Wait a Minim!
Wait a Minim! is a musical review conceived by Leon Gluckman, and co-written by Andrew Tracey, Paul Tracey and Jeremy Taylor in 1961.
The piece started out as some songs they had written for two musical reviews that played in Johannesburg and in Rhodesia in 1961, from which they then combined the best material into a single musical review called Wait a Minim!. , and found they had a hit on their hands. They went on to perform in various versions of Wait a Minim all over the world between 1962 and 1968 - including seasons in South Africa, Rhodesia, England, USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, and including 461 shows spanning more than a year on Broadway in New York. With over 50 instruments in the show, many of them African, Andrew Tracey helped educate the world about unique African instruments, including the kalimba. Andrew was on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson a number of times. This musical performance career put Andrew's ethnomusicology research on hold.
It was first performed in its final form at the Intimate Theatre in Johannesburg in 1962, opening on 17 January, directed by Leon Gluckman with musicians Andrew and Paul Tracey, Kendrew Lascelles and Jeremy Taylor. Designs by Anthony Farmer,
The production then toured the country for eleven months, visiting Durban’s Alhambra Theatre, Rhodesia, Cape Town, Pretoria and Port Elizabeth before returning to Johannesburg to play at the Alexander Theatre and the Colony in Hyde Park Hotel.
They also went on to perform in Wait a Minim all over the world between 1962 and 1968, Rhodesia, England, USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, and including 461 shows spanning more than a year on Broadway in New York. With over 50 instruments in the show, many of them African, Andrew Tracey helped educate the world about unique African instruments, including the kalimba.
After more than two years performing in Africa, the show moved to London, where it opened at the Fortune Theatre on April 9, 1964. The play was billed as follows in London:
Devised and directed by Leon Gluckman, musical arrangements and direction by Andrew Tracey, costumes by Heather MacDonald-Rouse, choreography by Frank Staff and Kendrew Lascelles and lighting and design supervised by Klaus Holm
The London cast consisted of Andrew Tracey Paul Tracey Jeremy Taylor Kendrew Lascelles Michel Martel Zelide Jeppe Jeannette James Dana Valery
Andrew was on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson a number of times. This musical performance career put Andrew's ethnomusicology research on hold.
This success was later followed by productions called Minim Bili (1963) and Minim Export (1964-67), also directed by Gluckman.
Sources
Tucker, 1997.
Photographs by photographer David Sim of scenes from Leon Gluckman's production of Wait a Minim, including Michel Martel, April Olrich, Dana Valery and Jane Fyffe in the medieval scene and Jane Fyffe, Dana Valery and April Olrich in the Mexican scene held by NELM: Photograph collection; Photograph collection [Collection: GLUCKMAN, Leon]: 1995. 2. 7. 1. 44. 24.
Return to W in Plays 1 Original SA Plays
Return to W in Plays 2 Foreign Plays
Return to South_African_Theatre/Plays
Return to Main Page
