Reps goes full throttle

First up is Babysitting Calvin, a one-act comedy written by John Newmeir and directed by Colleen Hardy as part of The Repertory Players’ Have-a-Go Show series that showcases work by new directors. The production will run in Theatre Upstairs from today to Saturday, with evening performances at 7pm and an additional matinee at 2.30pm on Saturday.
The play is a romantic comedy with a difference and stars Joe Levey — who is making his first appearance at Reps for more than 20 years — Karen Howard-Beard, Larry Greeff, Gaby Levey and Ursula Gripper.
Running on the Reps Main Stage this week is a show that sold out during HIFA and is staged again to allow a greater number of people to see and to fundraise for the Dance Trust of Zimbabwe (DTZ) and The Repertory Players. Let’s Face the Music and Dance is a DTZ/National Ballet dance show that features most of Harare choreographers and dancers in more than two dozen sequences, with guest appearances by singer, Dean Jones, in two of the numbers.
This show will run for three performances only – tomorrow and Saturday at and a matinee on Saturday.
Running in Theatre Upstairs from Monday next week to Saturday will be Yours Abundantly From Zimbabwe. This was also staged at HIFA to wide acclaim and will be open now to greater numbers of theatre goers as a result of these seven extra performances. This is a drama focusing on a woman and her daughter, linked to Zimbabwe through connections in a rural village, and stars Chipo Chikara, Anne Fischer and Jamie McLaren.
Another main stage production in rehearsal is the musical Ol’ Blue Eyes, which will feature Frank Sinatra’s songs as well as his friends in the Rat Pack, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Junior, and some from Liza Minnelli, with whom Sinatra frequently performed in the 1970s and 1980s. This show will run from May 26 to 29.