André Huguenet Theatre, Johannesburg
Opened by Pieter Toerien in 1977, and named after the iconic actor-manager André Huguenet. Pieter Toerien’s theatre in Kapteijn Street, Hillbrow. Pieter Toerien was set to stage The Deep Blue Sea, directed by Joan Kempton and starring Helen Cherry and James Faulkner at the Baxter Theatre as the opening production circa 1977. Dear Daddy, directed by and starring Nigel Patrick with Shelagh Holliday and Richard Haines was staged here in 1978. Together with Shirley Firth he presented Terence Rattigan’s Cause Célèbre, directed by Joan Kemp-Welch and starring Mary Millar and William Lucas here in 1978. It ran for nine months. Pieter Toerien brought Stockton Briggle to direct Ira Levin’s Deathtrap starring Peter Wyngarde and Raymond O’Neill in 1978. The world premiere of Burton Graham’s Nightfall starring Richard Todd and Jack Hedley was staged here in 1979. Michael Pertwee’s Sextet was staged here in 1979.Tom Stoppard’s Night and Day with Sandra Prinsloo and Tony Anhalt, Hugh Leonard’s Da, directed by Leonard Schach with Godfrey Quigley and Michael McGovern, and Pyjama Tops with Tobie Cronje was staged here from 1979 to 1980 with a production of Agatha Christie’s Ten Little Indians, previously known as Ten Little Niggers, inbetween. It was directed by Charles Hickman and starred Stuart Brown, Eckard Rabe and Yvonne Banning. Pieter sponsored a tour of Middle Age Spread with Rex Garner, Helen Jessop and Eric Flynn before it opened here in October 1980. Pieter staged Agatha Christie’s The Spider’s Web starring Rex Garner, Shelagh Holliday, Paddy Canavan and Kenneth Baker here in 1981. Leslie Phillips starred in Canaries Sometimes Sing for Pieter here in 1981. Peter Nichols’ Passion Play was directed by Nikolas Simmonds here in 1981. Pieter Toerien presented Noël Coward’s Oh Coward, directed by Freddie Carpenter with Richard Loring, Judy Page and Ronnie Stevens in 1982. Lanford Wilson’s Fifth of July with Eckard Rabe, Dorothy Ann Gould and Jonathan Rands was staged here in 1982. Who Goes Bare, directed by Rex Garner with Tim Plewman and Jonathan Rands was staged here in 1982. Pieter Toerien presented Agatha Christie’s Towards Zero here starring John Watts and directed by Charles Hickman in 1983. Pieter staged Michael Frayn’s Noises Off starring Rex Garner, Joy Stewart Spence, Eckard Rabe, Clare Marshall, Ralph Lawson and Kenneth Baker here in 1983. It returned later that same year for another run. Fiona Ramsay and Richard Haines starred in Tom Stoppard’s The Real Thing which was directed by Nikolas Simmonds in 1983. Pieter Toerien got Kim Grant to direct his 1984 Agatha Christie, The Hollow starring Shelagh Holliday in February. Ray Cooney’s Two into One was staged here in 1986. Louis Burke directed Shirley Firth’s production of Neil Simon’s Brighton Beach Memoirs here in 1986. Pieter Toerien presented Jerry’s Girls directed by Jimmy Bell and Richard Harris’ Stepping Out here in 1986. Outside Edge and Who Goes Bare was staged here in 1987. Double Double starring Sandra Prinsloo and Sean Taylor was staged here in 1987. Pieter Toerien presented Vladimir Gubartev’s Sarcophagus and Jerome Kilty’s Dear Love here in 1988. Rex Garner directed James Kirkwood’s Legends here in 1988. Anthony Shaffer’s Sleuth was staged here in 1988. Susan Pam’s Curl Up and Dye was staged here circa 1989. Rex Garner directed Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Nile in 1989. Jeffrey Archer’s Beyond Reasonable Doubt, Tom Lehrer’s Tom Foolery and Who Goes Bare were staged here in 1989. NAPAC and Pieter Toerien presented Ain’t Misbehavin’ here in 1990. Pieter Toerien and Plewman Productions presented Michael Pertwee’s Sextet here in 1990. Pieter Toerien staged Deon Opperman and Garth Holmes’s Playboys here in 1990. Pieter Toerien relinquished his lease on the Andre Huguenet in 1991. The National Theater of the Deaf from the USA staged In a Groove and Farewell My Lovely here in 1992. Tim and Cathy Plewman and Eric Lyall, management of the Andre Huguenet at this time, refurbished the theatre and reopened with Ray Cooney’s Uproar in the House in 1992. *** (Tucker, 1997)
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