Braamfontein will be firing on all its theatrical pistons again when the Alexander Theatre, located between the Johannesburg Civic Theatre and the Wits Theatre complexes opens its renovated doors at the end of June with Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning rock musical Rent.
This hot Broadway property, loosely based on Puccini's opera La Boheme by the late Jonathan Larson and set in New York's East Village, has been running at the Nederlander Theatre since 1996, with international spin-off productions.
It is being staged with an all South African cast by Hazel Feldman, who has bought sterling productions of Fame-The Musical, Chicago and We Will Rock You to our stages.
Feldman's choice of a Johannesburg venue for this production, backed by Investec, is a surprising one since she has opted for the ghost of Stiemens Street instead of the glittering Nelson Mandela Theatre on the hill.
"I believe the refurbishment of the much loved Alexander Theatre has created a perfect fit for Rent" says Feldman.
"The musical is contemporary, edgy and very relevant in today's South African society. The Alex is opposite the university, the whole of Braamfontein is being courageously re-developed by a young entrepreneur, Adam Levy...it all just works!"
Computicket founder and theatre historian Percy Tucker is equally upbeat. "It is wonderful that the Alexander Theatre has been revived and not confined to the dustbin. It is a Phoenix rising from the ashes."
Coincidentally, Tucker's profile of Muriel Alexander, whom the Alex is named for, is one of the essays in South African Jews in the Theatre just published by Jewish Affairs (available at Exclusive Books at R30).
Rent, which features gay, bisexual, lesbian and transgender cross-racial characters, also has a 2005 movie version based on it starring Taye Diggs and many members of the original cast.
For the Alex and Artscape seasons of the stage show Jill Somers is the choreographer and company manager Bryan Schimmel (currently in the pit for Thoroughly Modern Millie) is the musical director and plays keyboards with a five piece band. Booking opens at Computicket soon.
RENT Auditions
Johannesburg: Civic Theatre's Gypsy 1 studio on Monday, February 5.
Cape Town: Room 301, Artscape, February 12 and 13.
The final call-backs will be hosted at the Alexander Theatre in mid-February by visiting American Rent director Amy Hensberry.
All applicants must have prepared a rock and a musical theatre ballad of their choice. Sheet music provided by each applicant is required; backing tracks will not be permitted. Everyone will be required to move so appropriate clothing and footwear is necessary for the choreography. For audition queries, call Jill Somers, on 084 876 0827 or e-mail jildance@mweb.co.za