In this English-Afrikaans bilingual production, Schwartz references this connection with Lloyd Webber in order to tell his own life’s story… stripped, raw, and vulnerable.
Dates: 22 – 26, May 2024 at Theatre on The Bay.
In ‘Any Dream Will Do – My Pad Met Webber’, André Schwartz explores his relationship with all that is Andrew Lloyd Webber, since encountering his work for the first time at the age of 12 when he saw Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Schwartz’s Mother, who had a substantial influence on his life is quoted as saying: “Weave your coat and create a tapestry of colours, let it shine as brightly as you want it to; dream whatever you want, even if dreams and reality become indistinguishable. You decide your own truth, but always remember your way home.”
Home is where the truth lies for André. Varying between moments when his coat shone vividly becoming the first Phantom in South Africa with Lloyd Webber’s seal of approval, to moments where every hint of colour faded from his coat, upon receiving a diagnosis of Motor Neurone Disease.
The narrative as well as songs, such as Any Dream will Do, You must love Me, Music of the Night, No Matter What, Memory and Send in the Clowns, weave together forming a unit that places this piece firmly in the genre of pure theatre. If you are expecting a “lounge music” version of any of these favourites, then you are coming to the wrong show.
Send in the Clowns is the only song in the production that is not written by Lloyd Webber. “I marvel at the insolence of young artists who think they have owned the right to interpret this song. Their waltz with time is brimming with life. Whereas we, from whom youth has deserted, realise the ultimate clown”, says Schwartz.
The songs are presented unguarded, stripped and shamelessly honest – as is Schwartz’s life story.
The show moves between moments of immense pain experienced by the artist, to exalted moments of hope and inspiration – the key message of the show.
Humour is omnipresent and razor-sharp – very often self-deprecating.
Directed by Matthew Counihan.
Musical direction by Bryan Schimmel, with Dawid Boverhoff on piano and Mauritz Lotz on guitar.
Wednesday, 22 May at 7:30pm
Thursday, 23 May at 7:30pm
Friday, 24 May at 7:30pm
Saturday, 25 May at 3pm
Saturday, 25 May at 7:30pm
Sunday, 26 May at 2:30pm
Tickets available from Webtickets or the Theatre On The Bay box-office on (021) 438-3301.
Booking link: https://www.webtickets.co.za/v2/Event.aspx?itemid=1538947649
