Kevin Kraak, of Pinelands, is the musical director on David Kramer’s new musical, Orpheus McAdoo, which opens at the Artscape Theatre on Friday October 18.

This fresh take on Kramer’s Orpheus in Africa, which premiered in Cape Town in 2015, tells the true story of a young, black American impresario, the son of freed slaves, who is invited to tour his company of jubilee singers to South Africa in 1890, where he experiences unprecedented success and later stiff competition from blackface minstrelsy.

“While this is a collaboration with Cape Town Opera, David has created Orpheus McAdoo as a proper musical, with stage actors we all know and love joining Cape Town Opera stars. The Cape Town Opera chorus take the spirituals and jubilee songs to incredible new vocal heights, and audiences can expect drama, comedy and song. It is hugely entertaining and one for the whole family,” says Kraak.

Kramer says he is looking forward to working with the combination of opera singers and musical performers.

“It is my hope that audiences will experience what the Virginia Jubilee Singers might have sounded like in concert in those days. This choir made a tremendous impact and the story of Orpheus and his wife, Mattie, and their struggle with minstrelsy in the 1890s provides for an entertaining and eye-opening evening at the theatre.”

Kraak got his first taste of the industry when he joined the St George’s Cathedral Choir when he was 7 in 1989. After studying the organ and harpsichord under Professor Shirley Gie at UCT, he began his career in music in Johannesburg - where he lived for 18 years.

His credits include musical director for The Sound of Music International Tour, Chicago The Musical International Tour, We Will Rock You: The Musical, and The Sound of Music.

His break came while playing the keyboard as a student on The Phantom of the Opera in 2004. He then became assistant musical director in 2015, associate musical director and later musical director in 2018.

His advice to anyone wanting to get into the musical theatre industry, is to always be on your A-game.

“It is a tough industry to get into; you have to be really good at what you do and bring that with you to work every day. You need to prove that you can do the work whether it's being an actor on stage, in the crew or a musician - every position in the show is important.”

After Orpheus McAdoo, Kraak jumps into the musical director seat on My Fair Lady at Artscape at the end of the year.

Orpheus McAdoo is at Artscape from Friday October 18 to Sunday November 3. Tickets are from R200 to R450 and can be purchased through Webtickets and Artscape Dial-A-Seat on 021 421 7695.

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Pinelands man directs music in new Kramer production