Andrew Lyndsay of the Spaza Gallery is hosting a fab Valentine’s event.    Starting at 4 pm at 19 Wilhelmina St Troyeville there is a Valentine’s exhibition followed by a show by Venus Mercedes. Book via email emp@intekon.co.za or on 082 494 3275/ 082 957 0052. Cost R150 per head.

The annual platform for contemporary dance is back .  The programme showing at various venues around Johannesburg, features a wide range of contemporary dance including  performance art, Afro-fusion, and dance film and video by internationally renowned South African choreographers.  For the full programme see http://www.at.artslink.co.za/~arts/umbrella/objects/brochure2012.pdf

Concert on the Deck – Love, Life & Opera– Sat 25th February 2012 15h00 – 17h30

From Gingko’s newsletter: 

With February being the month of love, we thought we’d put together a programme that would celebrate some of the world’s greatest love songs. Michèle Corbin (soprano) and Donato Somma (tenor) will perform a wonderful selection of operatic, traditional Napolitan and more contemporary works to the accompaniment of pianist Susan Harrop-Allin.

Works include (among others) the beautiful Libiamo from Verdi’s La Traviata, Morrcone’s Nella Fantasiamade famous by Sarah Brightmanand more recently by Il Divo, the fabulous-for-singing-in-the-shower-on-your-own O Sole Mio,

We’ll be serving a special array of typical Italian street food, including antipasto platters, bagnacauda with grissini & raw veg for dipping, loads of different but equally delicious bruschetta, polenta fritta croccante otherwise know as polenta chips with muffaletta to dunk them in, popcorn w garlic & parmigiano and then luscious strawberries with balsamic glaze and tiramisu for dessert!

The concert is R100.00 per person. Book your table soonest as seats are limited as you know! Email Catherine@gingko.co.za. You’re welcome to come earlier for lunch and simply stay on, or plan on a late lunch accompanied by some of the world’s most delightful music.

Obie Oberholzer at Circa from 16th February

solo photographic exhibition Long Distance opens at Circa in Lower Rosebank on 16th February and runs till the 10th March.   

Of Dreams and Nightmares,  Jaco van den Heever’s 3rd solo exhibition opened at Art Space on Jan Smuts Parkwood on 1st Feb and runs until F29th Feb. Focusing on the dynamic & changing nature of Johannesburg’s urban landscape he comments on its fraught and complex history.  For more see http://www.artspace-jhb.co.za/archive/articles_2012/archive_of_dreams_and_nightmares.html

Candice Breitz’s Extra opens Tues 8th Feb at the Standard Bank Gallery in Joburg Central and runs until 5th April.

On Thursday 9th Feb Gallery MOMO has its first exhibtion opening of 2012 with a group exhibition including Mary Sibande and Gary Stephens (runs until 12th March). Thursday will be a busy night as Everard Read opens 3 solo exhibitions: Carlo Gamberin, Caryn Scrimgeour, and Jeremy Houghton. Runs until 3rd MArch. And Advance …. Notice which opened at Goodman last Thursday runs until 25th February  
                                                                                                                                                                                                             

International guests at Liz at Lancaster often ask about where to go to eat really local food. In this age of globalization and fusion food, there are few options.  But here’s a fun one with a difference – real street food - a tshiya nyama meal along with local jazz and art work at  The Braai Shack (TBS). It’s located on Tyrwhitt Avenue in Rosebank  just up from the corner of Keyes Avenue, in the  new, bright red B2 building. See http://www.rosebank.co.za/view/index/the_braai_shack/62/1/139

The opening of the Gautrain station at Rosebank is beginning to make  a difference to people who  want to stay in the Parks region of Johannesburg (the greater Rosebank Region) despite doing business further afield.  A guest staying at Liz at Lancaster at the moment is working at a corporate office in Isando but did not want to stay over in the east near the airport. He takes the Gautrain daily from the Rosebank Station to Rhodesfield and then gets a lift from a colleauge from the office nearby the station – 25 minutes door to door. Increasingly it seems the Gautrain will be used by commuters so it’s a pity that the opening of the Rosebank to Joburg Central  link is delayed (now not due to open before April 2013)  See  http://www.rosebank.co.za/view/index/gautrain_to_open_soon/62/1/139

