WAM! (A Magical Music Tour)

WAM! (A Magical Music Tour) is a musical play by Janice Honeyman (1949-).

Though most often simply referred to as WAM, the play is also referred to as WAM! (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) or WAM (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) in some sources.

Not to be confused with the similarly titled 2010 dance and music production called WAM! Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, A journey through Mozart’s life in music and dance[1], a stage production conceived and adapted by the choreographer David Palmer, based on Mozart’s letters and his music.

The original text

The original text is subtitled "A magical music tour" (though this is sometimes found as "A magical tour through music"), and the text was developed, written and staged by in South Africa by Janice Honeyman in 1975

Translations and adaptations

Translated into Afrikaans by Wilma Stockenström and apparently used for the 1975 bilingual production. The text of the translation is unpublished, though a copy of the typed text was found in the Stellenbosch Drama Department archives.

Performance history in South Africa

1975: First performed in English and Afrikaans by the PACT Playwork Company in the Breytenbach Theatre, Pretoria, opening on 29 April. After the Pretoria run, the production was staged at the Alexander Theatre, Johannesburg. Directed by Janice Honeyman with Rudi Trap as "Mozart", Magda van Biljon, Chris Truter, Ralph Mogridge, Sarah Monair, Alwyn Swart, At Botha and Gay Morris.

1991: The Afrikaans only version was presented by Universiteitsteater Stellenbosch in the H.B. Thom Theatre in May 1991, directed by Juanita Swanepoel, assisted by Margit Meyer-Rödenbeck, musical direction by André van der Merwe with Waldemar Schultz as "Mozart".

Sources

Walter Greyvenstein. 1988. The history and development of children's theatre in English in South Africa. Unpublished doctoral thesis. Johannesburg: Rand Afrikaans University.

A photocopy of the typed English text of the play, including a foreword by the author/director and the sheet music, found in the Stellenbosch Drama Department archives in 2022.

H.B. Thom Theatre pamphlet, 1991

A photocopy of the text of the Afrikaans translation by Wilma Stockenström, found in the Stellenbosch Drama Department archives in 2022.

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