Bruce Millar

(****-****). Actor and Singer. Performed in The Boy Friend, Butterflies are Free (for which he was nominated for a Best Actor Award), Abelard and Heloise, White Liars, Lovers, A Macbeth, Best of Birds and Beasts, Godspell (as “Jesus”, for which he won a Gallo award for Best musical performance 1974), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (as “Joseph” for which he was nominated for a Gallo Award), Henry IV (as Prince Hal) Act. (SACD 1973) (SACD 1974) (SACD 1975/76) (SACD 1977/78) (SACD 1978/79) (SACD1979/80) (SACD 1981/82)

(19*-) Actor and singer. ** He starred in an adaptation of Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris directed by Taubie Kushlick and staged between 1975 and 1983. He starred in Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat which was directed by John Hussey, choreographed by Geoffrey Sutherland and also starred Richard Loring Mark Richardson, Garth Annetts & Tony Caprari, Laura Wilkie, Sandy Dyer, Leslie Sterryand Alvon Collison for PACT at the Alexander in 1974. He starred in Grease together with Leonie Hofmeyr, Eckard Rabe, Danny Keogh and Sue Kiel at His Majesty’s in 1977. It ran until June the following year. He starred in The Bed, directed and adapted by Jimmy Logan, together with Melody O’Brian, John Lesley and Diane Appleby at the Academy in 1980. Together with Dawn Lindberg he starred in the Lindberg’s production I’m Getting My Act Together and Taking It On the Road directed by Malcom Purkey at the Arena Bistro Theatre in 1980. He starred in Des Linberg and Dawn Lindberg’s production of Lennon together with Gay Lambert, Colin Shapiro and Colin Shamley. Dawn Linberg directed this tribute at the Arena Bistro in 1981.

Quoted from the programme of Pieter Toerien's Isn't It Romantic in 1985: 'Bruce was born in Bulawayo and trained in Bristol, England, graduating with a B.A. Joint Honours Drama and English and then spent two years at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He was first seen in South Africa as the blind boy in Butterflies are Free for which he received and Actor of the Year nomination. Since then has been seen in a wide variety of productions from Robert Kirby revues (eg. Separate Development, which went to the Manchester Royal Exchange Theatre) to [[Michael McCabe's production of Everyman for which Bruce wrote and sang a couple of pseudo-Gregorian songs). He is probably best know for his performances in musicals, beginning with the original Des and Dawn Lindberg production of Godspell in which he played Jesus, winning the Gallo Award for Best Performance in a Musical. He the played the title role in Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat earning a Gallo Award nomination. Other musicals include Grease, Lennon and Fangs. In 1976 Bruce's recording of I Won't Give Up topped the Hit Parade for six weeks earning him a Gold Record. That same year he won two SARI awards - 'Best Male Vocalist' and 'Top Twenty Artist of the Year'. When SABC started its television service in January 1976 he sang on the opening night variety show ('thus becoming one of the first artists in the country to be switched off...'). Since then his TV appearances have included The Danny Bickett Show, Along Came A Spider and he most recently was the presenter of Follow That Star. Bruce is also a familiar voice to the dying breed of radio listeners, having played Al Capone in Mr Scarface and Pip in Great Expectations.

Sources

Tucker, 1997

Programme of Pieter Toerien's Isn't It Romantic in 1985.

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