(Paul Taylor’s article appeared in the Independent, 2/22.)

A dramatic rebirth: Theatre in Cape Town

Cape Town's District Six, scene of some of apartheid's worst excesses, is home to the new Fugard Theatre. Paul Taylor was there for an emotional opening night

A sense that something historic was in the offing wafted through the air like strong perfume as I sauntered down Government Avenue in Cape Town in the golden late-afternoon sunshine.

There was a woman resplendent in a frock that cascaded to the floor in a haemorrhage of golden pleats. I had to step aside to make room for the sheer Elizabethan bulk of her outfit. Flocks of other well-dressed rich folk were, like her, heading towards the Parliament building, outside which an orchestra, a steel band and a choir were practising, the noise rendered eerie by distance.

(Read more)

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/features/a-dramatic-rebirth-theatre-in-cape-town-1906253.html

Visit Stage Voices blog for video: http://stagevoices.typepad.com/stage_voices/