Elzabé graduated from the Pretoria Technikon in 1981. Her various stage productions include TWELFTH NIGHT, ROMEO & JULIET, INSIDE-OUTSIDE (a revue), PICNIC on the BATTLEFIELD, SGANARELLE and MATTEWIS & MERAAI. During 1982 she played the lead in a local television series, DIE ROOI KOMPLOT whereafter she did DIE MEISIE VAN SUIDWES and CANTERVILLE GHOST.
1984/5 saw her perform in Namibia in the stage production OUSUS and EKSKUUS VIR DIE WALS whereafter her cabaret talents emerged. Janice Honeyman directed her in TRUE CONFUSIONS and she performed THE LONG SHORT SHOW at Studio 58. In between productions such as PARADYSBOOT and TWO INTO ONE she performed in the well publicized DAVID KRAMER JOL and A … MY NAME IS ALICE (for which she received a Dalro Nomination for Best Performance in a Musical in 1985).
Her revues include HELLO SUID-AFRIKA, HELLO SOUTH AFRICA at the Black Sun (Dalro Nomination and Gallo Award), ELZABÉ ZIETSMAN in CABARET, TWO FACES of ELZABÉ ZIETSMAN, SABC APPROVED and TARTS.
During 1887/8 she starred in Darrell Roodts’ movie THE STICK, a stage production for PACOFS, DIE PROPONENTJIE, a television series, DOT & Kie for the SABC and performed her cabaret shows at the Grahamstown Festival and all major cities countrywide. In 1988 she made three music specials for the SABC, MET LIEFDE VAN …., METRONOOM and KLUB ’88 as well as acting in another television series, HONEYBALL SE TOERE. She was cast in an internationally released movie RIVER of DEATH. More cabaret shows followed, VAN BERLYN TOT BAPSFONTEIN, the musical KING AFRICA, BLOU BULLE REVUE and TWO FACES. During 1989 she had the opportunity to really prove acting ability in a one woman stage drama, MAN to MAN, as well as the cabaret, TONIGHT LOLA BLAU. More cabaret shows include SLEUTELGAT REVUE and ZIETS & DE VRIES with Casper de Vries, THE DRIVEL & THE SONG
And a tribute to the words and music of Jaques Brel. During 1990 a national tour of ZIETS & DE VRIES took the country by storm. During this time she wrote a cabaret for herself, CABARET SCHMABARET which she performed at After Dark. The end of the year saw a very successful run of THE AFTER DARK HORROR SHOW which Nataniël and Alida White. 1991 she toured with Pierre Knoesen in LOOKER ON, FLIKFLOOIE (a farce for PACOFS) and the musical revue ENCORE (for CAPAB). 1992 – a New cabaret CLICHÉ and COVER GIRL and a stage drama for PACT, DIE WATERWYSER.
During 1995 she landed a leading role in M-Net’s soapie, EGOLI. Her cabaret shows continue and during a short run of one of her shows in Windhoek, she was spotted by a musical director urging her to send material to Germany where they were looking for their tile role in EVITA She performed EVITA during the Summer Festival in Ettlingen in 1996 (in German). This proved so successful that she was invited back in 1997 to perform the role of Velma in CHICAGO and during 2000 the narrator in CABARET (all in German). On all these occasions she was allocated solo cabaret shows at the festival which proved extremely popular with the German audiences.
Back and forth between Germany and EGOLI she teamed up with André Schwartz in the cabaret SCHWARTZ AND ZIETSMAN for the 1998 Oudtshoorn Festival. She was offered the role of Wallace Simpson in Pieter -Toerien’s two-hander HER ROYAL HIGHNESS which performed Cape Town and Johannesburg. During this period she performed BRECHT for the Goethe Institute (their Centenary). The institute invited her to Berlin during 1999 to further her studies in the German language. A new cabaret followed on her return, A WHOLE LOT OF HUMAN FEELING. She recorded her first CD “XIII” which was launched in October 1999.
During 2000 she toured with her show “XIII” . She teamed up with Amanda Strydom for the Oudtshoorn and Aardklop Festival in a sell-out show, STRYDOM & ZIETSMAN IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER.
2001 – cabaret run at On Broadway in Cape Town. She played the lead in the highly acclaimed Deon Opperman musical, “VERE” which opened at the Oudtshoorn Festival.
Elzabé continues to perform cabaret shows for corporate functions and is involved with devising two shows, one with Joe Niemand (“VOLKSMOND”) and Coenie de Villiers (“SONGS – ZIETS SING COENIE).
Elzabé has just released her second CD, In my bloed/In my blood and has recently taken Oudtshoorn by storm with her new show “KAALGESTROOP”.
Elzabé Zietsman in Cabaret is a compilation of all her favourite songs, as well as songs that are not often heard. |
