QUEEN AT THE BALLET
DIRECTOR: Sean Bovim
CAST: Bovim Ballet Company
VENUE: Baxter Theatre
UNTIL: Saturday
RATING: ***
Bodies clad in white costumes lie outstretched on the stage while Death On Two Legs begins. Here 22 dancers move as an ensemble as they bring the legend that was Freddie Mercury’s story back to life.
A tribute to Mercury, Sean Bovim’s Queen at the Ballet highlights the unfathomable life of the legendary rock group Queen, using many of the hit songs Mercury is still praised for.
The show has as it’s main focus the complexity of relationships, the back and forth lust that thrives between lovers. The more intimate numbers work best as Henk Opperman (Mercury), delivers an emotive performance with his various lovers.
Various accounts of Mercury’s relationships with men and women are poignantly portrayed. Tanya Futter, Faye Dubinski and Nicola van der Merwe as Mercury’s females lovers are brilliant in their precision, with performances that drip emotion in their sequences with Opperman and Devon Marshbank.
The time, which is also a factor throughout the show, is portrayed by a large clockface that appears on stage in the form of two characters, Master Time (Steven van Wyk ) and Second Hand (JV Mattei). Van Wyk plays a quirky clown character who amuses the audience, while Mattei brings a vibrant flavour of hip hop to add youth appeal to the show.
However, as good as the recorded orchestral arrangements by Michael Hankinson are, a live orchestra could have made for a fuller sound delivery.
The vocals only really stand out when solos are being sung, which capture the essence of the dancing.
The integration of the singers into the staging could also have enhanced the performances of Cito and Fisher who are very stagnant in the first half as they are poised on top of a podium like stands.
The colourful costumes, with contributions from Klûk CGDT, Gavin Rajah, Ian West and Craig Port, bring the production to life and lend a sense of character to each of the numbers.
The cast delivered every number with a smile. Queen enthusiasts will enjoy this show.