(Lyle
Buxton & Marion Loudon)
A must for country music fans. (Review by
Keith Millar)
The elegant Heritage Theatre in Hillcrest
has become one of the mainstays of contemporary music entertainment in
KwaZulu-Natal. It has a proud record of producing excellent shows which cater
for all musical tastes. With their current show, Country Roads, it is the turn of all the country music fans.
Country
Roads features a laid-back Lyle Buxton and the
ever-popular Marion Loudon.
On a stage nicely decorated with hay bales,
swing doors and American flags, they create a pair of comic and endearing
red-neck characters, Ly’all and Ellie-May. With broad accents and endless one-liners
they have a ball as they take their audience through the ups and downs of their
courtship.
Of course, along the way they pump out a whole
string of country music hits to illustrate the story. They start with Cotton Fields (Credence Clearwater
Revival) and among many others they run through Little Bitty (Alan Jackson), What
Cowgirls Do (Vince Gills), Grandma’s
Feather Bed (John Denver), Just a
Kiss (Lady Antebellum), Whose Bed
Have Your Boots Been Under (Shania Twain), Give It Up Or Let It Go (Bonnie Rait), Kid Rock’s Sweet Home Alabama and of course the
title song Country Roads from John
Denver.
Lyle Buxton has a very pleasing singing
voice and loads of character. He is particularly good when presenting Tequila Makes Her Cloths Fall Off and Margaretville. Marion Loudon is all
bubbly charm, and legs that go on forever. She shows once again why she was
voted the Mercury Theatre Awards Theatre Personality of the Year for 2012.
The producers have assembled a very
talented band for this production. Callie Thompson is the musical director of
the show. She also plays the keyboards with aplomb, and does her share of
singing. The gifted Andy Turrell is on pedal steel and electric guitar while
Nux Swartz plays acoustic guitar and mandolin. Anita Ruscoe plays the fiddle
and is responsible for a couple of breathtaking solos during the show. Jill (Baby
Shoes) Murraybrown is a machine on bass and the drumming is in the hands of
Francois Hardy.
The Heritage Theatre menu has been spiced
up for the occasion and features dishes such as Texas Chili, Cowboy Wedge,
Veggie Quesadilla, Jalapeno Chicken and Frontier Pudding.
I opted for the Texas Chili as a starter.
It was spicy, cheesy and with a bit of a kick. My wife had the Cowboy Wedge
which is a salad, but with plenty of bacon and chopped egg. Our mains were
Bourbon Braised Pork Neck Steak for me which was excellent as usual and Veggie
Quesadilla for my wife. I am not convinced that any cowboy ever ate vegetarian
but my wife was very pleased with the dish.
Country
Roads is a must for all country music fans and
quite frankly the show is so well presented that there is no reason why all
music fans would not enjoy it. Support live music. Support local performers. Country
Roads will be on at the Heritage Theatre in Hillcrest
until Sunday (October 13). Tickets R195 (R65 on Sunday). The price includes a
two-course meal. There is a show-only option for R120.
Bookings on 031 765 4197. - Keith Millar
Posts
