Get ready to embark on an unforgettable musical odyssey with none other than the Queen of Rock herself, Karen Zoid, alongside guitar virtuoso, Henry Steel.
Step into the warm, intimate confines of South Africa’s theatre giant: Pieter Toerien’s Theatre On The Bay in Camp’s Bay with a rare 5-day appearance. Prepare to be enthralled by her enigmatic stage presence, witty sense of humour and razor sharp mind – a collection of your favourite songs, each meticulously curated and presented by the incomparable composer herself! Off course, at a Zoid show, you can hear anything from Bach to Britney Spears thrown into the mix as Zoid is known to never perform the same show twice.
From reimagined classics to stripped-down renditions, weaving together amesmerising tapestry of sound, Karen Zoid shows are always accompanied by captivating stories and anecdotes that will have you in stitches or move you to tears.
Escape with us from 19 – 23 November. Who doesn’t need an evening filled with rock and roll, laughter, and a rekindling of your love affair with Zoid’s world? Jump for your tickets! – webtickets.co.za.
Theatre On The Bay from 25 September to 5 October, 2024.
MARC EUGENE LOTTERING is Lottering’s newest stand-up show. And yes, that really is his second name.
In this show, Lottering shares his findings on where he thinks his colourful family tree stems from. As is to be expected, his viewpoints are hilariously outrageous after his mom, when he was little, promised him that they were all originally “blonde German-Caribbeans”.
Lottering is one of South Africa’s top comedians, having written 20 one-man shows and 3 smash hit musicals. He has been nominated for, and received several prestigious theatre awards along the way.
This year, Lottering has been inducted into the Comics Choice Hall of Fame.
MARC EUGENE LOTTERING is not suitable for children.
Pieter Toerien’s Montecasino Theatre from 6 September to 22 September
MARC EUGENE LOTTERING is Lottering’s newest stand-up show. And yes, that really is his second name.
In this show, Lottering shares his findings on where he thinks his colourful family tree stems from. As is to be expected, his viewpoints are hilariously outrageous after his mom, when he was little, promised him that they were all originally “blonde German-Caribbeans”.
Lottering is one of South Africa’s top comedians, having written 20 one-man shows and 3 smash hit musicals. He has been nominated for, and received several prestigious theatre awards along the way.
This year, Lottering has been inducted into the Comics Choice Hall of Fame.
MARC EUGENE LOTTERING is not suitable for children.
Glittering and radiant, Mzansi Ballet presents The Neil Diamond Show, a ballet set to the timeless melodies of Neil Diamond. This enchanting ballet transports audiences into a world where every movement sparkles with brilliance, echoing the facets of a precious gem. With Neil Diamond’s iconic music as its backdrop, “The Neil Diamond Show” is a mesmerizing journey through light, color, and the enduring mystique of these treasured jewels!
Mzansi Ballet’s Junior Company presents this enchanting and comedic ballet which tells the story of a young couple, Swanilda and Franz, whose love is tested by the mysterious and lifelike Coppélia doll created by the eccentric toymaker Dr. Coppélius. Mistaken identities, lively village scenes, and charming character dances unfold as the ballet explores themes of love, jealousy, and the blurring line between reality and fantasy. With its delightful score and expressive choreography, “Coppélia” continues to captivate audiences, showcasing the beauty of classical ballet and the enduring appeal of this timeless tale.
Prepare to embark on a journey through time as Selim Kagee presents ‘Il Mondo,’ a mesmerizing concert of nostalgic songs, set to enchant audiences.
Transport yourself to a bygone era where timeless melodies reign supreme, and memories of the last century come alive through the enchanting performance of classic songs. With his velvety voice and captivating stage presence, Selim Kagee promises an unforgettable experience, weaving together cherished tunes that have etched themselves into our collective consciousness.
Join Selim as he shares delightful anecdotes from his own life, offering heartwarming and often humorous insights into his musical journey and global travels. From romantic ballads to soul-stirring anthems, ‘Il Mondo’ showcases a repertoire that spans generations, leaving audiences spellbound and yearning for more.
