The show’s music gave a festive mood. PHOTO | COURTESY | YENZE THEATRE CONSERVATOIRE
Musicals are the kind of art we consume before we officially get a chance to consume them. What do I mean? Musicals are a stable for the West End Theatre in London and Broadway in New York, but even in these places, the tickets are so expensive that only a fraction of theatre lovers can afford the shows sometimes.
Thus, in that way, many of the other theatre lovers end up consuming the original cast recording of the show’s music before they actually get to see the show.
Think of And I’m Telling You with Jennifer Hudson’s voice or Beyonce’s Listen; all the songs were classics before many people watched the musical, Dream Girls.
That is consuming the show before they actually get to consume it.
Think about it this way: at the height of it, one Hamilton ticket went for $1,200 (about Shs4.4m) for many people; hanging onto the music saves more than looking for the ticket.
On Friday, Joe Masteroff’s 1963 musical, She Loves Me, premiered for the first time in Uganda at the National Theatre. Like many of the celebrated musicals, the songs on this, such as the title song, She Loves Me, or Ilona, have been on playlists before the show was even announced or scheduled for its Ugandan debut.
The show follows co-workers who hate each other at the workplace but are corresponding anonymously through letters. But that is just a nutshell of it; the story is much deeper than the co-workers. It captures jealousy, intrigue, and esteem.
With a steller cast of Tayo Shonubi, Amanyire Joel Andrew, Grey Miguel Matovu, Ssegujja Edwin Musisi, and siblings Camilla Alina and Alisanyukirwa Joy Matovu, the Yenze Theatre Conservatoire delivered a romantic comedy that kept the audience on its toes while never forgetting to impact them emotionally.
Of course, just like their over-the-top production design, the show had many surprises, one of which was their choice to cast singer Kenneth Mugabi in the titular role of Maraczek.
Of course Kenneth Mugabi has had a number of cameo roles on both the theatre and the small screen, but this felt more like his debut; he was there to act and sing.
Amanyire was also on his acting debut; apparently, he joined the project as a dance director but somehow ended up on the cast, and not any ordinary cast member; he was in the lead.
His pairing with Tayo as Amalia Balash and Georg Nowack was a perfect combo that did not try to outshine each other even in aspects where one was stronger than the other.
If there is one thing that has always made She Loves Me such a classic, it is that most of the songs are either specific to switching the plot or revealing a character trait. A song such as Tonight at Eight or Vanilla Ice Cream, done by Georg and Amalia; one informs the audience that Dear Friend and Georg are one person, while the other is Amalia learning she loves Georg. The performance of these songs is what draws you in.
Yet besides the music and acting, She Loves Me shines more with the production aesthetics; from the outfits, lighting, and the production design, the set itself is mind-blowing. On the National Theatre’s small stage, the crew behind the scenes manages to take the audience from spring to winter during the holidays.
The production, however, has one major weakness: it takes place in July yet much of this story took place during the Christmas holidays. Watching such a thematic show take place now felt like a missed opportunity for a perfect holiday show.
