2024 gave us musicals, but they were foreign

However, it’s the musicals that have been the highlight of the theatre scene; at the beginning of the second half of the year, the space was awakened with musicals.

Timeless Arts premiered a musical following up their two previous productions Merchant of Venice and My Fair Lady in May. For 2024, they opted for The Phantom of the Opera, one of the most successful musicals that have been staged around the world.

The Phantom of the Opera is the longest running show in Broadway history and celebrated 10,000 performances in February 2012, the first show to get to that milestone. It has a worldwide estimated gross of $6billion.

The Phantom of the Opera tells the tragic story of a beautiful soprano, Christine Daaé, who becomes the obsession of a mysterious, masked musical genius living in the subterranean labyrinth beneath the Paris Opéra House.

Over the years, The Phantom of the Opera has been staged in different countries from the US, UK, Canada, Argentina, Brazil and China among others. Generally, The Phantom of the Opera has been seen by over 140 million people in 183 cities across 41 countries.

When the show premiered, it was the first time Timeless Arts was doing a musical and the first time the show was being done by an all white cast.

The Phantom of the Opera was a glimpse into what the production house, Timeless Arts is trying to achieve with the art. They are doing everything possible to bring it to the mainstream, and while at it, they don’t want it to lose the fabrics that make the art outstanding.

The Phantom of the Opera is Andrew Lloyd Webber’s play about a beautiful soprano, Christine Daaé, who becomes the obsession of a mysterious, masked musical genius living in the subterranean labyrinth beneath the Paris Opéra House.

The production directed by Pamela Keryeko, however, was a sign that, just like the name of the production company, art and talent are timeless. Just when you think you have seen it all, something better shows up. 

From the day’s Christine, Joy Victoria Geria, a trained classical music artist but a first-time actor; Atuhaire Emmanuel as Raoul, the funny thing he just got his acting break barely a year ago; and Carlotta, Gloria C Namboza, a seasoned TV actress that had not done theatre or classical theatre at that, it was clear that there is talent that is only looking for that one shot to shine.

Then there was Yenze Theatre Conservatoire and their production She Loves Me, a show that gave Ugandans something many are yet to recover from, from a production point of view.

She Loves Me is the most acclaimed Ugandan technical production, from production design, light and sound design, they producers managed to take the audience to a world they imagined and it made sense.

But the biggest thing about the production was the functional and foldable set design, it was a character itself.

The play, an adaptation of Perfumarie, a 1937 Hungarian play that follows co-workers who hate each other at the workplace but correspond anonymously through letters. But that’s just a nutshell of it; the story is much deeper than the co-workers; it captures jealousy, intrigue, and esteem.

What made the Ugandan show standout from anything that has been at the National Theatre was the grand set.

Theatre is supposed to be majestic, a spectacle and this show reinforced that notion with both costumes and the set design.

The set, designed by Kenneth Kanaabi, was a true imaginative work of art, with the details of a 1930s shop, the signage, but above all, the ability to put so much on a small National Theatre stage.

His stage design got the audience teleported to the time he wanted them in, and, good for him, the team that designed the costumes and props, Bakeine Martin and Atukunda Maria Sheba, respectively, did not disappoint.

Of course, set design without matching lighting and sound is almost incomplete. Mugabi Joshua Stephen, the lighting designer, and Isma Ssemujju, the sound designer, created the mood that helped both the audience and the cast understand which season a particular scene was taking place in. From improvised spring leaves falling from the gallery to snow showing up briefly in one of the scenes, they ensured the audience was right in the moment with the cast.

She Loves Me is a comedy as well as a love story where colour and lighting play a big role. For instance, for many shows like this, the lighting is rarely harsh, and in many cases, both the light and music try to keep things very lighthearted for the audience.

Both shows were well received and lauded for their high end production values, but then, they were heavily critiqued for being foreign. Some people wondered what it would take these production houses to be meticulous and detailed, but with a local production.

In fact, this is the second time these productions have been called out, the first time being at the premiere of My Fair lady, then, playwright and director Philip Luswata argued that Ugandans have their own stories and experiences that should be brought to life with such quality.

While responding to questions about Yenze premiering a foreign show, Aganza Kisaka said, “Ugandans love foreign content, and at times it takes so long to believe local content is worth their money. We choose to bring something that's already good and prove to them that we can do it even with a production that big. In the future, it is easier to convince them with our productions when they know the quality we can deliver with renowned productions.” 

About She Loves Me

The play, an adaptation of Perfumarie, a 1937 Hungarian play that follows co-workers who hate each other at the workplace but correspond anonymously through letters. But that’s just a nutshell of it; the story is much deeper than the co-workers; it captures jealousy, intrigue, and esteem.