

- Gaby aida george trial#
- Gaby aida george professional#
- Gaby aida george series#
- Gaby aida george crack#
Gaby aida george series#
an adaptation of the then-popular radio series along with Sigfried Mynhardt, John Boulter, Rod Alexander, Johan Swanepoel and Sandra Britz. Hymie Udwin gave her a role in the Johannesburg run of the wildly successful farce, Move Over, Mrs Markham, with Rex Garner and Shelagh Holliday but she was still only being cast as the “dumb blonde”.īecause she was so beautiful her dramatic potential was being overlooked in films but she stuck it out until film director Ivan Hall offered her a starring role as the selfish, impetuous, warmhearted sophisticate, Agnes, in Dans van die Flamink. Then the famous British comedian Jimmy Edwards came to South Africa with the comedy Big Bad Mouse, and Gaby was cast with him.īut she found film more appealing and eventually she landed a small roles in Mr Kingstreet’s War, with overseas actors John Saxon and Tippi Hedren, and in Taxi the South African film version of the popular radio series by, with co-stars Tony Jay, George Korelin and Pat Sanders. She landed minor roles in two musicals for African Consolidated Theatres, Let Yourself Go, with Michael Bentine and Robert and Elizabeth. The following year Gaby Getz moved to Johannesburg and was well on her way to becoming an established film actress on the South African scene.
Gaby aida george professional#
That was the end of Gabrielle van der Riet, the amateur actress and director and a few months later she was reborn as Gaby Getz, a professional actress, on the Durban and Johannesburg stages.Īmong her tutors at Anne Freed’s Theatre School was Catherine King, the academy’s senior voice coach.

Gabrielle van der Riet took her last look at her backstage dressing room at a Port Elizabeth theatre, closed the door, walked away and moved to Durban. Shortly afterwards Port Elizabeth’s “Mr Showbiz” Frank Rogaly, advised her to enroll as a student at Anne Freed’s Theatre School in Durban. Her portrayal was described as “magical in a professional performance beyond criticism”. In 1967, Gaby went to the East London theatre group, the Garrick Players, to play Beatrice in Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. In 1966 Gaby’s intensive thought was obvious when she produced Look Back in Anger on the Port Elizabeth amateur stage. Her directional debut in a major play followed her success in directing prize-winning school productions for her old school, St Dominic’s Priory, and the 1965 Salters’ Cup play festival, which she won an award with The Death of Bessie Smith. She was a great success and she appeared in several plays – Shakespeare, musicals, comedy and drama – and directed John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger in 1966.
Gaby aida george trial#
In 1963, aged 23, Gaby returned to Port Elizabeth and swept onto the amateur stage in the Pemads production of The Trial of Mary Dugan, directed by Charles Vernon. In her early 20s, Gaby spent part of her time in England and part near the Kalahari. Thus it was, in 1967, aged 17, Gabrielle forgot about her singing and turned to straight acting.

The young girl’s vision of being a Madame Butterfly or Aida was replaced by visions of the witch in Il Travatore and Carmen.īut Gabrielle was either going to be a soprano or nothing.
Gaby aida george crack#
She was quite ready to forget about the vocal crack but a well-meaning friend tried to encourage her by telling her she could still be a fine contralto. Then one day, while rehearsing a difficult passage one morning her, her voice broke on the top note.

Her parents encouraged her to follow her dream and to become a soprano singer. In 1946 a six-year-old Port Elizabeth girl Gabrielle van der Riet decided she was going to be an operatic soprano.įor her size and age she had a strong, sweet, voice.
