Heidi sings triumph

The National Children’s Theatre  recently presented its production of Heidi, which aims to delight audiences young and old.

Adapted and directed by Francois Theron, this year’s production of this classic children’s tale has gone out to provide an array of colourful sets, catchy music and memorable performances.

The troupe of actors range from the sweet and kind-hearted Heidi, played by Megan Rigby, to the stern, but secretly, misunderstood Fräulein Rottenmeir, played by Jana Louw.

Theron explained that it was a privilege to adapt one of the most easily recognisable and beloved children’s classics on the stage.

“It was an absolute pleasure working on the adaptation of this play. I loved the story of Heidi growing up and it brought back so many fond childhood memories,” he said.

Theron admitted that adapting the source material into a workable play was quite a tricky feat.

“Obviously, you (as a producer) would like to keep the best parts of the story in the play. Working with a limited time frame forces one to think about these things and I feel that I’ve managed to preserve the heart and soul of the story and the characters. We’ve added some extra scenes that make the characters a bit more three-dimensional, like Peter’s jealously of Clara,” he said.

Lead actress Megan Rigby felt honoured to be able to portray such an iconic character on stage.

“I was thrilled at the chance to portray Heidi. I grew up with the story, so it really felt natural for me to step inside her shoes,” she said.

Media officer at the National Children’s Theatre Sydwell Koopedi was impressed with how Theron’s production came together for the theatre.

“Francois has been producing quality productions of late and his production of Heidi is no exception. The theatre is confident that it will have a successful run,” he said.

The production is on stage until 12 April.