Annabel Linder

(****-****). Actress. Awarded Dalro Award for best performance in a musical for Chicago. Performed in Chicago (with PACT), Edith Piaf – No Regrets (as the lead), California Suite (for Toerien-Firth Company), Ibchek (at the Market Theatre). Also performed cabaret. (SACD 1974) (SACD 1977/78) (SACD 1978/79) (SACD 1979/80) (SACD 1980/81)

LINDER, Annabel. (19*-) Actress and singer. *** She starred in Leon Gluckman’s revue Minim Bili, which opened in April 1963, and was the sequel to Wait a Minim! staged in 1962. Together with Judy Page she starred in the musical Chicago which was staged by PACT in January 1977 at the Alexander Theatre. Direction and choreography were done by Geoffrey Sutherland and Hazel Feldman did publicity. She starred in the Pieter Toerien production of Neil Simon’s California Suite, directed by Stockton Briggle, together with Naomi Buch, Anthony Fridjohn and Michael Mayer in 1978. She starred in William Egan’s production of Tennessee Williams’s The Night of the Iguana together with Sandra Duncan, Eric Flynn and Anthony James for PACT at the Alexander Theatre in 1983. She starred in Edith Piaf – No Regrets for PACT at the Arena in 1977. She starred in Donald Howarth’s Ibchek, directed by its author, together with Jacqui Singer, Frantz Dobrowsky, Danny Keogh and Elaine Proctor at Upstairs at the Market in 1979. She starred in Des and Dawn Lindberg’s production of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas together with Judy Page and Victor Melleney under direction by Dawn at His Majesty’s Theatre in 1979. She starred in Alfred Uhry’s Driving Miss Daisy in 1989. ***(Tucker, 1997)

Quoted from the programme of Janice Honeyman's version of the play Isn't It Romantic (she played the role of Tasha Blumberg) in 1985: 'Annabel was born in Durban and educated at Durban Girl's College and Natal University obtaining her Teacher's diploma in Speech and Drama and then teaching for a year before entering professional theatre. She started her radio career, however, while still at school and has since become one of South Africa's best known voices in radio plays and commercials. Annabel's stage career has progressed from Shakespeare through musical comedy to the most difficult field of all - cabaret, receiving rave review right along the line. She left legitimate stage for five years to rear her family whilst establishing herself as one of the most sought after female cabaret artistes in the country. In 1977 she returned to the stage playing Velma Kelly in Chicago for PACT for which she received an award for Best Performance of the Year, and in 1978 played in Edith Piaf - No Regrets also for PACT. The following year she appeared in Ibchek for the Market and then in Neil Simon's California Suite. A second successful season of cabaret at the Top of the Carlton was the followed by her first series for SATV - playing Marsha Bloom in the South African comedy series Oh George. In 1982 Annabel appeared in It Had To Be You, a comedy for Pieter Toerien; a 13-part TV science programme for children and a successful cabaret season at Annabels. In 1983 she played a leading role in PACT's Night of the Iguana and the following year did a TV series called The Entertainment Quiz with Cyril Green. She also won a DALRO award (her second) in October 1984 for her performance as the Mother in Torch Song Trilogy at The Market Theatre. She has just completed a challenging role in which she plays an elderly Russian immigrant.'

Quoted from the From Door to Door programme notes in 2005 (?): 'Multi-award winning actress, comedienne and singer Annabel Linder, has distinguished herself in all spheres of the entertainment media. She has been nominated nine times for various awards given for excellence in theatre, TV, and radio, and has won five of them. Two DALRO awards - one for theatre for Torch Song Trilogy - one for musical theatre for Chicago, the TONIGHT Award for the TV series Heroes, the VITA award for Rose, and the Naledi Award for the The Tale of the Allergist's Wife. She is one of the best known voices on radio, and the foremost female singer-comedienne on the cabaret circuit. In the past seven years she completed a successful 12-week run in the play Twilight of the Golds at the Civic Theatre, a three month run in the hit musical When Annie met Sam, and a three month run in the Broadway musical La Cage Aux Folles. She the appeared for six weeks in the avante-garde play The 11th Commandment. Since July 1998 she has been hosting her own music and talk shows on Radio Today 14.85am. She has a big listenership and has proved very popular. In 1999, she did the 2nd show with husband Sam Sklair, called Play it Again featuring singer/actor James Ngcobo at the Liberty Theatre on the Square. During 2000, she appeared in 6 episodes of Isidingo. In 2001 she appeared in the most demanding role of her career. She played the part of Rose, an 80-year old survivor of the holocaust. It was a 2-hour tour-de-force performance, and a box-office and critical triumph. A tribute was paid to her by Dali Tambo who featured her in his 1 hour programme on national television called People of the South. She subsequently won the VITA Award for best dramatic actress for her performance in Rose. In 2002 she appeared in the successful American comedy The Tale of the Allergist's Wife. On Feb 1st 2004 at the first Naledi Awards she won the award for best comedy performance by a female for that production. She has recently released a CD with her husband Sam Sklair called Annie and Sam - Showtime, featuring some of the songs from their stage shows.'

Sources

From Door to Door programme notes in 2005 (?).

Programme of a run of Pieter Toerien's Isn't It Romantic directed by Janice Honeyman in 1985.

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