Expect to be serenaded with beloved classics such as “Il Mondo,” “The Wonder of You,” and “Bridge Over Troubled Water” – songs that have withstood the test of time and continue to resonate with audiences worldwide. Selim’s performance promises to evoke a myriad of emotions, from nostalgia to joy, as he effortlessly captures the essence of each timeless masterpiece.
Classic Feel Magazine hails Selim Kagee as “an impressive new, proudly South African addition to the adult contemporary and crossover fields,” likening his talent to that of esteemed luminaries such as Bocelli, Groban, Pavarotti, and Bublé.
Written and Directed by Paul Slabolepszy
Starring Ashley Dowds
A story that moves from pure nostalgia, through extreme heartache, to unbridled joy… The Return of Elvis du Pisanie is all at once – sad, amusing and gloriously uplifting…
Ashley Dowds stars as Eddie du Pisanie, in the revival of Paul Slabolepszy’s hit play, The Return Of Elvis du Pisanie. Photo by Keaton Ditchfield.
Eddie du Pisanie (played by Ashley Dowds) – a forty-six year old East Rand salesman – is retrenched and decides life is no longer worth living. He writes a suicide note to his wife and is about to gas himself in his car in the garage, when he switches on the car radio. The Elvis Presley song he hears does more than take him back 30 years – it recalls an event in his childhood that changed his life forever. Abandoning – for the moment – the idea of suicide, he drives the 200 kilometre journey to the town in which he grew up, to a lamp post opposite the ex-Carlton Bioscope in Witbank, there to retrace his life, to try to find out what went wrong, how it went wrong, and – perhaps most importantly – why it went wrong…
Can we change our own destinies…? “Elvis” du Pisanie is about to find out…
“A milestone for South African Theatre…!”
(Humphrey Tyler SUNDAY TRIBUNE)
“He mesmerises his audience…! Not to be missed…!”
(Garalt McLiam THE STAR)
“The Great South African Novel come to life onstage…!”
“Profound poetry… Equal to anything by Beckett or Pinter…!”
“Nothing less than the new Bosman… what a performance, what a play…!”
(Iain MacDonald THE ARGUS)
“Buy, beg or steal but get your hands on a ticket for this magnificent play…!”
(Billy Suter NATAL MERCURY)
“A vigorous, robust tour de force… a memorable evening of theatre…!”
(Terry Herbst EASTERN PROVINCE HERALD)
“A tale – fragile and beautiful as blown glass – of dreams lost and found…”
(Brenda van Rooyen PRETORIA NEWS)
The Return of Elvis du Pisanie – first performed in July, 1992 – has the distinction of having won more awards (in a single year) than any other play in the history of South African Theatre – 1993 Vita, Fleur du Cap and Dalro Awards included Best New South African Play, Best Actor, Best Production, Best Director – as well as The Star “Tonight”/IGI Life Vita Award for Comedy. It has also been presented – by invitation – in Washington DC and Chicago, USA.
JOHANNESBURG
Pieter Toerien’s Montecasino Theatre
Limited 2-week season ONLY: 10 May – 26 May
Tickets at Webtickets and Theatre Box Office (011) 511 1988.
Bianca Amato is currently in Cape Town rehearsing ‘LUNGS’ ahead of its run at Pieter Toerien’s Theatre On The Bay from 7 – 24 February, 2024.
‘LUNGS’ is a funny, off-kilter love story, that explores the debate around the environmental impact of having children in today’s world, a world that is becoming more and more focussed on sustainable living.
Dean Roberts.
30 January, 2024.
South African actress and director, Bianca Amato. Images: biancaamato.com
DR: You last appeared on our stages in Pieter Toerien’s 2001 production of ‘Proof’, starring Michael Atkinson. Since then you have worked extensively overseas – how does it feel to be home again?
BA: Shew! Such a wild mix of emotions! I returned for family life and that has been very special. The process of building up a similar work life to the one I experienced in the US has begun and I feel very excited by it. It hasn’t come easy, what with having a baby and then COVID in the middle of it all. But the challenges that I’ve had make it all the sweeter now, as it gains momentum.
