This Week & Beyond
Your essential guide to what's hot and happening (and free tickets to Maynardville!)
Great news for Capetonians who care about sustainability as well as fabulous food: Fyn restaurant is the first restaurant in Africa to achieve the world’s leading sustainability certification for the hospitality sector.
And, finally! One of Cape Town's oldest theatre traditions (dating back to 1956), Maynardville amphitheatre's summer festival kicks off on Wednesday January 22.
Read more about it Spirits, tempests, magic, moonlight but, be warned, two of the shows are sold out, as I write this.
Call Off The Search is giving away two tickets to Sunday in the Park with Sondheim. at Maynardville on February 16. One of you lovelies will be chosen randomly (from our list of subscribers) on Friday (January 24) to receive these two complementary tickets to what is sure to be a wonderful evening.
Terms and Conditions apply1
If you are already a subscriber your name will go into the draw. Double your chances of winning by adding a comment (Tip: Start a conversation; don’t just say Pick Me! Pick Me!).
Further increase your chances by telling anyone who might take you along as their date to subscribe to Call Off The Search.
The show will feature songs from iconic shows by Stephen Sondheim, the man credited with reinventing the American musical, brought to life by stars from our own galaxy. An unparalleled line-up of more than 130 artists – including Jonathan Roxmouth (in South Africa on a break from his Phantom of the Opera world tour), Kate Normington (Sunset Boulevard, West End), Lynelle Kenned (West Side Story, The Sound of Music), André Terblanché (David Kramer’s Ver in die Wêreld Kittie) and ensemble singers from Vivox Voices – will be accompanied by the Winelands Philharmonic Orchestra.
Talking about Kate Normington, here is an edited version of something I stole from her Facebook page about The Addams Family Musical at the Homecoming Centre (formerly The Fugard):
What a privilege to see this calibre of work. Headed up by Tiaan Rautenbach (Gomez), who I have never seen more powerful and in ownership of every breath and gesture. Sam Peo is beautiful, but also incredibly funny and crazily wonderful. Perfection, without exception: Yahto Kraft. Bethany Dickson (astonishing displays of vocal beauty), Candice V L, Chad Baai and Brendan van Rhyn (who explodes with vocal wonder at the end) and Jordyn Schaefer (as a vocally wonderful Wednesday). This work is beautifully crafted by everyone. Fine care has been taken with every step. Choreography is electric and exciting. I feel inspired to go out and be a better human being.
The Addams Family Musical enchants with macabre humour and charm
If you are after something a bit more deep and meaningful: On Saturday 25, Veld and Sea are hosting a Sound Bath and Dinner with Leandra Besters. The event promises a “gentle evening of sound, senses and softening, with a mindful mountain walk and meditation, an immersion of vibrations and resonance followed by a calming meal to connect and ground”.
Roushanna and the team at Veld and Sea are known to live up to what can sound like quite exotic promises, as we discovered when we went Foraging and feasting in a delicious city with them. There are quite a few foraging events coming up. More info
And since it is still swimming season … I was looking on the events page of our favourite book store Book Lounge to see if there was anything happening there that you should know about, I came upon this rather lovely looking guide to local tidal pools.
LISTEN HERE: Thinking of the power of the sonic journey brought to mind a wonderful podcast series called Landmark, by fellow Capetonian (and member of Vredehoek Walkers) Ashley Dowds, particularly the idea that “sound cuts through the illusion that we are separate”. Listen to this episode By the rivers of Amazon …
and let it take you on a journey … starting at the proposed and opposed Amazon development on the banks of the Liesbeek River in Cape Town, a site that is deeply sacred to the Khoisan people …
Listen to the other podcasts, buy Ashley a coffee and hope he continues the series.
Insta-worthy life🫢: We saw the Bob Dylan movie, A Complete Unknown, at the Labia on Orange after a pizza slice and a beer at NY Slice last week. The movie, starring the marvellous Timothee Chalamet, is a lovely, intense and very slow-moving snapshot of a pivotal time. It is extra interesting in the context of another moment in time when it feels the world is poised to pivot towards peace and love. Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez was a sizzling standout!
NY Slice is such a cool place to have a quick bite to eat, an edgy, easy spot with half-in-half-out seating on a busy, buzzy corner of Kloof Street. Plus it is just a block from that beloved old auntie of a movie house, the Labia.
Ask Eileen: If you, like me, are still busy with that December-rolled-over-to-January clean-up (and don’t live next door to someone like Eileen, who seems to know everything), you might want to know about an incredible shop that Eileen recommends for all your packaging/bagging/clearing out/schlepping around needs.
After clearing some enormous invasive plants to make a veggie bed we found ourselves with piles and piles of nutrient-depleted soil that we needed to get to the dump. On Eileen’s recommendation, I went to Cape Twines & Packaging in Albert Road, Woodstock, and bought heavy-duty 25kg sugar bags (that were rejects because of a misprint) for R4 a piece. What a treasure trove of surprise and usefulness!
Previous issues
TERMS & CONDITIONS for Maynardville ticket giveaway
1. The promoter is: Maynardville Open-Air Festival, whose registered office is 142 Via Pollino Complex, 26 Leslie Avenue, Douglasdale, Gauteng, Republic of South Africa.
2. The competition is open to residents of South Africa except employees of Maynardville Theatre and Cape Town Magazine and their close relatives and anyone otherwise connected with the organisation or judging of the competition.
3. There is no entry fee and no purchase necessary to enter this competition.
4. By entering this competition, an entrant is indicating his/her agreement to be bound by these terms and conditions.
5. Route to entry for the competition and details of how to enter are via Call Off The Search.
6. Closing date for entry will be at midday on Friday 24 January 2025. After this date the no further entries to the competition will be permitted.
7. No responsibility can be accepted for entries not received for whatever reason.
8. The rules of the competition are that one winner will be chosen randomly from a list of subscribers, using Random.org.
9. The promoter reserves the right to cancel or amend the competition and these terms and conditions without notice in the event of a catastrophe, war, civil or military disturbance, act of God or any actual or anticipated breach of any applicable law or regulation or any other event outside of the promoter’s control. Any changes to the competition will be notified to entrants as soon as possible by the promoter.
10. The prize consists of two tickets for the 16 February performance of Sundays in the Park with Sondheim at the Maynardville Open-Air Theatre in Wynberg, Cape Town.
11. Maynardville is not responsible for inaccurate prize details supplied to any entrant by any third party connected with this competition.
12. The winner will be notified by email within 1 day of the closing date. If the winner cannot be contacted or does not claim the prize within 3 days of notification, we reserve the right to withdraw the prize from the winner and pick a replacement winner.
13. The promoter will notify the winner when and where the prize can be collected/is delivered.
14. The promoter’s decision in respect of all matters to do with the competition will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.
15. The competition and these terms and conditions will be governed by South African law and any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of South Africa.
16. The winner agrees to the use of his/her name and image in any publicity material, as well as their entry. Any personal data relating to the winner or any other entrants will be used solely in accordance with current South African data protection legislation and will not be disclosed to a third party without the entrant’s prior consent.
17. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Meta, Facebook, Instagram, or any other Social Network. You are providing your information to Maynardville Open-Air Festival and not to any other party.
18. Maynardville Open-Air Festival shall have the right, at its sole discretion and at any time, to change or modify these terms and conditions, such change shall be effective immediately upon posting to this webpage.
19. Maynardville Open-Air Festival also reserves the right to cancel the competition if circumstances arise outside of its control.
Thanks for a great newsletter, Siobhan, full of useful info :)
And thanks for the reminder about the Addams Family – booking tickets today!