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Saturday, July 6, 2013

NIGHT & DAY



Unique and entertaining Cole Porter ballet while the dance is out of the top drawer. (Review by Keith Millar)

South Africa’s oldest ballet company, the Cape Town City Ballet, graced Durban with a visit over this weekend to present their amazing and glittering production of Night and Day in the Playhouse Opera.

Based on the life and the glorious music of legendry American songwriter, Cole Porter, the ballet company lived up to their mission statement which is to “Deliver unique, world-class, dance entertainment”.

Night and Day certainly is unique and entertaining, while the dance is out of the top drawer.

Cole Porter’s wonderful music has style, drama and wit, and with its memorable melodies and complex rhythms makes an ideal accompaniment to the glamour and variety of dance.

Unforgettable songs such as Night and Day, Anything Goes, De Lovely, I Get a Kick Out of You, Miss Otis Regrets, Too Darn Hot, Begin The Beguine, It’s Just One of Those Things, I’ve Got You Under My Skin, In The Still Of The Night, are just a few of this remarkable songwriter’s portfolio which are used in this production.

A bonus was the appearance of Durban sax player, Martin Sigamoney, who added a dramatic live element to few of the numbers, such as You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To, and Every Time We Say Goodbye.

The choreography is superb throughout. Mainly by Robin Van Wyk (an ex KZN dancer), it fuses elements of everything from tap and the Charleston to ballroom and contemporary dance with all the elegance and grace of classic ballet. The result is a stunning and beautiful mix which could be described as ballet with a sway of the hips.

Cole Porter’s life story is related through the dance. Everything is included: his opulent life style, his meeting and marriage to Linda Lee Thomas, his homosexuality, his infidelities and reconciliations and finally his horse riding accident and the death of his beloved wife.

The role of Cole Porter was danced with skill and aplomb by Johnny Bevang. However, he should possibly lose the stuck-on grin from time to time - particularly during the more dramatic moments. Kim Vieira is delicate and vulnerable in the role of Linda Lee Porter.

The sets and backdrops were simple but effective with scenes taking place in Paris, Venice, New York and Hollywood. The costume design is excellent and effectively sets the period of the work in the 1920’s to early 1950’s, while the lighting design enhances the entire production.  

Night and Day is a delightful ballet and it can only hoped that it gets its due support from the Durban public. There are two performances left in the Playhouse Opera: tonight and tomorrow (July 6 and 7) at 19h30. Tickets R120 booked at Computicket or the Playhouse box office. – Keith Millar