Bianca Amato and Michael Atkinson in ‘Proof’, July 2001 at Pieter Toerien’s Montecasino Theatre. Image: Pieter Toerien Productions / Instagram.
DR: A performing highlight that you wish to share?
BA: Do I have to pick just one? Working with Jack O’ Brien and Tom Stoppard in the Coast of Utopia trilogy at Lincoln Centre. All the Shakespeare I got to do in NYC. The Importance of Being Earnest directed by Sir Peter Hall.
Bianca Amato with Christine Baranski and Matt Czuchry in The Good Wife (2009). Image: IMDb.
Playing Amanda in Private Lives directed by Maria Aitken. Playing Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice and Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion at the wonderful Guthrie Theatre. Playing opposite Bill Irwin, sharing a stage with Billy Crudup, Ethan Hawke, Martha Plimpton, David Harbour, Lynn Redgrave, Miriam Margolyes. Being directed by Athol Fugard in NYC. I have been beyond lucky.
Sahr Ngaujah, Caleb McLaughlin, Bianca Amato and Leon Addison Brown at the opening of Athol Fugard’s ‘The Painted Rocks At Revolver Creek’ (Off-Broadway 2015). Image: Monica Simoes.
DR: A production that posed unique challenges, and how you overcame them?
BA: Ha! I had to play a ballerina in Mr.Fox: a Rumination. A play by Bill Irwin about a famous clown in 19th century New York City. I played the clown’s wife and I had to learn ballet in 3 weeks. Faking it obviously, not on pointe at all. I had to work VERY HARD to become a little bit graceful.
DR: South African audiences will of course remember you as Philippa De Villiers in Isidingo, which do you prefer stage or screen?
BA: Stage. I won’t say no to screen, but ja, Stage.
Characters Derek Nyathi (Hlomla Dandala) and Phillipa de Villiers (Bianca Amato) get married on Isidingo – The Need, in 2001. Image: Facebook
DR: Can you tell me about ‘LUNGS’, and how you came across the play?
BA: ‘LUNGS’ is really a peek into a private conversation that spans 40 years. It is both a love story and a searing look at where we are now, us little humans. It is brave, probing, funny, and achingly poignant. It is a play that has come into its time a decade after it was written – it’s actually quite unsettling to see how much more relevant it is now, given the current climate crisis. I read it in 2018. It spoke to me. I could hear it. Duncan Macmillan writes in a very particular way and I feel very connected to it.
British playwright Duncan Macmillan. Image: Evening Standard.
BA: The style of it – it’s vital and smart and potent and demands virtuosity from its performers. The humanity of it. The humor. The joy of it! It’s a rollercoaster ride, and it’s such a great piece for two young actors to revel in. Jazzara and Sanda are just extraordinary – I cannot wait for people to fall in love with them.
Jazzara Jaslyn and Sanda Shandu, star in Duncan Macmillan’s ‘LUNGS’, on at Theatre On The Bay from 7 February, 2024. Image: Claude Barnardo.
DR: How do you approach casting a play – this play in particular?
BA: Very carefully! I saw many people, many lovely performers, but I was looking for two people who have an instinct about the essence of the characters, as well as an understanding of what is needed from them stylistically. And most importantly, they need to have chemistry with each other. The piece is very intimate and asks for vulnerability and connection.
DR: How do you collaborate with actors, to bring about their best performances?
BA: Every actor is unique, and their process is too. Respecting this is very important to me. But the most important thing, especially when you have a good play on your hands, is to honor the text. To really investigate together, to be exacting and specific. If we can do that together, find each other in the investigation, put the text first, and play, play, play, while always staying true to the intentions of the writer, we’ll be on our way.
DR: What do you wish the audiences to take away from this experience?
BA: I hope they feel that they have been given a gift, that they have been allowed to eavesdrop on two people’s lives, and that they feel richer for it. I want them to have a good laugh and a good cry. And perhaps, who knows, maybe they will feel galvanised to help tackle the climate crisis in some personal way? At the very least, recycle!
