Joburg theatre's sizzling line-up
Tabisa Mntengwana
15 January 2007Bright music, dazzling dance, comedy and passionate love stories are in the line-up to set the Johannesburg Civic Theatre alight this year.
On the bill for 2007 are two very different musicals - the flapper comedy Thoroughly Modern Millie and the more modern Debbie Does Dallas.
The South African Ballet Theatre will perform a season of Romeo and Juliet, which will be followed by a South African version of the same tale in Soweto Story.
Also returning to the Civic Theatre are the South African comedies, The Chilli Boy and Hoot.
Thoroughly Modern Millie
This Broadway musical, set in 1922 Manhattan, tells the tale of a young woman, Millie Dillmount, who arrives in the big city from a small town with a determination to make an impact.
Set during the height of the jazz age, with women entering the workplace - raising hemlines and eyebrows - and rewriting social rules, the musical comedy finds Millie shedding her hometown image and, in the process, becoming involved with a group of odd-ball characters and outrageous events.
The stage show is based on the 1967 George Roy Hill film. It features 15 songs, including two from the film, four standards from the 1920s and nine original songs by composer Jeanine Tesori and lyricist Dick Scanlan.
The title role will be played by Samantha Peo, while the comic lead - the villainous Mrs Meers - will be taken by Fiona Ramsay. Jazz diva Abigail Kubeka is the vibrant heiress Muzzy van Hossmere.
Complementing the dynamic trio are Brennan Holder, Craig Urbani, Angela Kilian and Michelle Levin.
The show is on at the Nelson Mandela Theatre from 11 January to 25 February. Tickets can be booked at Computicket, with prices ranging from R250 to R315 per person.
Debbie Does Dallas
Debbie Does Dallas - The Musical, is a somewhat
tongue-in-cheek production based on the notorious, and hugely successful, 1978 adult film.
The plot revolves around Debbie's attempts to raise money to get to Dallas, where she has been selected for the Dallas Cowboys' cheerleading squad.
The musical is a coming of age story of a group of small town teenagers seeking their version of the American dream.
Unlike the movie, the stage show is a musical comedy - and not, according to the producers, a "dirty night out".
Debbie Does Dallas - The Musical features Jacques Terre'blanche of Idols fame, international model and performer Caprice Bourret, and Tanya van Graan.
The show, directed by Carl Beukes, is on at the Tesson Theatre from 16 January to 18 February. Tickets are available at Computicket from R200 to R250.
Romeo and Juliet
The South African Ballet Theatre brings the tragic love story of Romeo and Juliet to the Joburg stage in March.
The dramatic ballet captures the depth of the tale: recreating the force of the feud between the Montagues and Capulets and its heart-breaking impact on the forbidden love between Romeo and Juliet.
The ballet is on from 2 to 18 March. Tickets are available at Computicket from between R50 and R250.
Soweto Story
Following hot on the heels of the ballet, the greatest love story ever told is given a South African spin in Soweto Story.
An original production, led by dramatist Deon Opperman, Soweto Story features music composed by Zwai Bala and Janine Neethling.
Also involved in the production are Quincy Myeza, Stephen Simm and Genna Lewis.
Soweto Story is on at the Nelson Mandela Theatre from 24 March to 15 April. Tickets are available at Computicket from R195 to R350.
The Chilli Boy
Making a come back is the comedy The Chilli Boy, a tale of an Indian woman who
dies and is reincarnated as a racist white gangster from Boksburg. Matthew Ribnick brings to life this weirdly wonderful character.
At the age of 30 the gangster starts having flashbacks of his previous life and he discovers his maternal instincts, which threatens his reputation as a fighter and brawler.
The show, conceived and written by Geraldine Naidoo, is on at Tesson Theatre from 27 March to 22 April. Tickets are R80 and are available at Computicket.
Hoot
Hoot sees the second Naidoo/Ribnick collaboration to be produced at the Civic Theatre this year.
In this one-man play, Ribnick brings a cast of over 20 characters to life as he tells the story of a white man who loses everything and has no alternative but to become a taxi driver. Hoot is on from 24 April until 20 May and tickets are R80 from Computicket.
Tango Fire
The passionate and sultry Tango Fire once again
sets the Nelson Mandela Theatre stage alight in May.
Dancers from the Buenos Aires-based Estampas Portenas company will trace the history of the dance of desire, from its origins in the red light district of Buenos Aires to the glamour of the roaring 1920s. It also shows how it was the dance of fugitive, the pimp and the immigrant.
It was even banned by the cardinals of Rome - to no effect.
The show is on from 18 to 21 May and tickets are available at Computicket from R150 to R242.
Swan Lake
Another ballet season is scheduled for later in the year, with the staging of the South African Ballet Theatre's all-time classic Swan Lake.
The ballet tells the tale of Prince Siegfried who falls in love with the beautiful Odette while hunting. Unbeknown to him, Odette has been turned into a swan by the evil magician Von Rothbart.
Only a declaration of true love can reverse the spell, something Von Rothbart is determined to prevent at all costs.
The ballet is on at the Nelson Mandela Theatre from 24 August to 16 September. Tickets are available from Computicket from R65 to R201.
The Magic Flute
Opera comes to the Civic Theatre later this year, in the form of Mozart's The Magic Flute, directed by William Kentridge.
Presented by Rand Merchant Bank, this production of The Magic Flute is unique, with an intertwining of the live opera performance with animated film sequences on gauzes and screens.
The Magic Flute tells the story of Pamino and Tamino, who have to undergo trials by fire and water before they can be joined together forever.
The opera is on from 29 September to 21 October and tickets are available at Computicket from R263 to R466.
Peter Pan
The year ends, as usual, with a fun-filled romp in the form of the annual pantomime. This year sees the staging of the
much-loved Peter Pan.
An outing for both the young and young-at-heart, theatregoers will be able to travel with Peter Pan and Wendy to Neverland, joining in a host of adventures with Tinkerbell, the fairy, the Lost Boys, and the arch villain Captain Hook – played with gusto by Tobie Cronje - and his band of pirates.
For all those who "do believe in fairies", Peter Pan is on from 31 October to 30 December at the Nelson Mandela Theatre. Ticket prices range from R85 to R145 at Computicket.
Source: City of Johannesburg
