by Thinus Ferreira
Under the strobe lights the air was electric. And I was behind the scenes with kykNET's Suidooster soap cast recently on a Saturday afternoon just before the third Suidooster Stormsterk concert in Cape Town's Artscape.
For the third time, the cast of the hugely popular Suidooster soap on kykNET & Kie (DStv 145) took to the stage to wow the audience inside the Artscape as the absolute highlight of 2024's Suidooster festival.
On the Saturday afternoon the Artscape was packed with 1 500 people.
With not an empty seat in the house, the Suidooster cast - with the help of backup dancers - dazzled the audience as they sang and danced their way through a carefully rehearsed repertoire of popular hits.
In between the actors gave the Suidooster audience exactly what they needed: Jokes, teasers about what will happen to characters in upcoming episodes, solos, duets and group numbers, all while entertaining the crowd with what they love most - simply seeing the well-known faces they see on television but in-person.
Just before the curtain lifted, I got exclusive access backstage as the cast arrived in their dressing rooms, got their makeup done, got dressed and did a final full-show rehearsal before this year's show-stopper.
From Jill Levenberg and Denise Newman to Annelisa Weiland, Richard September, Eden Classens, Simone Biscombe, Marco Spaumer and Irvine van der Merwe, to Theresa Sedras, Esther von Walsleben and Gantane Kusch were all there.
"Nie, mar die Wade is lekker kwaai," said a dad as he filed out and walked out and down the Artscape steps at the end with his wife and kids in tow - speaking about Dean Smith who was the master of ceremonies. "Our tickets for next year moet ons sommer nou gaan koop."
