Theatre giants Andrew Buckland and Sylvaine Strike team up in a nostalgic theatre production “Firefly,” currently being staged at the Baxter Theatre for a limited season.
“Firefly”, under the name of “Ferine and Ferase” was one of the flagship productions at the Toyota US Woordfees, showcased on television, DStv Channel 150, in October last year.
Directed by theatre practitioner Toni Morkel, “Firefly” is described as an unforgettable journey into the underbelly of wonder, in all its awful splendour.
A passionate tale of moon-crossed love, betrayal, revenge and desire, the production sees Buckland and Strike deliver performances that will move, thrill and delight audiences.
The pair are accompanied live by Tony Bentel on piano, who is also responsible for the musical arrangements and some original music.
“Because of all the trauma with the pandemic we wanted to create a theatrical piece that is full of heart and love – a piece that celebrates the art of storytelling using body, voice and space and just keeps it beautiful,” says Morkel.
In the performance, the audience will be transported from reality into a mesmerising story filled with passion and intrigue.
“Firefly” reunites Morkel, Strike and Buckland, who previously collaborated on “Tobacco”, which played to huge success in South Africa and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
“I’ve worked with Andrew and Sylvaine as a performer, not as a director. So this is my first directing both of them… it’s a big challenge but at the same time very exciting. And I believed we’ve created a beautiful love story that will keep audiences coming back for more,” said Morkel.
He added: “With this piece, we wanted to see what the body can say without too much dialogue. And because of that we then loved the idea of a pianist playing with us the whole way through.”
Morkel was recently seen in the solo performance of “Cottonwool Kid”, directed by Strike, who currently is receiving great praise for her direction of the modern classic, “Kiss of the Spider Woman”, being staged at The Baxter.
Buckland, is now performing at the same theatre venue in the critically acclaimed “Life & Times of Michael K”. He has wowed audiences for his performances in “Endgame” and “The Inconvenience of Wings”, both of which earned him Fleur du Cap awards.
“Firefly” is currently being performed at at the Baxter Flipside until April 9.
Ticket prices are available at Webtickets from R150 to R170.