Handel’s Messiah at The Playhouse Company

Handel’s choral masterpiece, Messiah, is the world’s best loved oratorio, attracting audiences the world over. A highlight on The Playhouse Company’s annual arts calendar, the 2024 production will be directed by Ralph Lawson. And conducted by Jeremy Silver.

The semi-staged production on Sunday 31 March at 15h00 will feature soloists Vanessa Tait-Jones (Soprano); Bongiwe Nakani (Mezzo); Stefan Louw (Tenor) & Bongani Kubheka (Bass), along with the Playhouse Chorale, accompanied by KZN Philharmonic Orchestra.

Long regarded as one of the glories of Western music, the great work teams with a wealth of magnificent choruses and arias, that have become part of the fabric of Christian life since it was written in 1741. Aside from its mighty ‘Hallelujah Chorus’, Handel’s score abounds with iconic items that lift the spirits of an audience to the skies.

These include, among many more, the famous tenor aria, ‘Ev’ry Valley’; the contralto aria, ‘O Thou That Tellest Good Tidings to Zion’, and the heart-rending ‘He Was Despised’; the soprano’s uplifting, ‘I know that my Redeemer Liveth’ and the exultant aria ‘Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter of Jerusalem’. Other highlights include the stirring bass arias, ‘Why Do the Nations’ and ‘The Trumpet Shall Sound’; the exhilarating choruses such as ‘All We Like Sheep’, ‘For Unto Us a Child is Born’, and the climactic ‘Amen’ choral fugue that brings the work to a resounding close.

The production running time of Messiah is approximately 2 hours: (Act 1 lasts 50 minutes, Act 2 about 40 minutes). Tickets cost R150 and bookings can be done through Webtickets. Secure parking is available at the Royal and Albany parking facilities.