From leprechaun to emperor
LINDEN - Lindenite Sean McGrath's day job involves leprechauns, ugly ducklings, princes, toy soldiers and stuffy moles. He's also a mean cake baker.
Once upon a time there was a duckling, a very little girl, a princess, a queen and a soldier. Danish story teller Hans Christian Andersen brought them all to life, and these characters have endured to become classics, and are still enjoyed by millions of children today.
You now have the chance to see them in person in the Ugly Duckling and Other Stories, currently playing at the People’s Theatre in Braamfontein.
Linden performer and cast member Sean McGrath will be entertaining young – and old – in roles ranging from princes to reindeers to naked emperors. McGrath stars in the play alongside cast members Jaydene Marais, Kim Weinberg, Alex Marair and Ntsebo Lerotholi.
“This play is tons of fun,” the actor says over coffee at 44th on Stanley in Auckland Park on 15 September. McGrath is fresh off the stage, still energised by his performance.
“Playing all these different roles in one show also kind of gives one an identity crisis – backstage we’re hopping into different characters and different costumes at lightning speed. Sometimes we forget what roles we’re playing. But it’s never boring.”
McGrath can be seen as the ugly duckling himself in the title role; a leprechaun, Mr Mole and the narrator in Thumbelina; the prince in Princess and the Pea; a magician, a reindeer and a prince in the Snow Queen; the soldier in the Tinderbox and the emperor in the Emperor’s New Clothes.
“My favourite characters to play are the leprechaun and Mr Mole, because you can have so much fun with these characters. But I love all the characters.”
He says the play is completely interactive. Children in the audience are selected to play pivotal characters – one of the title roles, Thumbelina, is played by an audience member. Entertaining is his passion, and his ideal job would be to act in musicals. “I love performing, I act, and I dance and I sing.” He’s also – he accidentally discovered – an ace cake-baker and runs a baking business on the side.
“The Ugly Duckling and other Stories” and its incredibly versatile cast will be on stage from 1 September to 5 October 2014.
*Four lucky Northcliff Melville Times readers can win tickets for four to see the Ugly Duckling. To win, comment on this story on the page with your email address. We’ll contact you if you’re a lucky winner.
