SOME songs are so hypnotic they should be celebrated for their catchiness. This is what the Barnyard Theatre’s 50 Carot Gold entails. Whether its tracks like Blue Suede Shoes, We Will Rock You or The Macarena, one thing is certain, it’s going to be a celebration of some of the most defining moments in musical history.
Running until July 19, the production features a 10-piece band comprising Andrew Webster, Lee Paver, Gift Gwe, Jae Green and Caelee Vercuiel on vocals; Ralph Martin on guitar and vocals, Calli Thomson on keyboards, Kelly Joubert on bass guitar, Ruan Oosthuyzen on drums and dancer, Ola Aina.
In a nutshell, 50 Carat Gold celebrates the glittering songs that have made audiences rock out, cry and sing along to anthems that reverberate through the universe.
In an interview with Tonight, the director of the production, Duck Chowles, explains how this show came about. He reveals that the show is not only about the much-loved songs, but also the songs that wreck your brains, but are still greatly appreciated: “It’s a performance of the 50 greatest songs of all time by a very talented and experienced cast.
“We produced a show called 99 Hits which has been very successful and for the follow-up to that show, I preferred to go with just 50 songs, and thus decided on going for gold. And the song selection is based on the ‘greatest songs’ from rock ’n’ roll, boy band songs, 1960s pop, ’80s bands, saxophone and classics, modern pop as well as the best-selling songs and most-catchy and irritating songs.”
Other hit songs that audiences can look forward to include rock anthems like Queen’s We Are The Champions and Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing as well as some of the most epic South African songs; Asimbonanga by Johnny Clegg and the Afrikaans song, Loslappie, by Kurt Darren. Then, there are the much-loved duets such as Endless Love by Lionel Ritchie and Diana Ross.
Chowles says the show will not have a typical storyline but rather links to some information/ history about these great songs: “They can expect a slick show boasting some great singers, legendary guitar playing, a brilliant saxophonist and some great choreography.”
As for the cast, he says: “The best part about directing the show was making the cast believe in the show and seeing their excitement.
• The production runs at the Barnyard Theatre until July 19. Tickets: R145 Wednesday to Saturday, with discounts of R110 every Tuesday night and R100 for the Sunday matinee. For bookings and enquiries, kindly phone The Barnyard Theatre on 031 566 3045 or e-mail gateway@ barnyardtheatres.co.za.