Cape Town Opera to Present David Kramer’s ‘Orpheus McAdoo’

In a first-time collaboration, Cape Town Opera will present David Kramer’s new piece “Orpheus McAdoo.” Conroy Scott leads the cast in the title role. Cape Town Opera Brittany Smith, Jody Abrahams, Dean Balie, Alexis Petersen, Elton Landrew, Eldon van der Merwe, and Natalie Robbie are also among the cast.

The story revolves around the African-American choir known as The Virginia Jubilee Concert Company led by Orpheus McAdoo , which visited South Africa in the 1890s and launched an ensemble that would become an overnight sensation. Kramer said in an official press release, “I’m looking forward to working with the combination of opera singers and musical performers to partly conjure up this era. It is my hope that audiences will experience what the Virginia Jubilee Singers might have sounded like in concert in those days.

This choir made a tremendous impact and the story of Orpheus and his wife Mattie and their struggle with minstrelsy in the 1890s provides for an entertaining and eye-opening evening at the theatre,” he added. The creative team includes Fiona du Plooy as Assistant Director and Movement Director, Dawid Bovarhoff as Arranger, and Kevin Kraak as Musical Director. Costumes are by Maritha Visagie, set and visuals are by Julian David, lighting is by Faheem Bardien, and Sound Design is by The Grateful Deaf.

The premiere of “Orpheus McAdoo” will take place at Artscape which runs from Oct. 18 to Nov. 4.

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