On a recent afternoon I plied the young cast of one of the productions of the National Children’s Theatre in Parktown with sugar straight to the veins in the form of the wonderfully decadent donuts from Krispy Kreme.
I have been wanting to feature this treasure of a Joburg Institution for a while. The work that takes place in this humble Gothic Victorian house has transformed the lives of thousands of children over the years, both on and off the stage. And who better than the cast of The Lion King JR to take to lunch. Their sheer numbers and tender years compelled me to bring the calories to them.
A word of warning: the resulting story may have the taint of an extreme sugar rush, and you will be hard pressed to stay glum. But believe me, it is just what the doctor ordered for those of us who may be entering the new year with an abundance of Januworry.
It took precisely five minutes of chatting to them in their natural habitat on the stage, in full costume, to entirely cure me of my jaded disposition and thrust me into a world of energetic delight
This hot donut lunch and the children who scarfed them will encourage you to tap into your creative energy, stick to your resolutions and remember that you too have dreams.
Take Mufasa, aka Xabiso March. The 16-year-old tells me he actually dreams of his eight Oscars, “all of them for acting”. He assures me that this extreme thespian forecasting of fame on a global scale is not the byproduct of the sugar rush, and I believe him. It is rather their pure unadulterated state — exuberant, charming, positive and confident in the manner of people much older and yet entirely appropriate to their age group — and all grounded in bucket loads of talent and hard work.
It took precisely five minutes of chatting to them in their natural habitat on the stage, in full costume, to entirely cure me of my jaded disposition and thrust me into a world of energetic delight.
Sika Ntshangase, 12, who feels like a superstar on stage and who reprised the role of Timon, says the theatre has helped her to “grow and develop socially and how to talk to people”.
Boikanyo Lekasa, who played the older Simba, shows me how he can channel the energy of the lion and his inner leader in a scene with Benjamin Haw, who played Scar. They rapidly get into character and put on a convincing fight scene. Benjamin says he loves playing the villain and plans to explore more characters in this vein — maybe Macbeth. “The evil character is always very funny and charismatic — and gets the best songs.”
Peyton Bala was more into music, but recently discovered a love for theatre. She loves the character aspects of Nala. “I really like the strength that she has, within herself, what she stands for. She’s really confident in herself, but she has a nurturing spirit towards other people, like the way she cares for the pride.”
Harmony Magodi explains that the theatre holds a special place in her heart, like a second home. She has participated in the programmes here since she was five years old. “Even if you don’t like acting, it is such a good experience for you to just know that you’ve done it, because it helps you, not only with your social skills, but with teamwork and empathy. It brings out a different side of you that you never knew you had.”
Simphiwe Ndlovu loved “every moment” of playing Rafiki. “I identify with Rafiki. I am sometimes annoying but in a good way.” Everyone laughs. “You should see when the kids perform on stage, we give it our all. If you don’t have teamwork you have nothing. We had our highs and lows, we had those rainy days, we had our happy days, our joyful days, our beautiful days, but we always worked together as a team. That’s what is important."
There’s a lot of finger snapping in enthusiastic agreement. Amani Mbatha says she has been performing since she was in her mother’s womb — she too is envisioning multiple Grammies and Oscars. “Performing on stage is where I’m meant to be, it’s home. When I’m performing, I get serious goosebumps. I play the role of the beautiful Zazu. First you have to learn the walk — it’s a mashup of many birds, a mix of the dodo and the peacock.”
Mohau Olesenye is never nervous before auditions. He jokes that his mother forced him to audition to get him off the PlayStation. His long-term vision is to unite all the countries of Africa and I think he just might. His advice is: “Listen to your parents. They wanted me to do this and they were right. Now I am on Google.”
Simphiwe Ndlovu has the last word. “We all come from different places. Here we all get a chance to excel, so all I have to say to the world is: don’t let your background define who you are, and don’t doubt yourself, because you need to be your number one supporter. If you do not support yourself, then nobody will support you.”
(Keep an eye out for the next production, it is sure to lift the spirits.)
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