Review Summary: You must go and see this show!

I saw Phantom of the Opera for the first time at the Artscape in 2004 and I remember thinking it was the most amazing show I had ever seen. After seeing it nearly 8 years later for a 2nd time, I still think it’s the most amazing show I have ever seen.

People seem to agree with me as it’s been going for 25 years now, with over 130 million people having seen it so far.

 Every element of this show is spectacular, the sets, the costumes, the special effects. It even has a good storyline (unlike Cats) and I thought the performances, bar one or two minor roles, were stellar. The overture which ends the opening scene is so powerful, it gives you gooseflesh which hardly gets a chance to settle as you’re dazzled by a steady stream of powerful scenes replete with stirring music and special effects.

I have a problem with people giving standing ovations at every show they attend, because it detracts from the power of a well deserved standing ovation. For me a standing ovation is not really an academic decision about whether the performance deserves more than a round of applause , it’s an emotional reaction. When you get to the end of the show and the cast comes out to bow, you actually can’t stay in your seat because the appreciation wants to explode out of you.

That’s how you feel at the end of Phantom.

Phantom of the Opera runs at the Artscape until 14th January. Tickets range from R125 to R375 and it’s worth every cent however much you pay. Tickets available from Computicket.

Read all about the show on the official website where you can even listen to some of the music http://www.thephantomoftheopera.com/south-africa

So this year I made sure I had tickets to Symphonic Rocks at Grand West. It was a lineup of some serious South African artists supported by the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra. It started with Crash Car Burn, a band I’ve heard of but I don’t really know their music and certainly haven’t seen them live. They were pretty good, but I felt they drowned out the orchestra. So the first act made me a bit apprehensive that the orchestra was going to be very background but it was only that act and the closing act, Zebra & Giraffe that were so dominant.

The other acts adapted their sound to be a bit more ‘unplugged’. Arno Carstens was really good, as was Ard Matthews, both performing very well known tracks which sounded beautiful with the orchestra backing. Flat Stanley and Loyiso were also good but I didn’t really know their music. My favourite, which really took me by surprise and impressed me was Tumi and the Volume. I’ve never heard of them, and when I realised he was a rapper, I was skeptical. But it was brilliant! As he started rapping you could just feel the doubt washing out of you and being replaced with respect. I’m busy trying to buy his Album online as I type this.

The big screens were great for seeing the artists close up. My only suggestion would have been more time showing the orchestra and less the bands. It seemed to be about 70% focus on the bands, but really the orchestra is the interesting part. Well, for me anyway.

The show is going up to Joburg for the 7th of October and they get two additional acts, Zolani from Freshlygr0und and Locnville. If you’re in Joburg, get a ticket!

They want to make it an annual event, and I hope they do because I will go watch it every year.

There is one major problem though, and I call it major because it really did detract from my experience. I mentioned this same issue in my review of Riverdance. I think the solution is to have separate areas. When you book your ticket, you have to read the following checklist, and if you answer yes to any of the questions, you go to a special section separate from everyone else:

•  Will you arrive late and disturb everyone finding your seat after the show has started?
• Will you drink several beers before and during the show so that you have to go to the toilet several times during the show?
• If you decide you need to go to the toilet, will you just go randomly instead of waiting for the end of the song/set?
• Will you push past everyone in the row while they are still clapping at the end of the show so that you can avoid the traffic jam in the parking?
• Will you leave your phone on max volume so that everyone can hear it ring in the middle of the show?
• Will you answer your phone and chat loudly to your mate during the show?
• Will you sit and sms people how rad the show is so that the bright screen of your phone distracts the people around you?
• Will you chat to your mate the whole way through the show?
• Will you chat loudly to the person sitting two seats away from you all the way through the show?
• Will you start slow clapping for the show to start one minute past the scheduled time?

If a person answers yes to any of those questions, or even has to think about the answer, they should be in a separate section from the rest of us.

Seriously, I had people chatting NON STOP the entire show. As if whatever inane comment they want to make is so important that it can’t wait until the end of the show, or even the end of the song for that matter. There are people performing who have spent a large portion of their lives mastering a musical instrument, not to mention the many hours practicing for the show and you can’t keep quiet for a few minutes. How very embarrassing. Not to mention the people around you have have paid good money for their ticket and now have to listen to the show with the drone of your voice in the background. Inconsiderate beyond belief.

I think the ushers need to start enforcing some theatre etiquette because really, I can’t pay that sort of money for a show to have it ruined by some inconsiderate lout.

I went to the matinee showing of Fiddler on the Roof at the Artscape yesterday. It was practically sold out, great to see Cape Town being so supportive its arts. I also chatted to the lead ballerina for the recent Swan Lake at Artscape and she said every night of Swan Lake was sold out. Maybe it has something to do with the recent Oscar winning movie Black Swan, as it’s about ballet and Swan Lake. But whatever the reason, good support of the arts will only lead to better and better shows.

