The Firebird, a South African production that sets Stravinsky’s music to puppetry and dance, will be staged in Johannesburg for the first time from 4 to 6 December, with six performances at The Teatro at Montecasino in Fourways.

Director and puppet theatre artist Janni Younge, whose company Janni Younge Productions is presenting the season, said the show required no prior knowledge of dance, puppetry or classical music. “Puppetry has this unique ability to reach adults and children simultaneously,” Younge said. “It invites you into an imaginative world and allows each person to encounter it in their own way.”

Younge, who received the Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Theatre in 2010, created the production with choreographer Jay Pather in 2016, and it has since drawn standing ovations at the Hollywood Bowl, Ravinia, The Mann Center and Wolf Trap in the United States. It played a sold out season at the Artscape Opera House in Cape Town this year and is due in San Francisco in 2027.

The story follows the Seeker, a young woman on a quest to unleash her creative power, through a world of towering puppet creatures. Pather said every performer in the cast worked in both puppetry and dance. “I believe audiences will be transfixed by the masterful puppetry and dance, but above all by performers who give so generously to this glorious, moving beast of a story,” he said.

Crystal Finck plays the Seeker in the cast of 15, opposite Jacqueline Manyaapelo, who danced the role in the original production and helped train Finck, as the mentor figure Bird Woman. Lead puppeteer Siyamthanda Sinani operates a dragon with a 12 metre wingspan.

The show is not intended for very young children, however, and is recommended for ages six and older. It runs for one hour.

Performances are on Friday 4 December at 19:30, Saturday 5 December at 11:00, 15:00 and 19:30, and Sunday 6 December at 11:00 and 15:00. Tickets cost R150 to R580 a person on Webtickets. A family special offers tickets from R150 a person for bookings of four or more, with limited seats.

“This is a South African production that has travelled to some remarkable stages internationally, so there is something very special about bringing it home and sharing it with Johannesburg audiences for the first time,” Younge said.

Photo: Luke Younge

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