Ocean City Complex
The Ocean City Complex in Durban was a venue used for "on ice" shows and for the showing of films.
The venue
Origins: The Durban Icedrome
In Durban pantomime was very popular at Christmas and by the mid 1960s several were local versions staged on ice at the Durban Icedrome, among them Cinderella, Mother Goose and Puss in Boots,
In 1965 Chu Chin Chow On Ice was brought to South Africa, but in this case was and staged at the Alhambra Theatre from the 8th to the 31st of July.
Ocean City Complex
By the end of the 1960s the Ice Drome had been redeveloped into a combined ice rink and cinema complex called Ocean City. The complex comprised of two cinemas, Ocean City (large) and O'Connor Intimate (small). The ice rink was intended for recreational use by local ice-skaters, but was also used for occasional performances of "on ice" presentations.
Shows possibly done there include Marjorie Chase's pantomimes on ice, such as Babes in the Wood On Ice.
Sources
Trevor Friend. 2017. As if it were yesterday Facts About Durban[1] (Originally posted 18 August 2011, updated August 2017)
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