(Avante)
Ayanda Ntanzi and Hlengiwe Mhlaba standouts from
the six-voice ensemble. (Review by artSMart)
Directed by the acclaimed Ralph Lawson, The
Playhouse Company’s annual Christmas
Celebration concert which was seen in the Drama Theatre before Christmas
was a production of two distinct halves.
The first half comprised traditional Christmas
fare of carols and celebratory songs while after the interval it was a full-on,
flat-out gospel music worship.
As there was no programme for the production,
there was little information on the performers or their material for this half
of the show. Even the comperes offered little, preferring to involve themselves
in the euphoria taking place on stage.
The band which performed during this segment was
apparently assembled by Music Producer Lindelani Mkhize from the best session
musicians available. They were seriously good. Obviously skilled and
accomplished musicians, they produced a tight, riveting sound.
(Hlengiwe Mhlaba)
Equally the singers, from the six-voice ensemble
to the three soloists, were outstanding with Ayanda Ntanzi and Hlengiwe Mhlaba
being the standouts.
The audience, by and large, loved this segment
of the show, joining in with the worship by dancing, singing along and shouting
out their praises.
Back to the first half. While this did not offer
the variety of previous years, it did live up to the title of the production being
a Christmas Celebration and produced a wide choice of well-loved carols and
Christmas favourites.
(Wayne Mkhize)
Tenor Wayne Mkhize performed the wonderful
Christmas song O Holy Night, while
soprano Khumbuzile Dlamini impressed with Climb
Every Mountain.
The ever popular Tim Moloi belted out To Dream The Impossible Dream from The Man From La Mancha and Khanyo
Maphumulo performed an interesting interpretation of Simon and Garfunkel’s A Bridge Over Troubled Waters. These two
also joined together for a stirring rendition of To God Be the Glory.
(Tim Moloi)
Also on the programme was the acappela gospel
group Avante and the Salvation Army Brass Band.
Backing all the singers was the KZNPO and the
Playhouse Chorale. Along with the soloists they also performed well-loved
Christmas music such as Joy To The World,
We Three Kings, Guide Me O Thy Great Redeemer and O Come All Thee Faithful.
The sound mix during the show was a little up
and down. Because there is no orchestra pit at the Drama Theatre, the KZNPO was
placed right at the back of the rather deep stage. They were barely visible and
their sound in the softer passages was lost. To overcome this, the orchestra
was amplified, but this led to a rather disconcerting sound which was at times
too loud.
For more information on Playhouse future
productions for 2019 visit http://playhousecompany.com/
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