November 1, 2007
By Tabisa Mntengwana
A CROCODILE has joined the panto cast – Johannesburg Zoo's croc, Rolex, has a starring role in Peter Pan – The Pantomime.
He is a bit of a diva, already living up to his starring role: while rehearsals for the Civic Theatre production began on 1 October, Rolex only turned up on 29 October.
"Rolex is a well-behaved crocodile, with whom we have never experienced any problems," said Louise Gordon, the zoo's executive manager for marketing and education.
Claire Pacariz, the planning officer at the theatre, said: "The crocodile was organised by the Johannesburg Zoo to be part of the show, and we are happy to have him here."
But skittish audience members can relax – Rolex is a model, made by James Taylor. Taylor creates special effects and props for advertisements and movies, such as Shaka Zulu.
Peter Pan – The Pantomime is based on the well-loved story by JM Barrie. It invites you into the magical world of Peter Pan and The Lost Boys of Kensington, again under the able direction of Joburg's queen of pantomime, Janice Honeyman.
We believe in fairies: Hlubi Mbula as Tinkerbell
It includes popular hip-hop and pop songs that have been chosen by musical director Heidi Edeling to add spice to the show. Old classics like Bad Moon Rising and Jingle Bell Rock are included.
Honeyman adds her usual twist to the story, this time with a new character called Clement Coconut, the dame played by Mortimer Williams.
In another twist, Peter Pan, played by Dewald Louw, flies into the audience, thanks to the special effects by Flying by Foy, a company that specialises in flying effects and equipment. "I am so excited about this production - and more especially about flying through the audience," Louw said.
Hlubi Mboya plays Peter Pan's best friend, Tinkerbell. "Tinkerbell is a very enchanting character and I'm hoping to give the audience just that," she said.
Another star is the ever-popular Tobie Cronje, who plays evil Captain Hook. "[He] pretends to be clever and has no dress sense," Cronje explained. His sidekick, Smee, is played by Vusi Kunene, who starred as Jack Mabaso in SABC1's daily soap, Generations.
The cast includes Andrew Webster as Starkey, the gentle pirate. Webster starred in Boogie Nights and worked with Honeyman on a previous panto, Sleeping Beauty. The role of Tiger Lily is played by the young actress, Kim Cloete, who is known for her work as a kykNET presenter.
The Darling children are played by Vanessa Harris, Matthew Ross Counihan and Jaco van Rensburg, with James van Helsdigen as Mr Darling.
Completing the cast, Peter's gang, the Lost Boys of Kensington, are played by Ryan Flynn, Niall Griffin, Bradley Searle, Marisa Bosman, Nacia Erasmus, Alina Funani, Rochelle Jansen, Dolly Louw, Dominique Paccaut, Stefan Carstens and Lindo Sithole.
Helping to put the production together is choreographer Timothy le Roux, lightning designer Graham McLusky, Edeling, and Bronwen Lovegrove, the costume co-ordinator. The costumes were made three years ago here in South Africa by a British company, Qdos Entertainment.
Rolex, has a starring role in Peter Pan - The Pantomime
Peter Pan - The Pantomime is on at the Nelson Mandela Theatre at the Civic Theatre complex in Braamfontein, from 31 October to 31 December.
Tickets are priced from R85 to R195; they are available at Computicket outlets, on 083 915 8000, or online on the Computicket website. There are discount rates for groups of 10 or more.
For more information contact the theatre on 011 877 6800.
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