DR: You have formed your new production company, The Quickening Theatre Company. How did this come about, and what sort of projects are you looking at producing in future?
BA: In South Africa you can’t just wait for the phone to ring. We as artists have to forge ahead and make our own work. I have been circling around the idea of creating my own theatre company for a few years now, but the thought of doing it alone was daunting. I met Kensiwe Tshabalala last year, and we quickly realized we could make a really great team. The Quickening is dedicated to producing contemporary plays that excite South African audiences, and to revitalizing Shakespeare and other classical playwrights in productions that resonate with us all and reflect the here and now. We are hugely excited to see what lies ahead!
DR: What do you consider the most rewarding aspect of being a theatre director?
BA: Getting to craft stories. To help birth something. Getting to work with others to weave magic from words. I love language and I love people and I love moments.
DR: What do you believe are the key qualities of a successful theatre director?
BA: I’m learning as I go, but I would think listening, being patient, trusting the process, trusting your instincts, and not taking yourself too seriously. Knowing when to speak and when to shut up (still very much learning!) Having vision, but being flexible. Leaning into the humor in the room. Not being too precious. Letting people breathe. Having fun. But always looking to honor the work, to be exacting, to not settle for surface choices, to keep digging, keep honing, keep divining the truth. Also, inspiring and motivating people! Making them feel energised and lucky to be doing this work. My favorite director and role model, Jack O’Brien, would give such gorgeous, rousing speeches about the work that we would feel like we would do anything for him. I can only dream of capturing a casts heart and imagination the way he does.
Jazzara Jaslyn and Sanda Shandu, star in Duncan Macmillan’s ‘LUNGS’, on at Theatre On The Bay from 7 February, 2024. Image: Claude Barnardo.
Presented by The Quickening Theatre company and Gloucester Productions, ‘LUNGS’ by Duncan MacMillan runs at Theatre On The Bay from 7 – 24 February, 2024.
Performances from Tuesdays to Saturdays at 7:30pm, with Saturday matinees at 3pm.
Tickets available from Webtickets, or the Theatre On The Bay box-office on (021) 438-3301.
Pieter Toerien presents Agatha Christie’s ingenious courtroom drama, for the first time in South Africa!
With All Star Cast including Graham Hopkins, Sharon Spiegel Wagner, Mike Huff, Peter Terry, Craig Jackson, Brett Kruger, Dianne Simpson, Matthew Lotter, Micah Stojakovic & Jordan Soares
This classic Christie will delight audiences and keep everyone on the edge of their seats right up till the thrilling climax that will leave you stunned!
WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION is a gripping tale of justice, passion, betrayal and revenge. Leonard Vole is accused of murdering a widow to inherit her fortune. The stakes are high – will Leonard survive the shocking witness testimony, will he be able to convince the jury, and you of his innocence and escape the hangman’s noose?
Dates:
Pieter Toerien’s Montecasino Theatre from 29 May until 30 June, 2024
Theatre On The Bay from 4 July until 10 August, 2024
In this English-Afrikaans bilingual production, Schwartz references this connection with Lloyd Webber in order to tell his own life’s story… stripped, raw, and vulnerable.
Dates: 22 – 26, May 2024 at Theatre on The Bay.
In ‘Any Dream Will Do – My Pad Met Webber’, André Schwartz explores his relationship with all that is Andrew Lloyd Webber, since encountering his work for the first time at the age of 12 when he saw Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Schwartz’s Mother, who had a substantial influence on his life is quoted as saying: “Weave your coat and create a tapestry of colours, let it shine as brightly as you want it to; dream whatever you want, even if dreams and reality become indistinguishable. You decide your own truth, but always remember your way home.”
Home is where the truth lies for André. Varying between moments when his coat shone vividly becoming the first Phantom in South Africa with Lloyd Webber’s seal of approval, to moments where every hint of colour faded from his coat, upon receiving a diagnosis of Motor Neurone Disease.
