1993 School Play - Hackback

A request was made to the Old Georgian Office to share some photos of the school plays. Having gone into the archives quite a few photos, programmes and scripts have been saved over the years.

As the items gets digitised, they will be shared in the OG Newsletter and then on the Old Georgian socials (Facebook and Instagram).

Many will remember the play Hack Back in 1993. With many of the costumes still in the school’s costume room and the original scrips and stage directions. We share the first of many wonderful stage-shows done over the years.

[This is a most unusual musical written by Robert Hyman. He uses a technological phenomenon, the computer, in an analogy of the human condition, where eventually, after a struggle (most entertaining in this case) justice and order triumph over evil and chaos. It's all done with colour, light, music, movement, wit and humour. Love, hate, fear, joy, revenge, manipulation, greed, despair and hope - you name it, you'll find it here. The St George's players from Std 2-5 were superbly up to it, in fact on top of it, from Julian Blaauw who kept up a cool barrage of technical computer-speak, to Jayvant Bhagattjee who, undaunted by Lesley and Alia's "Shutup Unit", kept bouncing back. It was intriguing to watch children acting as adults in a complete reversal of a situation: here the parents were glued to the T. V. while computer-literate children transcend the obsession.

All musical numbers were most effectively choreographed and sung, faultlessly accompanied by Karl Ackerman and Kevin Kraak: a perfect combination of piano, electronic sound and voice. Occasional voices were weak but in a cast of thousands who worries! Outstanding singing voices were those of Shereen Parker, Mzi Sipamla and Nida Kamedien, who, dynamic and accomplished, shone in every way. There were excellent, entertaining performances by Razia January, Graham Prinsloo and Denzil Potgieter, Kirsty Moss and Shadley Collier, Shelley Witten and Michael Wood who rose to the occasion, especially in his best line "Is she being personal?" Nick Hart was a suitably solemn Police Constable.

Timing was superbly slick throughout, especially smart and pacey in the chorus performances and individual interjections, making for a wonderfully orchestrated show. The Hack Back song was a merry masterpiece of precision sound and movement, and the Household Chore song was hilarious - a complicated harmony, well handled. The Hexadecimals were convincingly sinister.

Costumes, make-up and set immediately transported one into the computer's interior, while props were appropriate and promptly to hand. They were especially snazzy and colourful in the Bar scenes. From the promising opening number to the last note, it was a most impressive show. Congratulations, Directors Robyn Davies and Jenny Mallett.]