Fiddler on the Roof was an excellent show. It wasn’t at the level of Mamma Mia, but I certainly enjoyed it more than Cats! The sets were done well and I love the way they did the ending, it looked so real. In terms of the acting, a few hiccups with the singing and accents tended to wax and wane, but generally it was good. Especially considering it is presented by an amateur dramatic association (CT Gillbert & Sullivan Society).

If you’re unfamiliar with this musical, which originally opened on Broadway in 1964, you can find more information at the Wikipedia entry. I would definitely recommend the show. It’s a great one to take the kids to, and the tickets are not too pricey.

Tickets range from R90 to R200 depending on the day of the show and the selected seats. Tickets can be purchased from Computicket.

Riverdance has been going for over 15 years and in that time has been seen live by over 22 million people. There’s a reason why it is so popular, because it’s brilliant. When that haunting celtic music started playing I got gooseflesh. Early on their is a big dance number with the whole cast dancing in unison on the stage, the timing is unbelievable and it creates a sound which drums into your chest.

I don’t know why Riverdance took so long to come to South Africa. Lord of the Dance has been here several times already. I have seen Riverdance on DVD so knew that it was a great show and was very excited to see it was coming. I was disappointed to see that it was at the Grand Arena rather than at the Artscape. I prefer the artscape as it is a proper playhouse and has that feeling and ambiance about it. It seems to create more of an occasion, making you want to dress up a little and arrive on time. Basically I think it demands more respect than the Grand Arena which is a very casual environment. I found that this was quite evident during the show because we were continually disturbed by people arriving late and people talking during the performance. We even had one person answer their cellphone during the show! Other phones rang during the performance as well. For me that detracts from the show, and can spoil the whole experience. It’s also disrespectful to the artists, at the end they thought they were getting a standing ovation but it was just people leaving because they couldn’t be bothered to stay for the bows (I did give a standing ovation).

Having said that, there is one thing I really liked about Grand West and that was the big screens on either side of the stage. Unless you’re in the first few rows of any venue, it’s difficult to see the dancers feet properly and to see the detail of the costumes etc. This is why you see in the movies when the larneys go to the opera or theatre they have those little binoculars. So these big screens showed closeups of the dancers the whole time and focused on their feet when they were doing intricate tapping. It was really cool to be able to see how they are tapping because it’s so fast you sometimes think they are playing extra taps through the sound system!

These dancers are amazingly talented (and hot! I need to find out where they have drinks after the show…), they look like they are floating on air half the time. You don’t need to be a huge fan of tap or Irish dancing to appreciate the show. It’s so well put together, it will entertain anyone. There is a flamenco dancer and she is really quite something. I’ve seen a fair amount of flamenco in my life (being half Spanish) but she was really one of the best I’ve seen and her dresses were beautiful (you’ll catch a glimpse of her in the video below). The music is really good too, I can see why they have sold over 3 million copies of the soundtrack. It was great to see the show was very well supported and I imagine most of the shows will be like that as they have already added an extra show.

Riverdance runs until the 27th of Feb 2011. Tickets range from R200 to R400 and there are bulk discounts available. Book on Computicket. Don’t miss this show!

I’ve included a video below as a little teaser. You can read and see more on the official website www.riverdance.com

I used to watch flamenco shows by the La Rosa dance school quite regularly but I’ve missed a few lately and so it’s been a few years since the last show I managed to see. So when I noticed Celebracion Flamenca was coming to On Broadway, I made sure I got tickets. Please be aware that I am half Spanish, so I have a penchant for all things Spanish.

I’m quite liking On Broadway in its new location. It’s a nice size and it’s been full for most of the shows I have attended. What I like most is that the restaurant and theatre are separate so you can concentrate on the show. You can read more about my thoughts on the venue in this review.

At first I was a little disappointed to hear that they did not have any visiting performers. They often have a singer or main dancer from Spain which really adds to the show, but this show is all local performers. It was quickly apparent that they didn’t need an international performer because they gave a really top class performance. I was particularly impressed with the female singer, she did a great job. Bienyameen does an excellent job on the flamenco guitar as usual.

This show had a lot more instruments than normal shows, they brought in a cello and a flute this time and the additional instruments add another layer to the sound which is really nice.

The dancing was not bad, mostly new faces to me. Overall it was a pretty good show and if you have any interest in flamenco or Spanish culture, you will enjoy it all the more.

