AWARD-WINNING MUSICAL THE LAST FIVE YEARS ON AT THEATRE ON THE BAY
‘…an engaging chamber musical infused with intimate, emotionally perceptive, nonstop songs…’ – Linda Winer from Newsday
Winner of a Drama Desk Award and named one of TIME Magazine’s 10 best shows of 2001, Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years has captivated audiences with a score of mesmerising brilliance and an ingenious libretto. Numerous international productions established the musical’s place as a masterpiece of modern musical theatre.
The Last Five Years is a one-act drama-comedy telling the bittersweet love story of Catherine Hiatt, a struggling actress, and Jamie Wellerstein, an up-and-coming novelist. This old story of love-found and love-lost is told in a fresh and new manner. Cathy reflects on their relationship from end to first meeting, whilst Jamie moves chronologically. They meet only once, in the middle of the show.
This local production of The Last Five Years is presented by Tally Ho! Productions founded in 2018 by Cape Town-based theatre maker and musician Jaco Griessel.
Featured in the coveted role of Jamie is seasoned musical theatre performer, Anthony Downing, last seen as Brad Majors in the 2019 production of Rocky Horror by Pieter Toerien Productions. Playing opposite him as Cathy, is Fleur-Du-Cap nominee Zoë McLaughlin. At the helm of the creative team is award-winning director Paul Griffiths with musical direction by Jaco Griessel. To fully realise Jason Robert Brown’s vision, the cast will be accompanied on stage by an ensemble of six musicians.
dry, flammable material, such as wood or paper, used for lighting a fire
How do you ignite your lovelife after a messy divorce? With Tinder! But the problem with Tinder is that it is like a magnet. A freak-magnet!
The Dead Tinder Society explores the funny, scary, vulnerable world of dating. Not just any dating – online dating. Specifically, Tinder. Especially in the 21st Century when technology is at its peak, human connection is tenuous, at best, and the prospect of sex with new people is as alarming as it is tantalising.
This hilarious romp through lust, one-night stands, rage, heartbreak, desire, friendship, loyalty and re-discovering oneself after the dust has settled, tries to answer many questions: How do you resurrect your love life while mothering a baby and a toddler? How do you forgive? And how do you tell a famous Springbok rugby player that you won’t have sex with him on the N1?
Written by: Ashleigh Harvey.
Starring: Sharon Spiegel-Wagner.
Direction by: Lesedi Job.
Running time: 80 minutes, no interval.
Show times: 20:00
Age restriction: PG (Contains smatterings of colourful language and adult themes).
Shirley Valentine is an award-winning British one-woman play by Willy Russell.
A bored, middle-aged housewife, Shirley is trapped in a stale, loveless marriage. Her children are all grown up and she frequently talks to the wall in her kitchen while preparing her husband’s regular evening meal of egg and chips. Shirley feels stuck in a rut and finds solace in her daily glass of wine as she muses over the lack of excitement in her life. When her best friend asks her to go to Greece with her for 2 weeks, Shirley jumps at the chance with a mix of exhilaration and jittery nerves. Leaving a note for her husband that simply reads “Gone to Greece – Back in two weeks”, Shirley leaves for her holiday.
While relaxing on holiday, she rediscovers the woman she used to be and the happiness that she has been missing. Shirley embarks on a passionate affair with Costas, a local Greek man, and realizes that there is more to life than the dull, mundane existence she leads back home in Liverpool.
Making a radical decision, she leaves her friend at the airport and goes back to the hotel she has been staying at to ask for a job. Finally, she is living the life she has dreamed of and rediscovered the self-confidence she has lost.
Starring Natasha Sutherland
Direction by Gina Schmukler.
Running time: 100 minutes, including a 20 minute interval
Conrad Koch is South Africa’s hilarious double Emmy nominated ventriloquist and his comedy accomplice, Chester Missing, is South Africa’s most famous puppet… outside of parliament. Their shows have been seen on Comedy Central, etv, eNCA, SABC, Canada’s Comedy Network, and more. They have over 37 million views on TikTok this year alone.
With multiple 5 star reviews globally, the CBC in Canada saying “my face hurt from laughing so hard”, describing Conrad’s work as “absolutely delightful and technically brilliant”, “Koch throws away more laugh lines than many shows have in the first place”.
In Australia, OUTinPerth described his show as an “utter delight”, “there was not a dry eye left in the house, young or old alike.” In the Eastern Cape, The Herald said: “I almost cried with laughter”.
