Get your fill of theatre from the wide range of performances at the Civic Theatre this year.
TO kickstart the New Year, the Johannesburg Civic Theatre has a range of great shows in store, from romantic musicals and glorious opera to hard-hitting comedy and heart-pounding rock.
We have a sensational line-up this year, with a variety of shows, says the theatres liaison officer, Claire Pacariz. We find that variety in shows works very well with our patrons so hopefully we will play to full houses again.
Rodgers and Hammerstein's classic musical The King and I starts the new year at the Civic Theatre
Starting off the season is The King and I, the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic musical of the love story of the King of Siam and Anna, his childrens governess, is on at the Nelson Mandela Theatre from 19 January.
Based on the book Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon, The King and I tells of the experiences of English widow Anna Leonowens, who arrives in Siam in the late 1800s to tutor the kings children. Paul Buckby, the familiar face of Dr Adam Fisher in Mnets series Egoli, takes on the role of the King with Angela Kilian as Anna.
The King and I has a score of familiar sing-along tunes including I Whistle a Happy Tune, Getting to Know You, and Shall We Dance.
Tickets for the Wednesday, Thursday and 6pm Sunday performances are from R145 (inclusive of the booking fee), while tickets for the Friday, Saturday and 2pm Sunday shows are from R185 (inclusive of the booking fee). They can be bought at Computicket.
Discounted tickets for groups of 10 or more are also available.
Comedy and tragedy
From 29 January the hilarious One Man One Goat brings the lighter side of life to the Tesson Theatre. Comedian Nik Rabinowitz presents a searing social commentary of life in South Africa, tackling politicians, ex-politicians, street vendors, Survivor contestants et al.
Produced by Geraldine Naidoo, One Man One Goat is on until 24 February.
Tickets are R90, excluding Computicket booking fees. Discounted tickets for groups of 10 or more are available.
Meet Nik Rabinowitz in One Man One Goat
Then it is the turn of tragedy to take to the Tesson Theatre stage. Director Clare Stopfords version of Romeo and Juliet will be on from 29 February to 23 March.
Stopford aims to revitalise the timeless story of thwarted love, by staging a version that is energetic, sexy, and contemporary in look, style and feel but is also romantic and sensual.
The cast includes a host of South African talent, including Theo Landey (Romeo), Ameera Patel (Juliet), Bongi Ndaba (Nurse), Kurt Wurstman (Friar Lawrence), Juliette Jenner (Lady Capulet), Daniel Buckland (Mercutio), Omphile Molusi (Benvolio) and Douglas Bristow (Lord Montague and Friar John).
Tickets from Tuesdays to Thursdays are R110 (exclusive). Tickets on Fridays and Saturdays are R120 (exclusive) and tickets for the 3pm show on Sundays are R110 (exclusive).
Arias, dance and laughter
From 14 to 22 March Opera Africa brings to Johannesburg the spectacular Verdi opera Aida, with soprano Katarina Jovanovic singing the lead role. Tenor Stefan Louw is Radames and Violina Anguelov Amneris. Baritone Ntsikelelo Mali sings the role of Amonasro, with Otto Maidi as Ramfis. Soprano Kelebogile Boikanyo is the High Priestess.
Dutch conductor Vincent de Kort will be making his South African debut with the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra.
Tickets are from R90, excluding booking fees, and are available from Computicket.
March also sees the return of Chilli Boy, starring Matthew Ribnick, the hit comedy about an Indian woman who dies and is reincarnated as a racist white gangster from Boksburg. The wildly crazy character starts to have flashbacks of his previous life and discovers his motherly instincts.
Conceived and written by Geraldine Naidoo, Chilli Boy is on from 25 March until 26 April at the Tesson Theatre.
In a different vein, over on the Nelson Mandela Theatre stage, the South African Ballet Theatre presents The Sleeping Beauty. This classic tale about the beautiful princess bewitched by the evil Carabosse is on from 29 March to 13 April.
The Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra, playing the much-loved score by Tchaikovsky, will accompany the performances.
Tickets are from R100, including booking fees, and are available from Computicket. Discounted tickets for groups of 10 or more are available.
Matthew Ribnick returns to the Civic Theatre once more, this time in the one-man show Hoot. The comedy about a rich white man who loses everything and lands up as a taxi driver is on at the Tesson from 29 April to 18 May.
Tickets are R90, excluding Computicket booking fees, and discounted tickets for groups of 10 or more are available.
Musical magic
For a flamboyant taste of flamenco, the performance of guitar virtuoso Paco Peña is not to be missed.
Paco Peña and his company brings flamenco to life in A Compás!
