March 27, 2006
By Shamin Chibba
SHE put "the show" in show business, and South African musicals would not be what they are today if it was not for Joan Brickhill.
In her time the theatre doyenne has produced such theatrical classics as Oklahoma, Lock Up Your Daughters and The King and I with her husband Louis Burke. So it is fitting that the Johannesburg Civic Theatre has unveiled The Brickhill, a luxury hospitality facility in the theatre's foyer.
Brickhill, who is in her eighties, will permanently take her place at the Civic, in the company of The Mozart Room, The Shakespeare Room, The PT Barnum Lounge, The Verdi Room, The Jozi Lounge and City Lights.
According to the Civic's planning officer, Claire Pacariz, The Brickhill will host gatherings of all sorts. "We would normally arrange board meetings, hospitality dinners, cocktail parties and launches," she explains.
The Brickhill venue at the Civic Theatre will host gatherings of all sorts
"We wanted to pay her a tribute and this was perfect."
Bernard Jay, the Civic's chief executive, says, "We hope that the new plush red carpet, the red velvet curtains, the warm sandstone wall tiles and the memorabilia of a legendary career that will be gradually included into the décor, will be worthy of carrying the name of South Africa's first lady of theatre."
One of the more memorable plays Brickhill produced at the Civic was Mame, in the early 1980s. It ran for about six months and at the time was the most expensive South African stage production with the largest cast.
As an actress Brickhill played the parts of Dolly Levi in Hello Dolly and Miss Hannigan in Annie, among others. She also appeared on the silver screen in Nor the Moon by Night in 1958, which was directed by her husband, and Follow That Rainbow in 1979.
She worked in radio and was recognised as the nation's Best Radio Actress several times. However, her mainstay proved to be behind-the-scenes, on stage productions.
Brickhill produced dazzling musicals for international audiences as well. Meropa - KwaZulu was chosen for the Royal Variety Performance in London and her choreography for Meet Me in St Louis earned her a Tony Award nomination.
The Tony Awards are the equivalent of the film industry's Academy Awards; they recognise those who make exceptional contributions to theatre on Broadway, in New York.
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