The AA’s assessor visits anually to monitor and check on the standards of the Guesthouse. Nothing escapes Bev Balusik’s eagle eye! Here are some comments from her report submitted to the  board of the AA Quality Assurance:

Such seamless but thoughtful touches in all areas:

• a splendid, attractive notice board in main core public area
• guest internet station provided
• high attention to energy-saving measures including solar geysers, CFLs, solar garden lighting, water-saving shower roses, etc.
• generous provision of heating, a real plus for travellers including under-carpet heating
• complimentary bottled water & quality home-baked crunchies, Liz’s own muesli & a delightful easy-pour honey tube on breakfast tables
• breakfast room with LED DSTV
• easy instructions for complimentary internet access in rooms
• various menus, maps, evacuation & fire procedures in all rooms, quality paper holder, recycling info on waste bins
• generous DSTV in rooms
• fridges stocked incl fresh milk, and so on.

Really excellent & indicative of high levels of general efficiency.  The exceptional provision of guest comforts for both leisure & corporate guests and the high standards of personal yet professional service and hospitality continue to set this establishment at an exceptionally confident Superior level.

Where to stay after recuperating from surgical procedure?  Hotel or guesthouse?

We at Liz at Lancaster Guesthouse are fortunate to have hosted many patients who have been recovering after surgery at various Clinics within easy reach of Liz at Lancaster: the Rosebank Clinic, http://www.netcare.co.za/live/content.php?Item_ID=171 Wits Donald Gordon Medical Institute http://www.dgmc.co.za/   in nearby Parktown, Morningside Clinic http://www.mediclinic.co.za/hospitals/Pages/about.aspx?h=16  and the Milpark  http://www.netcare.co.za/live/content.php?Item_ID=161   

There are many advantages of staying in a guesthouse for post-operative care. Apart from the obvious advantage of lower rates at guesthouses as compared to hotels, there are many other pluses : the biggest being privacy and being able to recuperate out of the public eye.  With rooms opening out onto private enclosed courtyards guests can make the most of fresh air and secluded privacy. And during the day when business guests have all gone off to work they can venture further and enjoy a tranquil garden setting with sparkling pool, shaded areas and Joburg’s significant bird-life.  All units at Liz at Lancaster have intercoms to the main house and staff so there is 24/7 access to Liz, Catherine and Zac all of whom live on site. As a registered transport provider Zac provides on-site transport needs: airport transfers, drop-off and collection at the hospital and drives to any attractions or shopping destinations.  Many guests choose to have their breakfasts served in their rooms or in their patios – at the time of their choice.  Although Liz at Lancaster also provides healthy post-operative lunches and suppers, with fully equipped kitchenettes in all units, once guests feel strong enough, they really appreciate the flexibility and cost-effectiveness of being able to prepare their own light meals.  Walking in the area is completely safe with a 3 minute stroll to the shops at the end of the block, being an ideal distance for those wanting to do some gentle exercise. Here there is a coffee shop, hairdresser, 7.30-7 grocery store, chemist, etc. And finally, the caring and nuturing attitude of Liz, Catherine, Zac and Thandie counts for a lot when recovering from a medical procedure.

While we have hosted patients recuperating from a wide range of medical procedures, most of our ‘medical guests’ have been recovering from plastic surgery.  Over the years Liz at Lancaster has been fortunate to host patients from many of South Africa’s top plastic surgeons:  Dr. Saul Braun  http://www.drbraun.co.za/rosebank_medical_facilities.htm  and Dr Fayman http://www.doctorfayman.co.za/  who both practice at the Rosebank Clinic; from the Wits Donald Gordon Medical Institute , Dr Richard Stott; as well as Dr Peter Scott who works out of  the Morningside Clinic. 

