MUSIC OF QUEEN – THE SHOW MUST GO ON
DIRECTOR: Elzette Maarschalk
CAST: Joseph Clark, Nathan Smith,Trevor Donjeany, Peach van Pletzen, Richard Brokensha and Kyle Petersen
VENUE: Drama, State Theatre, Pretoria
UNTIL: Sunday at 8pm, Saturday at 6pm, Sunday at 3pm
RATING: ****
Nothing about another Queen show starring Joseph Clark (pictured) gives any indication of what you’re going to see in the next two hours. He says it himself, he’s been doing this for 25 years! That already leaves one with a kind of exhaustion.
But put all that bias and prejudice aside and see this glorious exhibition of music. They get it so right.
There are no frills. It’s just Clark, a brilliant band of musicians and Queen’s music. That’s what they promise and that’s pretty much what you get.
Even the start was misleading when he got into the audience right from the start, but that was just to warm them up. Then it was all about Queen and all the songs you might not even know you know but will recognise.
I had two audience members next to me who didn’t know Queen and weren’t fans, but were there because they felt like a show. They were singing along all night. It’s the music. When it’s done right, it either has you sitting back and listening or getting into the groove.
From We Will Rock You, Another One Bites The Dust, We are the Champions, I Want to Break Free, Under Pressure, Who Wants to Live Forever? and Bohemian Rhapsody, they’re all there, but that’s not all they do. Clark also selects some of the slow numbers, starts behind the piano, sometimes just with Smith on guitar so that it’s all about the lyrics and the song.
It’s cleverly strung together, getting the crowd on their feet and then allowing them to catch their breath while Clark shows off his mastery of the Mercury music. It truly is a good fit and I simply had to surrender to a show that paid gentle homage to a musical giant.
But if your mind should wander, you can’t help but catch a few fans who are so into their hero’s music, they’re doing their own show.
Well done to the director who resisted any gimmicks and allowed the singer and his musicians, each one quite extraordinary which adds to the fun of the night, to simply seduce their audience.
And in the middle of nowhere, Smith sitting back on a bar stool, luminously played a shortened version of Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika on his guitar which gave us one of those magnificent South African moments, reminding us of the miracle we are.
What a night! You will relish it if you’re a Queen fan, and if you’re not, Joseph Clark in beautiful voice and a band of sublime musicians will rock you!
Following this State Theatre run they’re off to the Netherlands and can do so proudly.