Conrad is hugely excited to be touring his latest roll-in-the-aisle hour of hilarity, RAMAPUPPET! Because, in the almost 2 years of lockdown we have had, we all feel a bit like President Ramaphosa, flailing around with his mask over his eyes on national television. And if there is one thing that unites South Africans, it’s our ability to laugh! And load shedding.
This is Conrad’s most local-is-lekker show to date. Starring Hilton, the ostrich who gives relationship advice, Mr Dixon, school teacher of 43 years, Ronnie the rock n roll internet troll, and of course his celebrity mate Chester Missing, roasting everything from awkward Covid protocols to laser hair removal.
RAMAPUPPET is just over an hour of delightful, gut-wrenchingly funny, world-class ventriloquism poking fun at the bonkers hurdles South Africans face. From lockdown to looting, from Zoom meetings to alcohol bans, and that manager at Checkers who wields more power than Presidents, there is so much in Mzansi to laugh at.
Gertrude Steyn and a Companion 1 – 5 February, 2022
With Shirley Johnston as Gertrude Stein and Lynita Crofford as Alice B. Toklas. Directed by Chris Weare.
Gertrude Stein and a Companion” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc.
This award-winning production was first performed at the Alexander Bar in Cape Town in 2018 and was nominated for a Fleur du Cap Theatre award for Best Ensemble Performance. In 2019 the production was invited to the Dublin International Gay Theatre Festival where Lynita Crofford won the award for best female performance. In November 2019 the play was performed at the Theatre on the Square in Sandton in JHB where Lynita and Shirely both won the prestigious Naledi award for best lead performances in a play.
This evocative and witty play by Win Wells explores the extraordinary relationship between lifelong partners Gertrude Stein and Alice B.Toklas who rejected the conservative values of middleclass America in the early nineteen hundreds and found refuge in the bohemian decadence of Paris… and in each other.
From the 12 – 29 January, 2022 Theatre on the Bay in Camps Bay will host it’s first ever comedy lineup extravaganza.
Renowned South African funnyman and award winning actor Alan Committie is delighted to bring you a year-end comedy treat with a hilarious lineup of comedians to tickle your funny bone and ache your belly!
Every night will be hosted by Alan Committie and includes a young rising comedy act, an established Cape Town comedian, and then a full stand up set from a starring headliner. Four acts in one night! The 90 minute show will give you a variety of comic voices, perspectives and above all big laughs.
The headliners over the run include renowned South African Xhosa speaking Jewish comic Nik Rabinowitz, physical comedian Rob van Vuuren and the hilarious Schalk Bezuidenhout. Other comics include Dalin Oliver, Mel Jones, Gilli Apter, Yaseen Barnes and Sophie Joans.
Any one night could include a special guest comic who “jumps onto the lineup” for some extra spice.
The Headliner act will be advertised and fixed but any additions or alterations to the rest of the bill are subject to change.
Come to the beautiful Theatre On The Bay and enjoy a brilliant night of laughs as some of South Africa’s brightest comedy stars bring you their best takes on current affairs and the foibles of modern life. There is also a special guest appearance by Committie’s alter ego: part time security guard Mr Johann van der Walt!
After the many challenges and madnesses of the last two years this could just about be the perfect tonic for the soul!
