New cast members for
THE COLOR PURPLE On 31 January this year, the musical The Color Purple premiered in South Africa on The Nelson Mandela stage at Joburg Theatre with an all South African cast.
D
uring its first run, the South African production of
Jay and musical director Rowan Bakker embarked on another
this Tony and GRAMMY Award-winning musical
round of auditions.
wowed audiences. For the talented cast members, this journey has been a career highlight.
Theatre journalists and audience members raved about
After several auditions, the creative team identified three highly talented people to join the cast: Masego Mothibakgomo, Terrence Ngwila and Lebo Borole.
the Janice-Honeyman-directed production. Due to public
Well-known actress and vocalist Lelo Ramasimong,
demand for hard-to-come-by tickets, Joburg Theatre and
who initially played the role of Darlene in The Color Purple,
Executive Producer Bernard Jay have announced that the
will now be stepping into the leading role of Shug Avery.
show will give 32 additional performances during Women’s
Ramasimong created her own fan base during The Color
Month in August 2018. The 31 000 additional tickets are
Purple’s first season with her spine-chilling vocalisation of
already selling quickly.
the role of Darlene. Now her fans can’t wait to experience
As arts journalist Leon van Nierop stated in his review of the show: ‘This was a life-changing and sweeping experience
her play the gutsy, blues singing star, Shug Avery. Masego Mothibakgomo takes over the role of Darlene
that will go down as one of the best and most thought-
from Lelo Ramasimong. Mothibakgomo obtained her
provoking of the past few years… a brilliant and touching
Bachelor of Arts in Drama from the University of Pretoria.
production… This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience… You
Her theatre work includes roles in Disney’s The Lion King (in
will never forget it.’
which she played Nala and later the storyteller), Romeo and
Seventeen of the original 20 cast members have signed
Juliet (Juliet), Alchemy of Desire/Dead-Man’s Blues, directed
on to reprise their roles, including acclaimed performers
by Ball State University’s Wendy Saver-Mortimer, and
Didintle Khunou as Celie and Aubrey Poo as Mister. To find
Seussical. Mothibakgomo is also embarking on a career as a
the three necessary replacement cast members, Honeyman,
singer/songwriter in the commercial music industry.
58 / Creative Feel / July 2018
