In costume: comedian Desmond Dube is Dame Winnie Wotalotigot and Andre Schwartz is the evil villain Uncle Abanazar

RELATED LINKS: Aladdin to dazzle Civic WITH lavish scenery and a top South African cast, a new version of Aladdin promises more visual thrills and high-energy stunts than ever before at the Civic. Read more Civic's 2006 line-up promises memorable theatre PREPARE to be rocked, mocked and even pleasantly shocked by the Civic Theatre's line-up this year. Read more ew look Civic Theatre to reopen with The Merry Widow OVER a million rand has been spent on upgrading and refurbishing the Civic Theatre complex, keeping it up to date with international standards. Read more A week in Joburg LUCILLE Davie knows where the best jols in Jozi are this week. Read more What's hot YOUR first-stop guide to city events, our interactive calendar ranges wide, from concerts to lectures to DIY shows. Read more

Dame Winnie Wotalotigot (Desmond Dube) and Uncle Abanazar (Andre Schwartz) battle over Aladdin (Jay du Plessis) The cast of the Civic Theatre's panto Aladdin arrive at the theatre

Aladdin cruises into town He may have a magic carpet at his disposal, but to get to the first rehearsal on time Aladdin took the bus, along with the rest of the musical's cast. October 3, 2006 By Thabang Mokoka THE cast of the musical Aladdin rode into Braamies for the first rehearsal of the top-notch musical at the Johannesburg Civic Theatre on Monday, 2 October. Cruising through the streets in an Aladdin-branded double-decker Metro bus, cast members were in a jolly mood. Cameras flashed like paparazzi while actors posed around the bus, which is decorated with characters' faces from the musical. Aladdin is a magical tale about a poor young man who rises to the top of the heap, and this year's panto production promises lavish scenery, a glittering Cave of Jewels and even a flying carpet. Those who happily posed and pouted for the cameras included award-winning actor, writer and comedian Desmond Dube, who plays the over-the-top role of Dame Winnie Wotalotigot; and Andre Schwartz, who starred in The Phantom of the Opera and who plays the evil villain, Uncle Abanazar. Claire Pacariz, the planning officer at the Civic, explains that the branded bus is a form of advertising that is being used to raise awareness of the show, and so boost audience figures when it opens. Jay du Plessis is Aladdin in the Civic Theatre's annual panto, which opens on 1 November And it seems to be working - already more than 31 000 tickets have been sold for this year's panto, breaking advanced sales records for the country's most popular annual entertainment. Yet the Civic is not sitting back on its laurels. "We want to sell more tickets before the show starts," Pacariz says. There are six Aladdin branded buses driving through Jozi in the hope of luring even more Joburgers to buy their tickets now. The hotly anticipated show will be on at the Nelson Mandela Theatre at the Civic from Wednesday, 1 November to Sunday, 31 December. Tickets for previews, from 1 to 5 November, range from R65 to R125 and for all other performances from R115 to R175, exclusive of booking fees. They are available from Computicket on 083 915 8000 or through the website. Special group discounted tickets for parties of 10 or more can be bought directly from VIP Ticketing on 011 877 6854. Permission to use web site material Publishers may use material from this site free of charge, as long as: Credit is given to either the "City of Johannesburg website (www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency (www.joburg.org.za)"; If the article is used online, a link is provided to the original article on this website; The name of the article's author is acknowledged; The webmaster is informed of how and where the material is used (fill in this brief online form). Johannesburg News Agency is operated by BIG Media at 011-484-1400 Print this Page E-mail this article to a friend Help using Joburg.org.za