(Cathy Peacock)Exciting repertoire of 19290’s Jazz, Latin and up to date greats. (Review by Rosanne Hurly)
Cathy Peacock and her amazing seven piece Dixieland band bring an exciting repertoire of 1920’s Jazz, Latin and up to date greats to the Heritage Theatre stage.
Platform Jazz has been in existence for 18 years, performing at functions, and at the Hilton Festival. However, it is only recently that the band made the decision to bring it to a main stage. I saw this production at the Rhumbelow Theatre in February and loved the raw and exuberant jazz. This production at The Heritage goes one step better and includes the very talented singer and performer, Shelly McLean, with the velvet voice.
The band line up includes leader Cathy Peacock on trumpet, Ian Holloway on clarinet, Duncan Wooldridge on a very fascinating red trombone, Jonathan Judge on sax, Andreas Kappen on double bass, Bruce Baker on drums and Cali Thomson on keyboards. Favourite Dixieland numbers include: Alexander’s Ragtime Band, Basin St Blues and In the Mood.
With musicians of this calibre, the band is strong as it is but bringing in the extra talents of Shelly McLean is the cherry on the top. Enthralling the audience with an array of glittering outfits McLean uses her lyrical voice to effortlessly glide through numbers like My Baby Just Cares for Me, The Girl from Ipanema, Georgia, Brazil and others, not forgetting my all-time favourite, Summertime. The band introduced some fun instruments and shakers which added to the fun, and colour of the show. They cleverly interacted with the audience, persuading us to happily drum on anything we could find, whether it was a table top or the partner sitting next to us.
A small suggestion to the theatre - It would be a good idea to start the show a little earlier than 20h30, especially during the week. Last night patrons had eaten by 20h00 and it would have worked well to start the show just after 20h00.
This show only runs at The Heritage Theatre until June 24 so book early to avoid disappointment. Tickets R165 Tuesday dinner and Sunday lunch and R195 Wednesday to Saturday dinner. The price includes a very tasty two course meal. There is also a non dining 'show only' option which is offered at R100 pp.
The two course meal was excellent value for money and we found both courses very tasty. Our selection of the starter Squash soup drizzled with fresh cream was delicious. I opted as always for the Vegetarian dish, a pasta tossed in Napoletano sauce with roasted vegetables. Chris selected the line fish done on a bed of mash potato. He said it was cooked to perfection, although the sauce was a little too rich. There was also a curry option for the red meat enthusiasts and the theatre also offers lamb shank at an extra cost. To book contact the theatre on 031 765 4197. (Rosanne Hurly)
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