Spotlight: New Year’s Eve done the #LoveTheatre way!

Brian Stokes Mitchells has been quoted as saying, “[t]hat's the magic of art and the magic of theatre: it has the power to transform an audience, an individual, or en masse, to transform them and give them an epiphanal experience that changes their life, opens their hearts and their minds and the way they think”.

If that magic and epiphanal experience is not reason enough to welcome in a new year at one of the great theatres in Cape Town, we simply don’t know what would persuade you to be part of an audience transformed by a great stage production as the clock strikes midnight. But, as we know you all believe in the power of theatre as much as we do, here's some New Year’s Eve theatre options to help you plan your end-of-year entertainment:

BAXTER THEATRE

The Baxter Theatre’s New Year’s Eve party usually commences straight after the shows (all starting a tad later than usual) on 31 December, and generally includes their traditional artist led countdown, a complimentary glass of bubbly or orange juice, a live band and a DJ playing some lively tunes. It should should all make for a great and very entertaining way to welcome in 2019 with much happiness and goodwill.

Want to end your year on a comedy high? No stress, Nik Rabinowitz has you sorted with his new show, Dry White. Rabinowitz overcame his fear of having a midlife crisis just in time to deal with Cape Town being the first city in the world to almost run out of water. Although we thought the drought was going to last forever, Mother Nature insisted to rain on Rabinowitz's parade. So, in Dry White, he now also talks about other stuff, like love, marriage, infidelity, transphobia, and staying woke post forty. This promises to be a riot of a show! So make New Year’s Eve a date night —bribe a family member with pizza to take care of your youngsters if they are under the age of 14— and book your tickets at R255 per person through Webtickets to be as woke as Rabinowitz when the clock strikes midnight.

Popular Comedian Marc Lottering’s most beloved character, Aunty Merle Abrahams from Belgravia Road in Athlone, sashays back onto the stage for a third run of the musical-comedy Aunty Merle The Musical, just in time to add a big slice of merinGue to your New Year's Eve festivities. The show will have you jiving in your theatre-seat and dancing in the aisles --now that's the right way to welcome in 2019! You can book your Aunty Merle the Musical tickets through Webtickets at a cost of R270 per person. 

CAPE TOWN COMEDY CLUB

Want to have the fun of a theatrical theatre show, but the low-key ease of a pizza and drinks night out? Then the Cape Town Comedy Club's New Years Eve Party bash may be just the thing for you.

The Pumphouse at the V&A Waterfront will be pumping on the 31st, and Kurt Schoonraad & Co invite you to come join them for a journey of music and comedy, hosted by Carl Weber and DJ Azuhl, with appearances by some of South Africa`s funniest comedians, Lindy Johnson, Angel Campey & KG Mokgadi. 

The laughs start at 9pm, but doors already open at 6pm. The show includes your hilarious entertainment, a welcome drink on arrival, and a glass of bubbly for the countdown. At an additional cost you can also have a delicious meal on the night, as all their A La Carte Menu favourites will be on offering, and don't forget Happy Hour is from 6-7pm. Tickets at R450 per person are available online through Computicket. 

FUGARD THEATRE

David Kramer’s new musical, Langarm, has been developing in his theatre-loving mind for years, and at long last it has taken form onstage at The Fugard. “I have been wanting for many years to do a musical inspired by the langarm-ballroom bands from this time,” says David Kramer. “I grew up watching my parents dancing to the music of these bands, and Langarm pays homage to the likes of the Johnny Lyners Blue Moon Jazz Band and Willie’s Starlite Orchestra.”

If you were lucky enough to be one of the theatre-lovers who could grab a ticket for the 8pm Langarm show before it sold out, you will surely be ending off your 2018 with some feet-tapping fun. If you couldn't get your hands on a ticket for 31 December 2018, then you can still book at www.thefugard.com to make Langarm the musical with which you kick-off your 2019 theatre diary.

OUDE LIBERTAS

A picnic and a show is more than a tradition in the Stellenbosch Winelands, it's a must diarise highlight. So, why not make this highlight part of your New Year's Eve entertainment plan with the Oude Libertas' New Year's Eve Oldies & Party?

The picnic area will be open from 4pm for you and your family and friends to relax in the lush Oude Libertas gardens. Make sure to get there early to get the best spot and bring along some fabulous treats of your choice to munch on. At 8:15pm a band and singers will add to your leisurely vibe and the dance floor will open by 9:15pm, because by then your feet will be itching to be part of the jiving fun. The classic movie, Dinner for One, will be screened at 11pm, with the band and singers getting you ready for the NYE countdown from 11:30 until midnight again! The Oude Libertas Bar will also be open to patrons throughout the night.

What a great end this could be to your 2018. Tickets are available online through Computicket.

THEATRE ON THE BAY

Seeing as all things 2019 are yet unknown to us, perhaps a mystery would be a good way to ring in the new year too? In that case, what better way than the longest running whodunnit theatre shown (65 years and counting) and a tale penned by the murder mystery writer, Agatha Christie as Pieter Toerien Productions presented The Mousetrap, "the cleverest murder mystery of the British Theatre". This production will keep you captivated for the last few hours of 2018, before the enchantment of 2019 reveals itself.

The show starts at 8pm, leaving plenty of time to meet the cast afterwards or head on over to a countdown party of your choice or even be home before the clock strikes twelve if you so prefer. Tickets can be booked online through Computicket.