Musical theatre safari experience to take place in South Africa with special guests

A new international series of events, combining musical theatre performers and some of the world’s most remarkable destinations, will launch with Alfie Boe and Lea Salonga.

Titled Spotlight, the first event will take place in South Africa from 7 to 11 August.

At the Kapama Private Game Reserve in South Africa’s Greater Kruger region, guests will combine private safari rides and hospitality with specially curated performances by Boe and Salonga, including conversations about their careers.

Adam Howard, music director of Spotlight, said: “Spotlight: South Africa isn’t a concert with a safari attached. We wanted to create something that simply couldn’t exist in a traditional theatre – five days where the music, the stories and the landscape are woven together, and where our guests become part of the experience.”

He added: “You might spend the morning watching elephants move across the reserve, the afternoon hearing Lea or Alfie share stories from an extraordinary career, and the evening listening to some of the greatest songs in musical theatre beneath the African sky. There will only ever be one group of people who experience these five days. That’s what makes Spotlight so special.”

The Spotlight team has a history of producing destination retreats and live events around the world, and over six years have hosted more than 500 guests at nine retreats across four continents.

Boe commented: “I’ve performed in some incredible theatres around the world, but there’s something exciting about taking the music somewhere completely unexpected. Safari by day and music by night, perhaps even with a lion roaring in the distance! There’s a real sense of adventure to the whole experience, and I can’t wait to be part of it.”

Salonga added: “There is usually a certain distance between performer and audience – the stage, the lights, the auditorium. What I love about the idea of Spotlight is that it takes that distance away. To spend several days in a place as extraordinary as South Africa, sharing our love for music in such a unique location is something completely different. I have been invited to perform in many incredible places during my 50-year career, but this is something very special.”

Priority registration (for access to pre-sale bookings) opens today, 5 October, with pre-sale opening on 7 October. General booking opens on 9 October.