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21ST ANNIVERSARY SHOW  (Greek accent): "No tits, no arse - it'll never work. Just a bunch of people singing around a microphone and telling silly jokes. But, OK, you wanna make fools of yourselves, I'll give you the midnight slot for the next two weeks. (Quote from George Milaris, owner of the old Black Sun - Johannesburg 1988 It's now 21 since George Milaris said it would never work. But despite the lack of tits and arse, work it did. Not The Midnight Mass have carved their name on the entertainment scene in South Africa and are now back with shows in Cape Town and Johannesburg to celebrate 21 years in the business. The line up will be Graham Weir, Christine Weir, Jason Ralph, Amanda Tiffen and Pierre Van Heerden. Director Alan Committie, Musical Director Tina Schouw (ex of the Mass). Jenny Delenta, Alan Glass and Terrence Reis will make some guest appearances on as yet unspecified dates. Cape Town: Theatre On The Bay 16 December 2008 to 23 January 2009 Johannesburg: Monte Casino Theatre 30 January 2009 to 15 March 2009. Tickets available from Comupticket 
L-R: Amanda Tiffin, Pierre van Heerden, Jason Ralph, Graham Weir, Christine Weir (One time director of Not The Midnight Mass) I went on Thursday night to their final preview ( I was away in Plett for their opening on Friday) and it was fabulous. This is perfect summer holiday fare; funny, quirky, balanced, artful and totally feel good. Not The Midnight Mass celebrates its 21st birthday with this incarnation and it is worth the trip to Theatre on The Bay to have the best time ever in a theatre. Genius anchors Graham Weir and Christine Weir are joined by Amanda Tiffin (who has blossomed into the most amazing actress; she always was a dream of a singer), Jason Ralph who is divine to watch singing with his magnificent voice, and the hugely huge and talented Pierre van Heerden who is made for this type of work. I was jealous not to be involved this time. I love Not the Midnight Mass and have directed and stage managed the show a few times over the years. But after I got over the jealousy I sat forward in my seat and blommed. There are the old faves The Hallelujah Chorus, Wuthering Heights, Graham’s original Eh Barahn. There are some new surprises and some brilliant re-workings. The only thing I wasn’t crazy about was the TV theme medley and that’s probably because the volume in the first half was a bit down and it needed to be a bit more punchy. I swear, this is a show that people need to see this holiday. It cheers your soul. If you are choosing what to spend your theatre money on then choose this. 
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