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SCENE IT: A good dose of comedic ballet entertains in ORPHEUS IN THE UNDERWORLD
- Jun 16
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 18
Barbara Loots
The Cape Town City Ballet (CTCB) presented ORPHEUS IN THE UNDERWORLD, onstage at the Artscape Opera House until 21 June 2026, is a lighthearted night at the theatre that has audiences chuckling away the winter blues.
Veronica Paeper’s ORPHEUS IN THE UNDERWORLD is a comedic ballet based on Jacques Offenbach’s 1858 humorous satirical French operetta Orphée aux enfers. As per Offenbach’s vision, the production brings to the fore a mixture of Greek and Roman gods, as it parodies the tragic myth where Orpheus ventures into the underworld to reclaim his wife and "true love", Eurydice. The satirical twist being that they are portrayed as a bickering couple, with a flirty Orpheus being rather relieved that Eurydice has run off with Pluto. But his mother, Calliope (who gets progressively drunker as the farce unfolds) has other plans, and forces him to follow Eurydice to bring her back from a Mafia-type Underworld. Paeper’s version premiered in 1982 at the then Nico Malan. More than 40 years later the ballet makes its return to the now more inclusive Artscape stage.
Set in the stylish 1920s, this spirited ORPHEUS IN THE UNDERWORLD promises flapper glitz and mafia style shenanigans. It offers a vibrant feast for the eyes with original set and costume design by Peter Cazalet, which is further elevated with additional audio-visual effects by Kirsti Cumming. With such a setting, the company clearly has a ton of fun as they play their way through the production: This being absolutely evident when they treat to the audience to a great can-can routine.
As is characteristic of Paeper’s ballets, the movements are not focussed merely on big exhibitions of technique but rather presents itself as a collection of smaller moments that feed into a larger narrative. With this though, one runs the risk of the production at times feeling overcrowded or the audience missing a key moment/element because their attention may be elsewhere than the area of the stage where a central plot point is unfolding. That being said, the production does not fatally fall within the busyness trap –every character’s incorporation is considered and intentional.
On opening night, it was an absolute treat to see former CTCB principal dancer, Laura Bösenberg, onstage again alongside Adbul Isaacs as the elderly couple. Caitlin Smith as Hera gave a fabulous performance, the personification of fierceness. Another impressive performance on the night was delivered by Luke Wragg as Mercury.
Kristél Paterson as Eurydice and Leusson Muniz as Pluto gave wonderful individual performances but their pas de deux moments left something to be desired: There appeared to be a hesitation, a degree of apprehension, between Paterson and Muniz that resulted in missed opportunities and unsteady moments for the duo. The company also had a few heavy footed missteps here and there, but that can perhaps be chalked up to opening night jitters.
The dancing star on the night was Hannah Ward who was spectacular as Calliope. Ward with sure footed ease and elegance swayed across the stage as her character looked ever deeper into the bottom of her champagne glass. In addition to her beautiful performance, Ward also showed excellent comedic timing in her portrayal. She clearly understood the brief and beautifully leaned into it. The ultimate accolades for best comedic performances on the night had to go to the elderly gods though: Adul Isaacs, Zachary Healy and Caeser Elsner had the audience in stitches, brilliantly incorporating clowning into their performances.
Apart from the nostalgic elements that inform this revival by CTCB of Paeper's much-loved ballet, it has the added appeal of live accompaniment by the spectacular Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra at evening performances. As always, they are all brilliance.
Catch Veronica Paeper’s light-hearted ORPHEUS IN THE UNDERWORLD at the Artscape Opera House until 21 June 2026. Unlike classical ballets, this one does not take itself too seriously and offers a lovely ballet outing for the whole family. The three-act ballet includes two intervals and runs at approximately 2hr 30min.