Difference between revisions of "Virginia Jubilee Singers"
| Line 9: | Line 9: | ||
They became an unlikely overnight sensation in the Cape and are credited by some with shaping the performance style adopted by Cape [[Coon Carnival]] tradition in later years. They also visited Port Elizabeth during their tours, where it is reported that the “clever company of [[minstrels]] and [[variety]] artistes” from [[McAdoo's Vaudeville Company]] gave a performance at the Port Elizabeth [[Opera House]] on January 11, 1898, for example. | They became an unlikely overnight sensation in the Cape and are credited by some with shaping the performance style adopted by Cape [[Coon Carnival]] tradition in later years. They also visited Port Elizabeth during their tours, where it is reported that the “clever company of [[minstrels]] and [[variety]] artistes” from [[McAdoo's Vaudeville Company]] gave a performance at the Port Elizabeth [[Opera House]] on January 11, 1898, for example. | ||
| − | In 2014 [[David Kramer]] wrote a musical based on this incident | + | ==The legacy== |
| + | |||
| + | In 2014 [[David Kramer]] wrote a musical based on this incident, calling it '''''[[Orpheus in Africa]]'''''. It was first produced by [[Eric Abraham]] and the [[Fugard Theatre]] in January 2015. '''(See ''[[Orpheus in Africa]]'' for information on the play)''', updating it in 2024 under the title '''''[[Orpheus McAdoo]]'''''. (See '''''[[Orpheus McAdoo]]''''' for information both on the [[impresario]] and on the play)''' | ||
== Sources == | == Sources == | ||
Revision as of 06:18, 31 January 2025
The Virginia Jubilee Singers was an influential jubilee and minstrelsy group who visited South Africa in the 1890s under leadership of impresario Orpheus McAdoo.
The group was also known or referred to as the Virginia Concert Company, the Virginia Jubilee Concert Company, The Jubilee Singers or McAdoo’s Vaudeville Company.
The company in South Africa
Their first South African connection came in Scotland where Orpheus McAdoo met Lady Loch, the wife of the then British Governor of the Cape, who invited them to Cape Town.
They became an unlikely overnight sensation in the Cape and are credited by some with shaping the performance style adopted by Cape Coon Carnival tradition in later years. They also visited Port Elizabeth during their tours, where it is reported that the “clever company of minstrels and variety artistes” from McAdoo's Vaudeville Company gave a performance at the Port Elizabeth Opera House on January 11, 1898, for example.
The legacy
In 2014 David Kramer wrote a musical based on this incident, calling it Orpheus in Africa. It was first produced by Eric Abraham and the Fugard Theatre in January 2015. (See Orpheus in Africa for information on the play), updating it in 2024 under the title Orpheus McAdoo. (See Orpheus McAdoo for information both on the impresario and on the play)
Sources
Erlmann, 1991*
The Fugard Theatre Newsletter (newsletter@thefugard.com), Thursday 9 October 2014.
http://www.thefugard.com/archive/item/david-kramer-s-orpheus-in-africa
Return to
Return to South African Theatre Venues, Companies, Societies, etc
Return to The ESAT Entries
Return to Main Page
