It’s time to reward Gauteng theatre excellence, and while 2011 proved to be a year that put more emphasis on enter- tainment than on serious theatre, there are some strong productions that stood out, as represented in the Naledi Awards nominations.

The prestigious theatre awards ceremony takes place on Monday, March 5 at The Lyric Theatre at Gold Reef City, a venue that has hosted the event for three years.

Leading the pack in the musical categories is the spectacular staging of Dreamgirls with no fewer than 10 nominations, followed by the brilliant Mandela Trilogy and the wacky Pirates of Penzance with eight nods each.

It’s good to see Nataniël’s work being recognised by the Naledis with his dynamic Combat, Pieter Toerien’s JC Superstar and Deon Opperman’s original work Tree Aan, receiving six nominations each.

The best production of a play includes Aubrey Sekhabi’s clever The Rivonia Trial (first staged in 2010 but not included then) with nine nominations, and Alan Swerdlow’s immaculately directed The History Boys with six nominations.

These two productions’ strength lies in how they tackle history, local and foreign, poignantly.

The best performance by an actor in a lead role includes Brian Webber in a sensitive portrayal of a gay prisoner in Kiss of the Spiderwoman; the masterly Graham Hopkins as the controversial teacher in The History Boys; Sello Maake ka Ncube’s dignified and restrained performance as Mandela in The Rivonia Trial; and Isidingo star Stephen van Niekerk in The Crucible, a lucid production at the Joburg Promusica Theatre in Roodepoort directed by the young Alby Michaels.

The Naledis are paying attention to young companies pushing theatrical boundaries and producing cutting edge theatre, and the teams behind The Crucible and Kiss of the Spiderwoman are definitely ones to watch. Best performance by an actress in a lead role includes diva Annabel Linder as the matriarch in The Table, Noxolo Tshabangu’s performance in Loving Lulu, and Robyn Scott, who was endearing in London Road.

Tshabangu’s inclusion in this category perhaps goes to show that there was not a lot to choose from last year, as her performance in, and the execution of Loving Lulu, which deals with the topical issue of homophobia and lesbians in South Africa, are debatable.

Best director of a play or musical includes some of the country’s best: Aubrey Sekhabi for The Rivonia Trial, Alan Swerdlow for The History Boys, Christopher Weare for Decadence, Greg Homann for Pirates of Penzance, and Cape Town’s Lara Bye for London Road. A complex category is that of the Creators and Curators of Musical Excellence. Several contributors have been nominated together for composing scores, arrangements and musical direction. Original scores were created for Mandela Trilogy, Tree Aan, The Table and Nataniël’s Combat. Other scores include The Pirates of Penzance and Dreamgirls.

One of the highlights of the Naledi Awards ceremony is the entertainment on the evening. Comedian Alan Committie will MC and acts include Gloria Bosman, singing a medley from Mandela Trilogy accompanied by Bryan Schimmel, both nominees.

Other performances will include pop singer Nádine, nominated for her debut performance in JC Superstar, performing I Don’t Know How to Love Him; Listen from Dreamgirls, performed by Lindiwe Bungane and Tracey-Lee Oliver – again accompanied by Bryan Schimmel; and Ek Staan Wag Oor Jou Hart from Tree Aan performed by Nadia Beukes and Vaughn Gardiner. From Janice Honeyman’s latest All-star Pantomime, Cinderella, a duet performed by Carmen Pretorius and Bongi Mthombeni, a Top 10 finalist in Idols SA in 2010, will also feature.

Dancing on stage will be Joburg Theatre’s cutest ballroom champions, child ballroom dancers from Richman Dance School in Orange Farm, who also featured in the Joburg Theatre production of Cinderella.

• The Naledi Theatre Awards are sponsored by the National Lottery Distribution Fund. The ceremony and cocktail event is open to the public. Buy tickets directly from Lyric Theatre 011 248 5168

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