Performance Schedule / December 2021 – January 2022:
112th January Alan Committie, Sophie Joans, Gilli Apter & Schalk Bezuidenhout
13th January Alan Committie, Sophie Joans, Gilli Apter & Schalk Bezuidenhout
14th January Alan Committie, Sophie Joans, Gilli Apter & Schalk Bezuidenhout
15th January Alan Committie, Sophie Joans, Gilli Apter & Schalk Bezuidenhout
18th January, Alan Committie, Nik Rabinowitz & 2 others
19th January, Alan Committie, Nik Rabinowitz & 2 others
20th January, Alan Committie, Nik Rabinowitz & 2 others
21st January, Alan Committie, Nik Rabinowitz & 2 others
22nd January, Alan Committie, Nik Rabinowitz & 2 others
25th January, Alan Committie, Rob Van Vuuren & 2 others
26th January, Alan Committie, Rob Van Vuuren & 2 others
27th January, Alan Committie, Rob Van Vuuren & 2 others
28th January, Alan Committie, Rob Van Vuuren & 2 others
29th January, Alan Committie, Rob Van Vuuren & 2 others
18th January, Alan Committie, Nik Rabinowitz & 2 others
19th January, Alan Committie, Nik Rabinowitz & 2 others
20th January, Alan Committie, Nik Rabinowitz & 2 others
21st January, Alan Committie, Nik Rabinowitz & 2 others
22nd January, Alan Committie, Nik Rabinowitz & 2 others
25th January, Alan Committie, Rob Van Vuuren & 2 others
26th January, Alan Committie, Rob Van Vuuren & 2 others
27th January, Alan Committie, Rob Van Vuuren & 2 others
28th January, Alan Committie, Rob Van Vuuren & 2 others
29th January, Alan Committie, Rob Van Vuuren & 2 others
Renowned South African dancer Camille Bracher is thrilled to be performing in South Africa again, after more than a decade. The former Royal Ballet dancer is performing with the cast of 11 professional dancers and 8 apprentice dancers from South Africa, in ‘It’s Beautiful At The Ballet’ currently at Theatre On The Bay until 4 December, 2021.
Bracher grew up in Johannesburg and came to dance at a very early age through her mother, a contemporary dancer and choreographer.
(Pictured) Camille Bracher photographed by Magda Hoffman.
Bracher’s repertory with The Royal Ballet included White Cat (The Sleeping Beauty), Entertainer (The Invitation) and roles in The Nutcracker, Onegin, Swan Lake, The Rite of Spring, Infra, Giselle and Scènes de Ballet. She created roles in Carbon Life, ‘Diana and Actaeon’ (Metamorphosis: Titian 2012) and Woolf Works. In summer 2012 she created a role in Hot House, part of One Big Stage with Gareth Malone and the Royal Opera House Learning and Participation Department.
PTP: You mention the thrill of returning to the stage after a year and a half, please tell us more about this break, and why have you decided to come back now?
CB: At the start of Covid I found myself without a job after working for two world-renowned dance companies. I was living in London and had rent to pay so I knew I needed to make a plan quickly.
I am also a qualified dance teacher and life coach and I knew that I needed to use these skills and adapt to the fluctuating circumstances that we were all living through. I decided to start teaching dance online and picked up a lot of students quite quickly. This was the beginning of my transition from stage to working online all day every day.
When things started opening up again I came back to visit my family in South Africa and got stuck here due to the red list being introduced in the UK. Whilst here, I was asked to take part in this production of Beautiful at the Ballet. Hesitant at first due to my break from stage, I thought that it would be a good opportunity to perform in South Africa for the first time since leaving at the age of 19 to join the Royal Ballet. As a dancer I always loved performing, feeling the adrenaline pulsing through me as well as the electric energy from the audience. Returning to stage gave me the opportunity to experience this all again. Stepping back into a dancer’s shoes again has also helped me to grown as a teacher and an artist which I can now pass onto my students.
PTP: What are you most looking forward to?
CB: After immersing myself into my dance coaching work, I did not think that I would dance again. I was at peace with this thought as I love coaching other dancers and helping them to achieve their dreams.
I am however excited to step back onto stage again and to experience that unmatched feeling of being transported into another world together with the audience. It is a magical world that enables you to use the music and the movement to escape together with the audience members into a completely different reality.
PTP: Tell us more about your special feature in ‘It’s Beautiful At The Ballet’ and what the fans can expect to see?
CB: One of the pieces that I will be performing is the Nutcracker pas de deux. The music is beautiful and it always makes me think of Christmas and my time at the Royal Ballet. The choreography is fun, but also challenging, with different turns as well as lifts that my partner and I have been working on.
We have also been rehearsing a pas de deux from Orpheus and Eurydice that Veronica Paeper has choreographed on us. It is always special to have something created on you. Expect to see some high lifts!
PTP: Besides being a dancer teacher, you are also a life coach, please tell us more about these roles?
CB: Emotion drives our behaviour. Dancers, in their striving for perfection, often internalise their feelings in fear of appearing vulnerable. I therefore always felt it was imperative to address the emotions as much as the physicality of dancers.
