All powerful
performers who give their all during this whirlwind two-hour show, and kept the
audience thoroughly entertained. (Review by Barry Meehan)
Since its re-introduction at the Suncoast
Casino, the Barnyard has staged some truly memorable shows, such as Big Top Rock, Rhythm of the Night and Celtic Rock. The latest offering is 101 Hits, which was certainly a
crowd-pleaser on the night I attended.
The premise is to showcase 101 hits from
the 60s to the modern era, and they get counted down on the big screen behind
the performers – singers Lee Paver, Richard Kaldenberg and Marvin Nethononda
(The Guys), Faith Nkosi and Caelee Vercuiel (The Girls), band members Vusi
Maseko on keyboard, Dylan van der Linde on drums, Ralph Martin on lead guitar
and Bongane Sokhela on bass – all of whom are powerful performers who give
their all during this whirlwind two-hour show, and kept the audience thoroughly
entertained.
That being said, I did have a problem with
the format (and this is only my humble opinion) in that so many great songs
come and go at lightning speed before one gets a chance to enjoy them. For
example, when the iconic opening notes of Smoke
on the Water ring out, there is instant audience recognition, but too soon
the smoke dissipates, and before one realises, the show has moved on. When one
looks at it mathematically, two hours is 120 minutes, which allows an average
of just over a minute for each number, time for a verse and a chorus. Naturally
enough, this is not adhered to rigidly, with some songs being longer, and some
shorter. Some indeed are very short, like in the six-minute medley which
showcases 20 songs (an average of 18 seconds per song!) Amongst the numbers in
this medley are I Can’t Stop Believing,
You’re Beautiful, I’m Yours, Where Is The Love, Forever Young, With or Without
You, Baby I Love Your Way, Country Roads, Wake Me Up, One of Us, Beds are
Burning, Africa, Land Down Under and It’s
my Life, and several more, so if any of these are your favourites, be
prepared to hear just a snatch of each.
Be that as it may, the only true way to
judge a show is on audience reaction, and the audience certainly reacted to 101 Hits, singing and clapping along
with gusto when exhorted to do so by the cast, and loving every minute of the
dance medley which comes late in the second half. Everyone was up on their feet
twisting, doing the Locomotion, disco, the Time Warp, macarena, a bit of
Gangnam and even line dancing to Cotton
Eyed Joe!
The music purist might have a few problems
with the way some numbers are delivered, such as the Simon and Garfunkel
classic Cecilia and the iconic American Pie, as they get swallowed up
in the overall driving beat and rhythms of the show, not being given the true
emotions behind the originals. But then this show isn’t meant for the music
purists. It’s designed for the audience to sit back, relax and have a good time
as the show hurtles along at breakneck speed.
It would be wrong to single out any
particular performances from the cast, as this is a true ensemble piece. The
singers attack their numbers with gusto, whether as soloists or together as a
group, and the band is tight and together, especially in their featured medleys
without the vocalists, both of which occur in the second half of the show.
For me, the standout medley was the South
African section, featuring songs such as Weekend
Special, Impi, Shadows, Dance Sum More. Kaptein, Substitute, Shibobo, Waka
Waka, Hamba Nawe and Nkalakatha,
proving yet again that South African music can certainly hold its own against
the best of the rest of the world.
101
Hits runs until October 20, 2019. Bookings on https://www.barnyardtheatre.co.za/show.aspx?sid=928
– Barry Meehan
Posts
