Montecasino

Montecasino
Montecasino first opened its doors on 30 November 2000 and expanded in May 2007 with the addition of the open air Piazza and Teatro. Montecasino's Piazza, which is slightly smaller than a rugby field and modeled on a typical Italian piazza features several restaurants where visitors can dine al fresco, and enjoy the mesmerizing musical fountain displays. The Piazza also features the SunSquare Hotel, aimed at the modern business tourist, the Montecasino Ballroom which can accommodate 400 people seated banquet style, and the spectacular Teatro at Montecasino, which opened with the legendary stage production The Lion King.

Theatres at Montecasino
Montecasino brings world class theatre shows to diverse audiences at our two theatres – The Teatro at Montecasino and Pieter Toerien's Main Theatre and Pieter Toerien's Studio.

The Teatro
The spectacular Teatro at Montecasino is a world class theatre destination, featuring the best Musical, Dance, Drama or Comedy entertainment options with great restaurants and hotels at Montecasino. Going to the theatre has a new air of wonder and mystery at the Teatro at Montecasino, which opened its doors in May 2007 with the international stage phenomenon, The Lion King co-produced by Lebo M and Pieter Toerien.

The Teatro is acoustically designed for large scale musical productions and it can accommodate 1 870 people at full capacity. Despite the vast number of seats, the Teatro has an unmistakable intimacy and no seat is further than 33 metres from the stage. The Teatro was constructed at a cost of over R100 million by Tsogo Sun Gaming and is one of the 10 largest Lyric theatres in the world.

The Lion King played to packed audiences for 36 weeks, making South African history when it broke all box office records in South Africa, with over 550 000 people watching the show. This Disney musical is the longest-running and most successful show in South African theatre history. The show also received the distinction of being awarded the Best Production of a Musical category in the 2007 Naledi Awards, and Tsogo Sun Gaming was recognised for their contribution to the arts when it received the BASA Award for First Time Sponsor for the construction of the Teatro.

Since The Lion King closed in February 2008, the Teatro has played host to a number of highly successful local and international productions, including The Merchants of Bollywood, Chicago - The Musical, Joe Jackson, Mel Miller, Tap Dogs, Annie Lennox, Lord of the Dance and the Jozi Comedy Festival. Beauty and the Beast was the second Disney production to take to the Teatro's stage, followed shortly by High School Musical - Live on Stage.

The Teatro, which was acoustically designed for large scale musical productions, opened its doors in May 2007 with the spectacular Disney musical "The Lion King", which wowed over 550 000 people who watched the show over a record 36 week run.

Theatre shows are varied and include some of the best loved musicals, drama and comedy and a host of other breathtaking local and international performances. Past performances at both theatres include: "Chicago – The Musical", Disney's "Beauty & The Beast", "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat", "Defending the Caveman", "Jozi Comedy Festival" and Disney's "High School Musical". Keep your eye on local press for details of upcoming production at Montecasino. Montecasino – We've got it!

Pieter Toerien's Theatre & Studio
Pieter Toerien's Main Theatre and Pieter Toerien's Studio.

South Africa's foremost theatre impresario, Pieter Toerien opened Pieter Toerien's Theatre & Studio at Montecasino with the record breaking comedy hit 'Defending the Caveman' in November 2000.

He regards his Montecasino theatre as a platform and a theatrical home and aims to give both new and established artists opportunities for new directions and growth.

Pieter Toerien's Theatre & Studio has been home to some of the best theatre productions with both local and international stars gracing its stage including Bea Arthur, Moira Lister, Bill Flynn, Tim Plewman, Michael Richard, Tobie Cronje, Pieter-Dirk Uys, Marc Lottering and Rex Garner, Fiona Ramsay, Alan Committie, Ashley Dowds and Neels Van Jaarsveld.

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