(Pic by Tyrone™ Bradley: Andy Turrell in “Smoke on the Water”)The Guitar That Rocked the World was first staged at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre on July 4, 2000. In response to popular demand, the production is being re-staged in the same venue for a two-week season and last night’s premiere was appropriately held on what would have been the 101st birthday of Leo Fender, the creator of the Fender Stratocaster electric guitar.
Focusing on the importance for young performers in the arts to believe in their dreams and aspirations, the story is a simple one. A budding guitarist/songwriter called Stevie (played by Daniel Basckin) is trying to compose a song while his parents are admonishing him to do his homework and go to bed. Reluctantly, he gets under the covers but sleep doesn’t come easily and he finds himself in the middle of a nightmare which changes course when he is confronted by the ghost of Leo Fender, the creator of his ultimate dream possession.
Playing Leo Fender, Frank Graham lends his strong dramatic and comedy skills to his role as he exhorts Stevie to visualise the guitar of his dreams so that it may become reality. He introduces Stevie to the Stratocaster’s history and the legendary guitarists who have achieved fame through their association with the instrument.
Directed by Themi Venturas who devised The Guitar That Rocked the World with guitarist maestro Barry Thomson, who steals the show, this is a fast-paced excellent production that is notable for some fine guitar playing and singing, backed up by a variety of appropriate dance sequences choreographed by Janine Bennewith who appears with Dany Ribbink, Celeste Nel and Jacqueline Bowles. A group of well-focused youngsters from Penzance Primary School appear in The Wall.
Strongly supporting Barry Thomson on vocals and also appearing in the dance numbers are Bryan Hiles and Jonothan Didlick, and I was particularly impressed with their handling of a tricky sequence with Janine Bennewith which involved many complex lifts for two people who are not regular dancers. Now firmly established as a guitarist of note, Andy Turrell takes the featured guitarist position opposite Rowan Stuart while Mali Sewell is rock-solid on drums and the ever-laconic bass guitarist Glen Turrell gets into movement-mode in a tribute to the Shadows and later performs Le Grange.
Musical director Dawn Selby provides her ever-reliable leadership and it was a delightful surprise to see her move into the spotlight, minus keyboard, to perform Bonnie Raitt’s Thing Called Love. Expect to hear numbers associated with legendary Strat players such as the Shadows, George Harrison, Mark Knopfler, Buddy Holly, Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa and Eric Clapton.
In my original review, I mentioned that Rowan Stuart, who originally played Stevie, is a young performer to watch. He certainly blasted forth onto the music scene and is now a respected recording artist and performer in his own right. I have no doubt that Daniel Basckin will follow in Rowan’s footsteps. His performance, particularly in Don’t You Wish You Could Play Like That, is mature and focused and it was a nice touch to connect the original and current Stevies with the older one proving Leo Fender’s statement that the Stratocaster has just as strong a place in the South Africa of today as it has in the UK and the USA.
With Jackie Cunniffe on sound, the show is in good hands and Mark Kleinert’s lighting design is dramatic, moody and spectacular, particularly for Smoke on the Water. The stylish set design by Themi Venturas and Brandon Bunyan sees the use of scrims with guitar images and the see-through stage makes for some exciting lighting effects. Apart from the technical side, all-round attention to detail is good which elevates this production to a high level. This was confirmed by the audience’s response at the final curtain.
The Guitar That Rocked the World runs at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre until August 29 with performances at 20h00. Booking is at Computicket. Don’t miss it! – Caroline Smart
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