Geoffrey Sutherland

Geoffrey Sutherland (1941-1992) was a director and choreographer.

Born in Britain 51 years ago, he trained in movement at the famous Laban School and first came to South Africa in 1967 to lecture in movement at the Speech and Drama Department of the University of Natal in Durban.One of Geoffrey's first major theatrical productions in Durban was theremarkable open-air production in Mitchell Park of the danced Nativity, Navidad Nuestra - which, in many ways, was a perfect introduction to hiswork for he had not only conceived, produced and choreographed the piece butdesigned and danced in it as well. It incorporated what one gradually came torecognise as trademarks of a Geoffrey Sutherland production: theatricality andexcitement, originality and innovation which avoided resorting to gimmickryand the courage to use simple but theatrically-valid effects. Above all, it had aninfectious enthusiasm and energy that made it irresistible.He later moved to Johannesburg where he formed his own dance group, Kinetika, mounted the musical Man of la Mancha, choreographed TheCanterbury Tales and lectured in the Drama Department of the University of the Witwatersrand. Mr G. Sutherland (Photograph:NAPAC)

It was at this time that he first began working with the Performing ArtsCouncil of the Transvaal, choreographing dance sequences for opera production. However, his major breakthrough in the Transvaal was with thespectacularly successful musical Joseph and his amazing technicolour dreamcoat which has remained one of the biggest hits in the South African musicalsscene and which he revived a number of times -most recently for theChristmas season last year at The Natal Playhouse.He later became resident producer and choreographer for PACT and createdballets and directed a number of major productions for the organisation. He first worked for NAPAC in 1971 when he directed a new stage adaptation of the delightful A. A. Milne stories about Winnie-the-Pooh - and I discovered that in addition to his creativity and artistic skills, Geoffrey was one of the most meticulously well-organised persons with whom I have ever worked.His attention to detail was astonishing, his total absorption in his currentproject and the sheer professionalism which he brought to everything he did,was a revelation. Over the years since then, there has been a stream of highly successfulGeoffrey Sutherland productions for NAPAC; productions of a consistentlyhigh standard. Of course, there were some productions one liked or admiredmore than others -but I never felt that Geoffrey had let NAPAC (or himself)down by a bad production, a cheap shot or a facile approach.When NAPAC decided to create a Musicals Department in 1986, there wasno one else in South Africa that we even considered for the post. If GeoffreySutherland had not been interested or available, NAPAC would probably havedropped the idea. It proved to be a mutually beneficial step in every way and GeoffreySutherland turned NAPAC's Musicals Theatre Department into one of themost innovative and exciting arts departments in all of the Performing ArtsCouncils.Perhaps the Trilogy season and Queen productions set the final seal on hisvision about what musical theatre could, and should, be: and everyone who sawthose productions realised we were taking part in the making of South Africantheatrical history.All who have regularly attended theatre in Natal will have memories of'a Geoffrey Sutherland production'; shows which enriched our experience at thetime and so live on in our memory. As they range across such a wide variety of styles, genres, moods, they also give some indication of the enormousversatility of the man. I must include memories of ... the huge, white-winged angels in Navidad Nuestra, as they swoopedacross the grass in Mitchell Park on a summer night more than 25 yearsago;Geoffrey as 'Quasimodo', clinging to the giant, clanging bell as thecurtain fell slowly on his Hunchback of Notre Dame, the closingperformance by the NAPAC Ballet Company at the old Alhambra;the simplicity and sincerity of the revue Pia/, which opened The Cellar;the fun and exuberance of the hard-hat Pirates of Penzance, the firstproduction in the Opera of the Natal Playhouse; he enormous impact of the combined forces of the NPO, singers, dancersand Geoffrey's concept in a starkly dramatic Carmina Burana or later inhis Peer Gynt - both at the old Alhambra;the wonderfully-atmospheric Sondheim musical Sweeney Todd, whichwas exceptional by any standards -but even more remarkable as part of the Trilogy which Geoffrey conceived, put together and made;the delightful Joseph and his amazing technicolour dreamcoat - in allits manifestations and revivals, productions and re-productions -whichalways had a light-hearted and gentle charm that made me feelgood ... the sparkling vitality of Ain 't Misbehaving; the charm of the under-rated Romance, Romance; the beautifully-staged production numbers in showslike Fair Lady, Camelot, Seven Brides, Hello Dolly, Singin' in the Rain,Queen;

Before coming to South Africa in July 1967, he was a lecturer in Dance and Drama at the Laban Studio in Surrey. **

He directed Canterbury Tales for the JODS at the Civic Theatre, in 1970. He directed and choreographed Man of La Mancha for JODS in 1971. He did the choreography for the JODS production Applause at the Civic in 1971. Choreography was taken over by Wendy de la Harpe after dissatisfaction from the director. He choreographed the PACT production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, directed by John Hussey, and starring Richard Loring, Bruce Millar and Alvon Collison at the Alexander in 1974. He directed and choreographed the South Afrcian version of the musical Chicago in January 1977 at the Alexander Theatre. It starred Annabel Linder and Judy Page and Hazel Feldman did publicity. He directed PACT’s production of The Archon at the Civic in 1979. His production of Joan Littlewood’s Oh! What a Lovely War starring Judy Page, Michael Richard, Gay Lambert, Michael McCabe, James White and Erica Rogers was staged by PACT in 1980. He directed NAPAC and CT Productions’ Snoopy!!! starring Tim Plewman, Mark Richardson and Cathy Cota, at the Space Frame theatre in 1984. He directed Peer Gynt at the Durban Alhambra for NAPAC in October 1985. He directed The Pirates of Penzance starring Clive Scott, Julie Wilson, Edwin van Wyk and Colleen-Rae Holmes for NAPAC which was brought to the Civic by PACT in December 1986. He choreographed The Great Waltz with direction by David Matheson which opened at the State Theatre in 1987. He directed and choreographed the musical Singin’ in the Rain in 1988. He directed Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd in 1989. He directed Romance, Romance in 1990. Together with Andrew Botha and Graham Scott he created Queen at the Opera which opened at the Durban Playhouse in 1990. He directed and choreographed Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s musical Jesus Christ Superstar at the Durban Playhouse in 1991. He directed the combined performing arts council’s production of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers in 1990/91. He died in 1992 at the age of fifty-one.

Sources

Teater SA, 1(3), 1968.

Tucker, 1997.

Robert N. Cross. 1992. "Obituary" in Natalia No 22 (1992) (pp.71-71)[1]

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