Director Deon Opperman of Packed House Productions has set himself up as a formidable force in musicals, having staged popular extravaganzas like Fiddler on the Roofand The King and I. Now he brings what he has called “a good old Boereoorlog story about heroism, love and the killing grounds,” to the big stage at Pretoria’s State Theatre on a budget of R4 million.

It is obvious from his choice of composer, Johan Vorster of De La Rey fame, that Opperman is convinced that the public is going to buy into his idea of celebrating the boerevolk in this way. As for accusations that he is being opportunistic, Opperman, who also penned the book, has claimed his right to be an entrepreneur.Already, though, he has been hauled over the coals by black commentators for presenting a one-sided view of Afrikaner suffering at the hands of the English without including whatever suffering Afrikaners inflicted on their African underlings at that time.

Reacting to a plea that the play be censored before opening Opperman has said, it would be like a “return to Apartheid-style censorship and oppression.”The author and director, a past Herzog Prizewinner, has stood firm in his belief that the show will remind Afrikaners of their turbulent past so that they will know who they are in the present and imagine what they will become in future. It’s optimistic for sure, and there’s a great likelihood that if the show has any merit it will be eclipsed by political controversy.
Ons vir Jou stars opera singer Rouel Beukes and Michelle Botha among others.

When Fri 12 Sep to Sun 12 Oct 
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