(Jonathan
Taylor (in wig) heads a cast comprising Jae Green, Josh Ansley, Marvin Nethononda,
Caelee Vercueil and Lee Paver)
No 1 Countdown! (Review by John Harley)
The Barnyard at Gateway's end of year show
is tailor-made to ensure that audiences get a package of number one hits, aptly
named Strictly No 1's.
This show features many of the highlights
and milestones taken from Billboard's
Hottest 100 Hits, a musical "bible" from the brainchild of Fred
Bronson back in 1984. Artists like Elvis Presley, Bill Haley, Louis Armstrong
and Cher feature strongly. Songs like King
Fu Fighting and Don't worry, be Happy;
Smooth by Santana (with Rob Thomas) and Rock
me Amadeus are presented with tons of gusto and energy - the main
ingredients that carry the show and almost put the audience in a frenzy of
delight!
A host of other stars are saluted, such as
Madonna, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Bruce Springsteen, Michael
Jackson, Stevie Wonder … and so I can go on. If it was a number 1 hit from way
back, you will hear it, believe me!
In the end, I really liked the show. It was
a show of two parts. The first part was rather jittery and a little 'all over';
the cast seemed somewhat tight and almost tried to force the audience to
engage. There was no need for that. As the show settled and the artists relaxed
into their parts, they captured their audience utterly and completely!
Jonathan Taylor as the host came across
rather nervous to start with, but settled in and formed an amusing and fun link
between the numbers.
The vocals were great, yet often I (and my
guests) could not hear the lyrics as the singers were drowned out by the band.
Pace and timing are vitally important in
any stage performance. Perhaps the cast tried to force the pace in the
beginning and thus timing became a concern in the first part of the show. After
intermission the cast really 'let rip' and everything fell into place - even
the dancing! In this regard, I must say I had a great problem – there were some
nice bits of choreography throughout, yet execution was poor. How come our SA
dancers find it so hard to hear and feel the beat, and dance IN SYNC!?
I would like to comment on the set and
lighting as well - a great improvement, a nice sense of surprise with the
lights and the set was also good and appropriate on the eye!
Should you see the show? You betcha! It's a
whole lot of fun and then some more.
Strictly
No 1's is for all ages of all music tastes and
celebrates all styles of fashion and song-crisscrossing 60 years of number one
hits. Be prepared for a number one countdown that will get you and keep you
rocking till the break of dawn!
The show is set to run at The Barnyard
Theatre at Gateway until January 5. To accommodate the festive season additional
lunch time shows (13h30) have been added. For more details with regard to
bookings etc, phone the Barnyard Theatre at 031-566 3045, or visit www.barnyardtheatres.co.za/gateway
- John Harley
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