Courtesy of the Phantom of the Opera Programme 2012 (Pieter Toerien Monte Casino)

A few weeks ago a guest staying at Liz at Lancaster & who is a musical-aholic, told me he had seen ‘Phantom of the Opera’ SEVENTEEN times – in NY, London and now the night before at Monte Casino, his 2nd time in SA. And he thought it was the best performance he had ever seen. I had never seen Phantom so on his recommendation and with high expectations, I went with a friend (also a Phantom novice). We were completely bowled over. Apart from that wonderful music, the stage sets and costumes were just amazing, but most gut wrenching of all was Johnathan Roxmouth’s rendition of the Phantom. Just an extraordinary performance. Really don’t miss it if you can help it. It’s been extended until 3rd June.

The space at 281 Commissioner St opened up to allow the projection of Buntu Fihle's photographs onto a building across the street. Source: Andre Pretorius

On Tuesday evening, I went to 10 years On Air – the collaborative Review exhibition of the On Air partnership: Marcus Neustatter and Stephen Hobbs. Unexpectedly, Marcus was there to give a walkabout which made viewing particularly enjoyable and accessible . It was really good to see their production over the last decade – much of which has been based in other countries.   Their projects have been very varied but all demonstrate their interest in collaborative work, performance and installation work, and making interventions in public spaces and buildings.   With most of their work being of an ephemeral nature, Neustatter and Hobbs use different mediums (video, slides, artefacts and everyday objects, drawings) to record and re-present their various projects.  These thought-provoking projects  have generated many beautiful visuals as in the Hand and Machine piece which contrasts and compares the different rural and urban Mali environments of Djenne the mud city (and World Heritage site),  and Bamako the capital.  10 years On Air  will be on for another 2 months but only by appointment.  It is showing in a great venue – a factory building at 281 Commissioner St (a block away from Arts On Main) and because much of their work is in the form of large scale video projections, the show is only on in the evenings after dark. For more see http://www.onair.co.za/broadcast/?p=415#more-415 

Emergent (detail) 2012 Pen & ink 567X516mm ; Taken from AOP's exhibition invitation

Richard Penn’s new solo exhibition  Horizon opens at AOP  44 Stanley Ave this Saturday. Penn’s painstakingly detailed work is always a treat. The obsessively meticulous pen and ink marks are awe-inspiring in their technical skill and meditative in their repetitive  patterned fields.
Opening is on Saturday 25 February at 14:00; Exhibition runs until 17th March and Richard Penn will do a walkabout on Saturday 3 March at 11:00. 

Shwele Bawo looks at the juxtaposition of old traditions fighting for survival against modern ways in South Africa and the effect this has on society. Through the story of the protagonist, Dikeledi Nkabinde, told retrospectively from Dikeledi’s place of imprisonment, many themes create multiple layers for thought: identity crises among men and women; the disintegration of family structures; women and child abuse; relationships; incest; the power of the media and the inequalities in our justice system. The play reveals how these issues, ignored for far too long, have created a social time bomb of secrets and lies that threaten to destroy our society.
Tues – Sat @ 20h15, Sun @ 15h15
Ticket prices: Tues – R66, Wed & Thurs – R90, Fri & Sat – R140, Sun – R100