For five performances only, from 14 to 17 May to at the Nelson Mandela Theatre, Peña and his troupe of 10 Spanish musicians and dancers will reveal the pounding heart of flamenco in his show A Compás!
The Paco Peña Flamenco Dance Company has performed around the world, including in London, Adelaide, Amsterdam, Athens, Israel, Istanbul, Singapore and Hong Kong.
Tickets are priced from R190 (exclusive of the booking fee) and are available from Computicket. Discount tickets are available for groups of 10 or more.
For dance of a different kind, Johannesburg audiences will also be able to watch the Stars of the Ballet Moscow on the Nelson Mandela Theatre from 21 May as they pay tribute to one of the greatest dancers of all time Rudolf Nureyev.
The soloists and award-winning dancers come from many different companies including the Moscow State Classical Ballet, the Bolshoi Ballet, the Russian National Ballet, and the Metropolitan Classical Ballet.
Directed by Yuri Vetrov, a former director of the Bolshoi Ballet, the programme includes a documentary film of Rudolf Nureyev, as well as scenes from La Bayadere, Don Quixote, Les Sylphides, and The Dying Swan.
Also on the programme is Alexander Glazunovs ballet Raymonda, with Marina Rzhannikova of the Moscow State Classical Ballet.
Tickets are R125, R165, R195 and R225 (including Computicket charges), while discounted tickets for groups of 10 or more are also available.
A blast from the past: Queen Its a Kinda Magic is on in June
Then its time for a different kind of magic. From 28 May at the Nelson Mandela Theatre Queen Its a Kinda Magic will take Civic Theatre audiences back to re-live the phenomenon that was Queen.
The show recreates the 1986 world tour of Freddie Mercury and Queen, reminding those old enough of the showmanship of Mercury, the musicianship of guitarist Brian May and the reverberating rhythms of Roger Taylor.
The show, which is on until 8 June, has more than 20 original Queen hits, including We Will Rock You, Bohemian Rhapsody and We Are the Champions.
Tickets are priced from R170 (exclusive of the booking fee) and are available from Computicket. Discount is available for bookings of 10 or more.
The Full Monty and a circus
From 3 July the circus is in town, and at the Nelson Mandela Theatre. But this is no ordinary circus, it is Le Grand Cirque; a show of breath-taking excitement, extraordinary feats, spectacular dancing and music and glorious costumes.
Le Grand Cirque, which has toured internationally, features some of the best jugglers and acrobats in the world. But, says producer David King, the performers in Le Grand Cirque cannot simply be classified as acrobats or jugglers. They are first and foremost artists performing a visual poetry of unbelievable physical talent, excellent skill and first class choreography.
Tickets are from R160 (exclusive of booking fee) and special discount ticket prices are available for groups of 10 or more.
Following this is the month-long production of The Full Monty the Broadway Musical. The Full Monty tells the story of six unemployed steelworkers who decide to earn some money by stripping
by going the full monty.
On at the Nelson Mandela Theatre from 12 September to 12 October, The Full Monty features Steven Hicks as Jerry Lukowski, with Tiaan Rautenbach playing the role of Dave Bukatinsky, Jerry's overweight best friend.
Others in the cast include Mike Huff as the group' former manager-turned-choreographer Harold Nichols; Clinton Hawks as Malcolm MacGregor, a security guard who lives with his mother; Shaun Brian Murphy as the talented Ethan Girard; and Thokozani Nzima as Noah "Horse" T Simmons, a dated dancer. Judy Page is Jeanette Burmeister, former showgirl and current adviser.
Tickets are from R190 (exclusive of the booking fee) and are available at Computicket. Discounted tickets for groups of 10 or more are available.
The panto
Finally, if its the end of the year festivities its time for the annual Janice Honeyman panto. This year its Snow White, starring the irrepressible Tobie Cronjé as the evil queen, singer Bianca le Grange as the princess and comedian Desmond Dube as Snow Whites nanny.
Snow White will be on at the Nelson Mandela Theatre from 29 October to 31 December and bookings are already open.
Tickets for preview performances range from R110 to R190, and for all other performances from R160 to R240 (exclusive of Computicket booking fees).
The Johannesburg Civic Theatre, situated at Loveday Street in Braamfontein, has three stages: the Nelson Mandela, the Tesson and the Peoples Theatre. More information about the Civic Theatre can be found on its own website.
Ticket information
Tickets for shows at the Civic Theatre can be bought from Computicket. In many cases, discount tickets are available for groups of 10 or more. For these tickets, contact the theatres VIP Ticketing 011 877 6854.
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