Life coaching helps people to reach their full potential by finding their own solutions and developing their own skills. There is a lot of pressure and expectation on dancers. I am passionate about using my life coaching skills to help dancers reframe their thoughts in order to feel uplifted, inspired and in control of their own lives. This is essential for dancers to feel confident, happy and at ease. After 9 years of intense training and 8 years at the Royal Ballet and then touring with a modern company, I understand how to deal, sympathetically and empathetically, with the physical demands and psychological pressures that dancers are put under on a daily basis. Having experienced all of these situations myself, I understand how to connect with others to help overcome these challenges.
(Pictured) Camille Bracher photographed by Alex Fine.
PTP: What is your first recollection of your growing passion for dance?
CB: My passion for dance started from a young age when I used to make up dances for my family. I then started taking ballet lessons as a hobby to feed my love for dance. I met my teacher Martin Schoenberg at the age of 9 which is when I started to train more intensely in the hopes of turning my passion into my career. I took part in international ballet competitions and after finishing my matric (12th grade) I auditioned for the Royal Ballet and was given a place in the company.
PTP: What is the source of your inspiration?
CB: Tough question! I love to learn from anyone that I can. Marianela Núñez is the most incredible dance technician and such a hard worker. Being in the company with her was hugely inspiring. Alina Cojocaru was also in the company when I joined. She is a true artist who totally invests in any role that she does.
As a teacher, I have learnt so much from every teacher that I have come into contact with- from the start of my training with Martin as well as my time in the companies that I worked in. At both the Royal Ballet and Company Wayne McGregor, I was lucky to work with teachers from all over the world including France, America, Russia and Brazil. This has influenced my teaching and helped me to pass on essential knowledge and experience to al of the dancers that I teach.
What were your experiences of being a performer during the pandemic?
I was working for Company Wayne McGregor, a touring contemporary company, at the start of Covid. Obviously this came to an abrupt halt when Covid hit and borders were closed. We were actually performing in Germany just before lockdown started kicking in all over the world. I suddenly found myself jobless in London with rent to pay.
I had to act quickly and I therefore decided to start online lessons and build up my own coaching business. I always wanted to go into dance coaching to support dancers both physically and emotionally- I guess covid just fuelled the process. Teaching online has helped me to reach a much wider platform and connect with dancers from all over the world. It was a big transition going from working in a studio all day to now working through a screen all day. But I am so grateful to work with so many talented and ambitious dancers and to help them reach their own goals.
‘It’s Beautiful At The Ballet’ runs at Theatre On The bay until 4 December, 2021.
Tickets range from R180 to R250, and can be purchased from Computicket
‘IT’S BEAUTIFUL AT THE BALLET’
From 19 November to 4 December, 2021 at Pieter Toerien’s Theatre On the Bay.
SANDT presents It’s Beautiful At The Ballet at Theatre On The Bay, November 2021.
SANDT is grateful and excited to announce that “It’s Beautiful at the Ballet” will be staged at Pieter Toerien’s Theatre On The Bay from 19 November until 4 December, 2021. An inspiring, uplifting and joyful program of short pieces by some of South Africa’s best known choreographers, Veronica Paeper, Sean Bovim and Adele Blank promises sheer entertainment.
During 2020 at the height of the Covid-19 lockdown, the SANDT trustees believed that audiences would want to see beautiful and encouraging productions when theatres re-open. They decided to create a collaborative opportunity for dance. With the support of the National Arts Council, SANDT has been able to offer independent, professional dancers the opportunity to perform on stage, get back into daily training and – most importantly – to earn an income.A special feature of this production is former Royal Ballet dancer, Camille Bracher, who will be performing with the cast of 11 professional dancers and 8 apprentice dancers from the JPSB (Cape Town) and the Jozi Youth Dance (Johannesburg).
This exhilarating program will include pieces from Veronica Paeper’s much loved, “Orpheus in the Underworld”, Sean Bovim’s “SwingTime at the Ballet” and Adele Blanks “Mad Dogs”. There will also be new works to delight and entertain.
Performance dates: 19, 20, 24, 26, 27 November & 1, 3, 4 December, 2021.Evening performances at 7.30pm and Saturday matinees at 2.00pm
Ticket prices: R250 each*
Pensioner’s and students: R180 each*
*In order to comply with COVID-19 regulations and ensuring effective social distancing tickets are being sold in pairs.
The South African National Dance Trust (SANDT) was formed in 2009 to promote, preserve, support and inspire the art forms of classical ballet and contemporary dance throughout South Africa. The trust aims to increase awareness and widely inform the South African public about dance and provide the opportunity for national collaborative dance productions. SANDT focuses strongly on education. The founding trustees are Veronica Paeper, Mike Bosazza and Robyn Taylor.
