adminBongani Ndlovu Entertainment Correspondent
AMAZING and dazzling – two words that aptly describe the Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted musical by Petra High School which lived up to its billing.
Saturday night brought to an end, four days of the musical which ran at the Bulawayo Theatre.
The play had all facets of a good theatre production. Good lighting with neon lights and laser lights for effects, props, costume, choir and music and the acting combined to be a good play.
The play was written by Petra High lower six student Stephanie Zevgolis and featured Mandla Ndubiwa, Terrence Kandiado and Susannah Hill among the 80-member cast.
The grand finale was a combination of hip hop and contemporary dancing which got the crowd clapping along. The musical began with the Petra High School Choir led by their choir master Daniel Mlambo singing the Circle of Life, a song from Disney’s 1994 animated film The Lion King, composed by Elton John with lyrics by Tim Rice as the opening song.
Thereafter, the play began with Marty the zebra (played by Mandla Ndubiwa), Melman the giraffe (played by Prince Mlauzi) and Gloria the hippo (played by Stephanie Zevgolis), surprising Alex the lion (played by Terrence Kandiano) who was asleep on a rock. In the animated film, Alex the lion, Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffe and Gloria the hippopotamus struggle to get home to New York. Their journey took them to Europe where they were relentlessly pursued by the murderous Monaco-based French Animal Control Officer Captain Chantel Dubois.
As a means of getting passage to North America, the zoo animals purchased a failing travelling circus as they became close friends, including Gia a jaguar, Vitaly a Siberian tiger and Stefano a sea lion. Together, they spectacularly revitalised the business and along the way, found themselves reconsidering where their true home was.
The theme of the original screen play was comedy and the talented 80-member cast merely transferred that onto stage with aplomb.
Speaking after the show, Petra High headmaster Crispin Eley said the play was a success because of the dedication of parents at the school. He said after their play A Doll’s House last year, he wanted the school to do a bigger project.
“We wanted to put together a bigger project from last year. We are a co-ed school and we wanted to use all the human resources we had. We have children who can sing, dance, act and paint. So with the dedication of the staff and parents the play was a success,” Eley said.
He said they thought about the play in September last year and rehearsals began towards the end of third term.
“I was sitting under a tree at break time with Mrs Zevgolis and I said I want Petra to do a full musical. I spoke lightly and the next thing I know, she came back a month later with a script for Madagascar,” said Eley.
Renowned play writer and theatre guru Styx Mhlanga was one of the directors who worked on the technical side of production.
Online Reporter