” Minnaar says.
The complete Southern African cast consists of some of the country’s most celebrated stage performers, well-known personalities and some up-and-coming young stars.
With a strong emphasis on the music being new and original, composed specifically for the production, Calling Me Home will be releasing a selection of the songs to the public throughout the season.
Two songs have been released thus far: Tomorrow sung by Lynelle Kenned and Calling Me Home sung by Zolani Mahola, both of which can be heard on youtube. More songs will be released soon.
The show runs until September 3 at 8pm on Tuesday to Friday, 3pm and 8pm on Saturday and 2pm on Sunday.
