Tuesday, March 1, 2011

A timeless classic

Date: 01 March 2011
Article: Madoda Ntuli
Picture: Supplied

Roles cast for Peoples’ Theatre’s ‘Pinocchio’
The story of Pinocchio, a wooden puppet who undergoes a moral journey in order to become a real boy, is one of the great classics of children’s literature. It’s awash with fun, adventure and laughs - but also great lessons about love and life, and the perils of making the wrong choices in the company we keep. This People’s Theatre Production is filled with great songs, that audiences will undoubtedly be humming all the way home. Actors in place for opening in early March

The People’s Theatre would like to introduce the cast for Pinocchio, their first production of the year, which opens at The People’s Theatre, situated within the Jo’burg Theatre complex, on March 8th:
Lebogang Mpahlele (Geppetto/Judge) Lebogang has appeared in various shows such as Charlotte’s Web, The Sheep and Avery, and The Secret Garden. He also landed roles in two television series, SABC2’s Noah’s Ark and Kyknet’s Kruispad. In between these gigs, he also managed to include a number of corporate events and travelling educational theatre, which dealt mostly with the HIV/AIDS epidemic. For The People’s Theatre he’s played the part of Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh and Big Ears in More Adventures of Noddy.

Emmanuelle Girard (Fairy/Tightrope Walker/Frog/Bird/Cricket)  After obtaining her degree in Theatre Arts in France, Emmanuelle performed in various cabarets in Spain and France, before returning to South Africa, where she featured in Beauty and the Beast and Babe–the Sheep Pig for The Peoples’ Theatre. She also won roles in The King and I and Janice Honeyman’s panto, Snow White; both at The Joburg Theatre. Subsequently she was cast in a number of productions for The Peoples’ Theatre: Jack and the Beanstalk, Noddy, Peter Rabbit, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Other Fabulous Tales, and More Adventures of Noddy.  Gopala Chetty (The Fire Eater/Coachman)

This ambitious young man worked with the eastern choreographer Shivani Kara on her Bollywood fusion show called East Meets West, and during his Bachelor of Arts studies he performed in Boys in the Backroom, Three Wall Temple and Like Show Business, at the Grahamstown National Arts Festival. Gopala has also performed in Hats, Grey Matter, Erupt-OO, Papillion, Johan Spies’s production of La Traviata, Willem en die Grys Menere, and Dammed Up.

Stefan Carstens (Fox/Policeman/Circus Master) Stefan made his musical theatre debut with The Phantom of the Opera in 2004, and featured in the Bollywood extravaganza Bombay Crush and Janice Honeyman’s Joburg Theatre pantomimes Cinderella and Peter Pan. Other productions he’s tucked under his belt include Thoroughly Modern Millie, We Will Rock You, Dance Some More, The Merry Widow, Fiddler on the Roof, Rite of Spring, Giselle and Cats. He has performed for The People’s Theatre in Winnie the Pooh, The Ugly Duckling, Beauty and the Beast, Little Red Riding Hood and Aladdin.  Noni Mkhonto (Cat) Noni’s first production for The Peoples Theatre was in the 2007 production of Alice in Wonderland, in which she played the title role. She has since appeared in numerous productions at The People’s Theatre: The Little Mermaid, Sleeping Beauty and Other Fabulous Tales’ (in which she played multiple roles), and More Adventures of Noddy. She’s thrilled to be back on board at The People’s Theatre!

Bookings can be made at all Computicket outlets (Checkers Hyper and Shoprite), or online at http://www.computicket.com/

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