The spellbinding musical production Shades of Africa in Concert will again visit Bloemfontein at the end of July.
This is presented in the Sand du Plessis Theatre by Pacofs, in association with Tally Ho! Productions and the B.Kind Always Foundation.
Artists will be accompanied by the Bloemfontein Philharmonic Orchestra.
Shades of Africa was founded by pianist and songwriter Christof van der Berg in 2018. After recruiting Cape Town-based singer Nhoza Sitsholwana, they quickly became known as one of Cape Town’s premiere corporate acts.
In 2019 Christof was approached by Jaco Griessel, managing director of Tally Ho! Productions, to develop their set into a full-scale production. To bring the dramatic potential of their songs to the fore, Jaco decided to orchestrate the songs for a full symphony orchestra.
The debut performance of Shades of Africa in Concert took place at the Oude Libertas Amphitheatre in Stellenbosch on 24 January 2020, with the Stellenbosch City Orchestra.
In September 2021, Shades of Africa in Concert opened for one night only at the André Huguenet Theatre, featuring Christof and the newly recruited musical theatre performer Zine Gwija as his duo partner. This performance was a resounding success despite the severe restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and Pacofs and Tally Ho! Productions immediately initiated discussions to bring the show back to Bloemfontein.
Never a team to rest on their laurels, Shades of Africa and Tally Ho! Productions have kept on developing the production since Bloemfontein audiences saw it last.
In early 2022 Shades of Africa added operatic superstar Hlengiwe Mkhwanazi to their line-up, making the duo a trio. Their setlist was also updated, featuring the music of local South African artists, as well as some of Christof’s original songs such as “I dreamt of you last night” and his powerful Afrikaans ballad “In verwondering”.
Fans of the previous production need not worry, as the set list still features their interpretations of John Lennon’s “Imagine”, Tony Renis’s “Quando, Quando, Quando”, as well as traditional songs such as “Sarie Marias” and “Manguane Pulele”.
This year Shades of Africa in Concert will be accompanied by the Bloemfontein Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Dr Paul Loeb van Zuilenburg.
“After a difficult two years for the performing arts, it is truly wonderful to be given the opportunity to bring this production back to Bloemfontein to full-capacity houses,” Griessel said.
“Join us for a magical evening, a celebration of our collective identity as a nation in its multi-faceted individuality, using music and the spoken word. Featuring novel rearrangements of timeless classics and stories of Christof’s colourful life as he travelled around the globe only to realise that the rainbow is a full circle and that chasing a dream always brings you back to where you started: home.
Shades of Africa in Concert will be on at the Sand du Plessis Theatre on 29 and 30 July at 18:30.
Tickets are sold at the Pacofs booking office on weekdays from 08:30 to 17:00 and Saturdays from 09:00 to 12:00. Alternatively, dial 051-447-7772 to book.
Tickets cost R120, with a discounted offer for groups of five or more.