Here are just two of the many letters of thanks from our medical patients:

June 2006

Thank you Liz for everything. I had a really relaxing time with you all. You run a lovely place and I will recommend Liz at Lancaster to anybody who is coming to SA in future. Thank you for the jigsaws – it will be a long time before I will be doing a jigsaw again!. Loved the peace and quiet – it contributed to my fast recuperation. Thank you.

January 2012

I have now settled back home and into the office as well.  I am healing superbly well with only occasional discomfort.  I wanted to thank you again for the warm hospitality that you accorded to me during my stay there.  It is not every day that I come across the kindness and personal touch with which I was treated – and this extended to Catherine, Zac, Marley [the lovable Labrador] and Rosemary. Thank you again, I look forward to my stay in April.

Gerald Garner who wrote Spaces and Places Johannesburg as well as Johannesburg 10Ahead, has recently started walking tour of Jozi’s inner city.  On 28th Jan a tour will leave from Mary Fitzgerald Square at 9 am. Billed to see the public art in Newtown, Turbine Hall, Chancellor House, the Anglo American campus, the Ashanti Hotel and Dogon apartments, Main Street Mall, Gandhi Square, The City Hall, Ernest Oppenheimer Park and, time permitting trendy Braamfontein. You will definitely need your walking shoes.  See www.joburgplaces.com

Cost R230 per person   To book email gerald@joburgplaces.com Tel 082 894 5216

The Market Theatre shows re-runs of older productions including the classic Woza Albert at the Barney Simon Theatre until 5th Feb.  This South African classic asks what would happen if Jesus Christ (Morena) came back to South Africa during apartheid. This lively satire of the absurdities of apartheid provides a showcase for the talents of two dextrous actors, who play a range of ordinary characters on the street.    Tues – Sat @ 20h15, Sun @ 15h15   Ticket prices: Tues – R66, Wed & Thurs – R90, Fri & Sat – R140, Sun – R100

Another re-run is Somewhere on the Border which runs until 12th Feb at the Main Theatre at the Market.  Exactly 25 years after the play first performed in Grahamstown, André Odendaal’s production opened at the 2011 National Arts Festival. Leon van Nierop concluded his review on Artslink saying “the play performs an open heart surgery on the South African psyche. It is timely, finely acted and forcefully directed. See it at all costs.”
Tues – Sat @ 20h00, Sun @ 15h00
Ticket prices: Tues – R66, Wed & Thurs – R95, Fri & Sat – R160, Sun – R120
Special: 11h00 performances @ R50 only from 10 – 13 January 2012

Following its success at three South African Arts Festivals and a tour of Holland, US playwright Dael Orlandersmith’s love story, Yellowman, is back at the Laager Theatre. Yellowman is a contemporary tragedy with the parts played by David Johnson as Eugene (Gene) and Mwenya Kabwe who won Fleur Du Cap for Best Actress for her role as Alma. Ticket prices: Tues – R66, Wed & Thurs – R90, Fri & Sat – R140, Sun – R100

There are two musicals showing at the Joburg Theatre. If ABBA is your thing then The ABBA Show is for you! – Showing until 5th Feb.     I heard P-J Powers being interviewed on her role as Dusty in You don’t have to say you love me; The Dusty Springfield Show.  Sounds like a fun production. On until the 12th February.  

At Pieter Toerien Monte Casino Main Theatre, Agatha Christie’s classic Whodunit is on until 26 Feb and the long-awaited production of  Broadway’s longest running musical, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera opens at Teatro Monte Casino on 31st January.

Straight from sold out seasons in Cape Town, the Grahamstown National Arts Festival and the Hilton Festival Gaetan Schmid’s comedy Body Language is showing the Old Mutual Theatre on the Square until 4th February.