Some productions entertain you. Others make you sit forward and realise you may be watching the future of South African theatre finding its voice.
OAK Youth Theatre’s Hercules does both, while casually lifting the Atterbury Theatre onto its shoulders.
This is not a production that deserves polite praise simply because its cast is young. This is polished, confident and genuinely exciting theatre, packed with powerhouse vocals, sharp choreography, clever staging and enough talent to make Mount Olympus nervous. Seriously, I cannot stress this enough: they were AMAZING.
Every performer, from the principal cast to the full ensemble, knew exactly where to be, what to do and how to make each moment count. Nobody was merely filling space. The entire cast remained present, committed and completely alive on stage.
Heroes, Gods and One Magnificent Villain
Rossouw van Wyk steps into the role of Hercules with the kind of charisma that makes it very easy to believe he might actually be the son of Zeus.
Yes, the muscles certainly understood the assignment, but there is far more to his performance than heroic posing and impressive strength. Van Wyk brings warmth, humour and emotional honesty to the role, giving Hercules both the power of a demi-god and the uncertainty of someone still trying to understand where he truly belongs.
His voice is strong, controlled and full of feeling, while his stage presence makes him impossible to overlook. He does not simply play Hercules. He fully commits to him, carrying the character through moments of doubt, courage, romance and triumph with real conviction.
By the end, he has not merely gone the distance. He has made the audience want to travel every step of that journey with him.
**well-deserved applause**
Nina Smit is equally captivating as Megara.
She brings sharp humour, confidence and emotional depth to a character who could easily have been reduced to a romantic side note. Instead, Smit gives Megara her own power, her own rhythm and her own fully realised presence. Her delivery is quick, clever and beautifully controlled. One moment she is dry, guarded and effortlessly funny, and the next she allows the vulnerability beneath Megara’s armour to quietly show.
That balance is what makes the performance so effective. She never overplays the emotion and never loses the wit. She simply understands the character, owns every scene she enters and gives Hercules a leading lady who can more than hold her own beside a demi-god.
Gideon van Biljon is remarkable as Young Hercules.
There is something genuinely exciting about watching a young performer step onto a stage with that much confidence, sincerity and natural ease. He brings innocence, heart and energy to the role, establishing the emotional foundation of Hercules’ journey before the hero has even had a chance to grow into himself. Van Biljon does not look intimidated by the scale of the production. He looks completely at home in it.
His stage presence is immediate, his performance is honest, and his confidence is extraordinary for someone so young. He has already built impressive experience, but this performance suggests that his own path is only beginning. There is no crystal ball required here. This is a young performer with a seriously bright future.
Zeus and Hera are also given far more space to become meaningful parts of Hercules’ story, and that choice adds real warmth to the production.
They are not simply distant gods watching events unfold from Mount Olympus. Their relationship with Hercules carries affection, pride and emotional weight, making his journey feel more personal and more grounded.
Jemma Gradwell brings grace, strength and authority to Hera, but it is her rendition of Adele’s Set Fire to the Rain that becomes one of the production’s standout moments.
It is an ambitious song to take on, and Gradwell delivers it brilliantly.
Her vocals are powerful, assured and filled with emotion. She shaped it into a theatrical moment that feels completely at home within the world of the production. The performance is bold, dramatic and delivered with enough vocal fire to make Zeus check whether Mount Olympus was still insured.
Zeus matches Hera with a commanding presence and a warmth that strengthens the family dynamic at the heart of the story. Together, they create a divine partnership that feels believable, affectionate and important to Hercules’ growth.
Then André Smit enters as Hades and casually steals the entire underworld. Smit’s performance was my absolute favourite, and honestly, it was not even a close contest. His Hades is wonderfully wicked, wildly theatrical and endlessly entertaining. He has the timing, confidence and instinct of a performer who knows exactly how to command a room without forcing the moment.
Every expression lands. Every pause works. Every movement adds another layer to the character. He understands that Hades cannot simply be evil. He needs charm, danger, intelligence, humour and a healthy amount of chaos, and Smit delivers all of it with glorious commitment. His physical comedy is sharp, his vocal delivery is packed with personality, and his entrances immediately change the energy of the stage.
He could probably perform a one-man show in which he reads supermarket specials, municipal notices and the back of a cereal box, and I would still book a front-row seat.
That is how magnetic he is.
Together, these performances give Hercules its emotional strength, its comic spark and its larger-than-life energy. From heroism and heart to gods, romance and glorious villainy, the principal cast does not simply bring the story to life.
They make Olympus feel very crowded with talent.
Voices Worthy of Olympus
The Muses are vocal dynamite. Their harmonies soar, their confidence fills the theatre, and every appearance lifts the production to another level.
The Three Fates, Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos, are equally delightful. Their comic timing, character work and complete commitment make them impossible to ignore.
Together, the Muses and Fates sing, move and perform as though they were born beneath stage lights. Honestly, the vocals throughout this production are ridiculous, in the best possible way.
Arehone Masakona brings tremendous warmth, humour and heart to Phil, turning the character into far more than comic relief. Arehone’s timing is sharp, energy is infectious, and knew exactly when to land a joke without losing the sincerity beneath the character. Arehone gives Phil a powerful presence in the story, balancing humour with wisdom, frustration and genuine affection for Hercules. It is a performance that keeps the audience laughing while also reminding them how important Phil is to the hero’s journey.
The full ensemble is equally vital to the production. They do not simply fill the stage. They drive it.
They sing, dance, react and move with extraordinary commitment, giving every scene scale, momentum and life. The group numbers are packed with energy, the harmonies are strong and the choreography is performed with confidence and precision.
Even when the focus is elsewhere, the ensemble remains fully present, building the world around the principal cast and making every moment feel bigger, brighter and more alive. Their energy never drops, and their combined talent gives the production its unstoppable pulse.
Stage Magic With Many Heads
The Hydra sequence is one of the production’s greatest triumphs.
Through ingenious prop design, lighting, choreography and committed performance, the creature feels genuinely alive. It is inventive stagecraft that transforms the theatre and has the audience reacting as though the beast may genuinely escape into Pretoria.
The entire production is visually imaginative, but never relies on spectacle alone. Every scenic choice supports the story, and every creative element feels purposeful.
Under Cameron Botha’s direction, with musical direction by Jaco Smit, choreography by Tarryn Botha and the professional experience of Stephan van der Walt, Hercules feels bold, disciplined and remarkably polished.
OAK Youth Theatre is not waiting for the next generation of South African performers to arrive. They are already here, singing their hearts out, commanding the stage and proving that true strength comes from talent, discipline and heart.
The gods have spoken.
Go see Hercules before the final curtain falls on 19 July 2026. Missing it would be a tragedy worthy of Greek mythology.
Production: Hercules
Presented by: OAK Youth Theatre
Venue: Atterbury Theatre, Pretoria
Final performance: 19 July 2026
Bookings: SeatMe
Follow @oakyouththeatre on Facebook and Instagram.
Photo credit: Jaco Bothma, Empire Photography
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