Box tickets: All 4 tickets for either the Bill Flynn or the Moira Lister boxes need to be purchased at the same time.Tickets available from Computicket.com and the Theatre on the Bay box-office (021) 438-3300
Bookings can also be made through the Computicket call-centre (0861) 915 8000 / (011) 340 8000.
Some of South Africa’s top dancers and singers celebrating a modern-day Christmas. A show for the entire family featuring some of the most loved Christmas classics as well as contemporary Christmas hits such as Silent Night, Let it be Christmas, It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, I want a Hippo for Christmas, Grandma got run over by a Reindeer and many more.
With extracts from famous Christmas Ballets such as the Snow Scene from The Nutcracker and more contemporary items choreographed by Angela and Michael Revie and Xola Willie.
Some of you will remember her. Willy Russell’s heroine of the 80’s. She played the West End and Broadway, won numerous accolades and was celebrated in film. Her name was Shirley Valentine, before she became Shirley Bradshaw, a middle aged woman, lost in her role as mother to two grown children, and wife to a husband in a somewhat stale marriage. When a friend offers her a trip to Greece, a long forgotten exuberance begins to bubble up in her. Shirley’s journey is a celebration of many a contemporary woman, balancing motherhood, marriage and self-actualisation. Shirley Bradshaw is the ‘original gangster’ of self-care and self-love – a beacon of empowerment. Long before we had hashtags, we had Shirley.
“We believe that what Shirley has to say is important. And it is more relevant than ever,” says Jaco van Rensburg from VR Theatrical. “My business partner grew up knowing the movie and it was his idea to option it. When I watched it – and later read it – I knew he was spot on! It is relatable, oh so funny and even more relevant today!”
The play will be directed by Gina Shmukler – a true lady of the theatre who has worked extensively in New York City and all over the world, but returned to SA stages a couple of years ago, juggling numerous other creative projects.
And who do you cast in such an iconic role? Someone who has done it all – been on Egoli and Scandal, knows and loves the theatre, has won awards, written books and lived life a little. Enter stage, Natasha Sutherland, who is “over the moon playing Shirley!”
Performance times: Wed-Fri @20:00, Sat @16:00 & 20:00, Sun @15:00
R150-R220
Discounts for Students and Seniors available through the Theatre Office on 011 511 1988 or the Box office.
Age restriction: PG 13 Adult Themes and some fruity language.
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A CHRISTMAS CAROL
By Charles Dickens
Adapted for the stage by Elizma Badenhorst
Direction by Elizma Badenhorst
Main Theatre
24 Nov – 10 Dec
Wed – Fri @ 7pm, Sat @ 3pm & 7pm, Sun @ 2:30pm
Ebenezer Scrooge’s “Bah, Humbug!” has never been more apt! After a rather tough 2023, A CHRISTMAS CAROL offers families an opportunity to experience the magical world of Charles Dickens this Holiday Season.
Introducing several ghosts and characters from his past, present and future, the play takes us on an emotional journey from the old Scrooge`s tight-fisted, miserly ways, to the new Scrooge, spreading goodwill and cheer through his generous spirit. Perfect for the entire family, this outing is bound to become a family tradition!
This classic holiday favourite will come to life as you have never seen it before, wearing a brand new jacket featuring animation and music. This production is a sumptuous banquet for the eyes, ears and imagination; a sensory delight for any tired soul.
After a rollercoaster two years of uncertainty and covid-enforced hibernation, Jonathan Roxmouth is “Back in Lights” at the Pieter Toerien Montecasino Theatre. Accompanied onstage by a virtuoso Broadway chamber ensemble and under the guiding light of Weslee Swain Lauder, Jonathan will be reminding theatregoers of the magic of the Musicals through song, story and perhaps even the odd tap dance with his signature tongue-in-cheek sense of humour. Come and relive the thrill of CATS, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, LES MISÉRABLES, SUNSET BOULEVARD, EVITA, JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT and an avalanche of others in the safety and comfort of a proper theatre once again. It goes without saying that strict government mandated Covid-19 protocols will be observed for the safety and enjoyment of every patron.
“What good is sitting alone in your room? Come hear the music play…!”
R150-R250
Special Discounts for Seniors and Students/Scholars available from the Theatre Office on 011 511 1988 or the Box Office
