User:Peter W. Bode

Pieter Toerien (1945-     ) for 40 years South Africa’s foremost theatre impresario

He began his theatre career while still at school presenting puppet shows to schools in his home town Cape Town. His first venture after school aged 17 introduced the concept of bio-vaudeville – persuading cinema managers to have live entertainment before a feature film. Under the mentorship of Britain’s theatre agent Herbert de Leon and in partnership with Basil Rubin he brought to South Africa British variety artists such as ALMA COGAN and DICKIE VALENTINE; eventually adding  RUSS CONWAY (1964), PETER NERO (1966), SHELLY BERMAN, CYD CHARISSE, TONY MARTIN, FRANCOISE HARDY and MAURICE CHEVALIER (1967) to his list of luminaries. His greatest coup was MARLENE DIETRICH. Aged 20 he sat on the street outside her apartment until curiosity compelled her to invite him in. He signed her to tour in 1965 and again in 1966. They remained friends until her death in 1992 aged 91.

In 1966 he tentatively shifted to the dramatic stage, often bringing entire productions from the West End to South Africa, cast, sets and costumes. Funding all his own productions he famously claimed that he produced farce and comedy to subsidize less commercial theatre.

Continuing with the successful business formula of signing overseas ox-office attractions he brought names like HERMIONE GINGOLD from New York for Noel Coward’s FALLEN ANGLES, JOAN FONTAINE for Fredrick Knott’s thriller DIAL M FOR MURDER. Other names included BARBARA WINDSOR, JUNE WHITFIELD AND SIR MICHAEL REDGRAVE.

With rigid censorship laws in South Africa in the 70s and 80s, plays were continually under scrutiny by the law. Ronald Millar’s ABELARD AND HELOISE called for a nude scene and actress Heather Lloyd-Jones consented to the demands of the script. Audience curiosity filled houses to capacity. The censorship board were given a dim silhouette of Miss Lloyd-Jones and the play continued. Toerien did not escape more aggressive raids when productions were closed down. When the word ‘gay’ was still taboo Toerien brought THE OTHERSIDE OF THE SWAMP to the boards. Writer ROYCE RYTON himself played opposite Echardt Rabe under GRAHAM ARMITAGE’S direction. The production broke all records in South Africa by running for a year.

Writers BEN TRAVIS, RAY CLOONEY and ALAN EICHBOURNE became audience favourites; as did AGATHA CHRISTIE.

From the early 80s, British comedy actor and director REX GARNER became associated with Toerien with many box office successes; RAY CLOONEY’S OUT OF ORDER and IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY, MICHAEL PERTWEE’S BIRDS OF PARADISE and  ROBIN HAWDON’S DON’T DRESS FOR DINNER.

Since the 70s he has always owned his own theatres. The first, The Intimate, a 235 seater, in partnership with Shirley Firth, was followed by The Barnato and the Andre Huguenot.

In 1980 he saved an old theatre from demolition and opened The Alahambra in Braamfontein, Johannesburg with PETER SHAFFER’S AMADEUS. Refurbishing the old building he added two more theatres to the complex, the Leonard Rayne, opened 18th July 1983, (renamed the Rex Garner in 1994) and the Richard Haines Theatres.

In 1988 he purchased the derelict Alvin Cinema in Camps Bay, Cape Town and, with designer Jan Corewyn transformed it with a post modern façade draped with a sculptured curtain. He named it Theatre on the Bay.

With the decentralization of Johannesburg’s CBD Toerien moved his Alhambra operation to the north of Johannesburg opening the Pieter Toerien Theatre in the Montecasino entertainment complex. Here he runs 2 theatres, one with 320 seats and a studio theatre with 160 seats

Lining the walls of Toerien’s theatres are posters of past productions SLEUTH, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, EQUUS, AMADEUS, AGNUS OF GOD, M BUTTERLY, MASTER CLASS, PRIVATE LIVES, STAGE STRUCK, QUARTEMAINE’S TERMS, SIE BY SIDE WITH SONDHEIM….

The works of such imminent British writers as NOEL COWARD TOM STOPPARD, SIMON GRAY, and PETER SHAFFER have all been seen in Toerien’s theatres.

In the 80s he brought SIR CAMERON MACINTOSH TOMFOOLERY to South Africa. This association has resulted in South Africa receiving many of the phenomenal successes of London’s musical theatre, “LES MISERABLES”, a co-production with Sir Cameron Mackintosh and TSOGO SUN; CATS which toured Scandinavia, the Far East and Beiruit;   THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA which toured the Far East, ending in Hong Kong. These were followed by THE SLEEPING BEAUTY ON ICE, JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT and JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR which was originally banned in South Africa as blasphemy after it opened on Broadway in 1971, will travel to Athens in 2007.

2007 will see the staging of THE LION KING in a splendid new 1900 seater lyric theatre being especially built by Tsogo Sun, the tenth largest in the world.

Another South African record was set by actor Tim Plewman who in 2006 ended an eight year run of ROB BECKER’S DEFENDING THE CAVEMAN. Plewman, had given 1500 performances of this one man show.

Toerien has not limited himself to theatre management. During the period of South Africa’s transition he worked extensively with WESTAG Task Group on the Performing Arts sub-committee. In this area of civic responsibility he also gave of his expertise on the CAPAB board to assist them in their adjustment to become ARTSCAPE. He was also on the board of the National Arts Council and the Western Cape Cultural Commission.

Bibliography: Just the Ticket, PERCY TUCKER Television documentary: To the Edge by Peter Bode The Star Newspaper