Celebracion Flamenca runs until the 29th Jan and tickets are R95. You can book online, here is the link https://www.onbroadway.co.za/showcase/show.php?sid=286

Normally when you invite people to an a capella show they tell you they can’t make it because they have to bath their goldfish or attend the opening of their garage door. I invited a bunch of people to hear D7 perform at On Broadway last night and I was sufficiently vague about who was performing that they came. I could see they were enjoying the show and afterwards I had the satisfaction of having each of them thank me and tell me how much they enjoyed it.

I’ve seen D7 several times before, they performed at a friend’s wedding and they also had a regular gig at the Grand Daddy hotel. So I knew what to expect, but actually the show was more than I expected. They have added a few new numbers to their repertoire and the stage actually has a set which they use to play out a few entertaining skits to introduce a few of the songs.

They start of with a few old school numbers, and those who are familiar with a capella music start to panic that the whole show is going to be all ‘Barbershop’ but then they surprise everyone with some funky modern numbers and it just gets better from there. The nice thing is they don’t take themselves too seriously. They have fun up on stage, but it’s obvious that they have put a lot of work into creating a show that they believe is worth paying for and indeed it is.

I highly recommed you get to one of the two remaining shows (Mon 13th Sept & Mon 20th Sept 2010), you won’t regret it. You can read my impressions of the all new On Broadway theatre here.

http://www.d7live.com/

http://www.onbroadway.co.za (you can book online or call 021 424 1194

]]> http://www.relax-with-dax.co.za/d7-at-on-broadway/feed 2 http://www.relax-with-dax.co.za/3-tons-of-fun-at-on-broadway-review http://www.relax-with-dax.co.za/3-tons-of-fun-at-on-broadway-review#comments Thu, 29 Jul 2010 23:14:09 +0000 Dax http://www.relax-with-dax.co.za/?p=2325

This review is a bit late to help you because tonight is the last show. But I’m sure the show will be on again soon and it also gives me an opportunity to talk about the new On Broadway.

On Broadway has moved to what was the old New Space Theatre next to the Grand Daddy hotel in Long Street. The theatre is upstairs and the restaurant is on street level where the old Time Out Cafe used to be. We ate at the restaurant before the show but I think I’ll review that separately because I think they want the restaurant to stand on it’s own and attract people who aren’t necessarily going to see a show at the theatre. But seeing as you’re so well behaved, I’ll tell you that the food is not bad and it’s really good value.

The theatre is a proper theatre, albeit small. It think it’s a nice upgrade for On Broadway as their previous venues were fairly makeshift with the theatre seating being restaurant seating as well. Now they can get more people into the show, I’m not sure how many it seats but maybe around 200 would be my guess. The seating is tiered so everyone can see and the seats are new and comfortable. While the theatre has been revamped (hence the new, comfortable seats), it is the original Space theatre from many years ago so it has history and character. It’s small but not too small and the sound, lighting, etc are all good.

The show, starring 3 Tons of Fun, is called An African Dream. Those of you who have seen 3 Tons of Fun in action before will probably know them for their disco numbers(like we saw at the Table of Unity), but this show is all about African music and you’ll be disappointed if you’re expecting disco. But if you’re expecting great music, with fantastic singing then you won’t be disappointed. This is not just three ladies singing to backing tracks, they have a four piece band performing the music for their tracks. The musicians are a great addition and it looks like they are really enjoying being in the show.

The Tons really got the audience going. In no time we were clapping and they had us on our feet even before the interval. A bunch of people ran up to the back and spent most of the time dancing and clapping up there. It was a feel good show and it certainly had me smiling. At R95 I think it’s good value entertainment.

An African Dream by 3 Tons of Fun is a great show, well worth checking out. And On Broadway is a lovely theatre, so I look forward to many good shows there.

On Broadway
44 Long St (corner of Hout)
Tel: 021 424 1194
www.onbroadway.co.za

Stomp has one set, eight cast members and no words, but it offers 90 minutes of foot tapping entertainment. Using everyday items as opposed to musical instruments, the small cast creates music with a rhythm that you can’t escape (Gloria Estefan did warn you).

I attended the Sunday afternoon matinee and have to say that these guys work for their money because they are all involved in each of the scenes. So they dance and bang and scrape and clap and click their way through 90 mins and then do it again an hour later.

Stomp is an uncomplicated show with neither words nor story line, yet it is highly entertaining. They engaged with the audience and made us laugh and we found ourselves clapping when we weren’t supposed to because we were just blown away by what we saw and heard.

One thing I love about Cape Town is that it is very supportive of arts and culture. It looked like about 90% of the seats had been sold so there was a big audience. I love seeing families at shows, it’s expensive to take kids but it’s so important to instill in them an appreciation for arts and culture.

I recommend Stomp without a sexond thought. It runs until the 25th April at the Artscape and tickets range from R75 to R295. Book at Computicket

http://www.computicket.com/web/event/stomp/73669665/0/5863879

Show website:

http://www.stomp.co.uk