The narrative as well as songs, such as Any Dream will Do, You must love Me, Music of the Night, No Matter What, Memory and Send in the Clowns, weave together forming a unit that places this piece firmly in the genre of pure theatre. If you are expecting a “lounge music” version of any of these favourites, then you are coming to the wrong show.
Send in the Clowns is the only song in the production that is not written by Lloyd Webber. “I marvel at the insolence of young artists who think they have owned the right to interpret this song. Their waltz with time is brimming with life. Whereas we, from whom youth has deserted, realise the ultimate clown”, says Schwartz.
The songs are presented unguarded, stripped and shamelessly honest – as is Schwartz’s life story.
The show moves between moments of immense pain experienced by the artist, to exalted moments of hope and inspiration – the key message of the show.
Humour is omnipresent and razor-sharp – very often self-deprecating.
Directed by Matthew Counihan.
Musical direction by Bryan Schimmel, with Dawid Boverhoff on piano and Mauritz Lotz on guitar.
Wednesday, 22 May at 7:30pm
Thursday, 23 May at 7:30pm
Friday, 24 May at 7:30pm
Saturday, 25 May at 3pm
Saturday, 25 May at 7:30pm
Sunday, 26 May at 2:30pm
Tickets available from Webtickets or the Theatre On The Bay box-office on (021) 438-3301.
Theatre On The Bay from 28 February – 2 March, 2024.
In this laugh out loud, feel-good explosion of comedic silliness, internationally acclaimed ventriloquist Conrad Koch wants to get personal about his ‘Baggage’. But his best friend, superstar puppet Chester Missing (who lives in actual baggage), has other plans. In his usual funny and irreverent way Chester thinks Conrad’s ‘problems’ are a joke. In fact all the voices in Conrad’s head have bad and outrageous advice on everything: anxiety, climate change, dating, load-shedding and much much more. Meet the hilarious crew, including Hilton the booty shaking ostrich, Mr Dixon, retired high school teacher we can all relate to, and even a fashionista lion, this interactive comedy show is a LOL ensemble of one. ‘Baggage’ won a Standard Bank Ovation Award at the National Arts Festival.
Chester Missing is famous in South Africa for his satirical news TV shows, and his many viral social media posts, with 100 million views on TikTok alone. Conrad’s theatre shows have received critical acclaim globally, and has featured on the likes of Comedy Central, Canada’s Comedy Network, Just for Laughs, etc.
“Fiercely intelligent… Frenzied Hilarity” The List, UK
“Brings the roof down” The Independent, UK
“Hilarious” Mail & Guardian
Alan Committie is back and he is FAST AND (reasonably) FURIOUS!
South African stand-up comedy Hall-of-Famer, Alan Committie, returns for a laugh-filled start to 2024.
He is on stage at Theatre On The Bay with his latest, brand new stand up show: FAST AND REASONABLY FURIOUS, until 3 February, 2024.
Displaying his lighting fast wit coupled with his madcap phyisicality and renowned crowd engagement, this is Committie screeching his way across the stage with high octane, Vin-diesel fueled laughs for the post-holiday season.
What to expect?
A flip chart filled with flagrantly flippant fun facts.
Rants and ruminations around Coronations, World Cup fever, Artificial Intelligence and so much more….
In addition, Committie is throwing in an interval. For free. Twenty minutes of time that you can use in any way you choose. No questions asked. If you choose not to leave the theatre auditorium during the interval period then your twenty minutes will be transferred to your eBucks account and can be used to purchase hopes and dreams at your nearest SPAR.*
If you want to unwind after another 12 months of stressful survival then this is the release, relief and roucous night that you are looking for.
Perfect entertainment for your whole family (except that one uncle that nobody likes….do NOT invite him. For everyone’s sake)
Directed by Fleur du Cap Lifetime achievement winner Christopher Weare and designed by tequila sipping daytime achievement runner up Niall Griffin.
Alan Committie – faster than Cheslin Kolbe and yet the physique of Ox Nche….. A comedy prop who’s quite good at winging it!
“KAREN ZOID DOES PIETER TOERIEN” 
