PRIVATE PRESLEY – A SALUTE TO THE KING
PERFORMERS: Bovim Ballet
Choreography: Sean Bovim
VENUE: Joburg Mandela Theatre
Until: October 25
RATING: 2 stars (out of 5)
Pinto Ferreira
Rock ’n’ roll sur la pointe might sound like a groovy idea, but does it work? Judging by the production of Private Presley, evidently not.
This balletic rendition of Elvis’s hits takes the zing out of rock and the zest out of roll, leaving in its wake a contrived and vibeless concoction.
The sparse use of real rock ’n roll steps that are sporadically added does little to save the day. Bovim’s lacklustre choreography, apart from being repetitive, sorely lacks oomph.Telling the story of Elvis Presley, one would expect strong characterisation, but, sadly so, the dancers hardly truly portray any of the characters. Henk Opperman, as Elvis, is barely recognisable as the King. His portrayal is dull, unimaginative. Other characters, such as Juliet Prowse (danced by Faye Dubinski) and Ann-Margret (danced by Tanya Futter), are equally under-explored.
This is not due to the dancers’ inability to act, but a lack of proper directing and poor concept-ualisation. The one dancer who gives a convincing performance is Devon Marshbank (as Tim Adams).
Unfortunately, the company’s level of technical prowess leaves a lot to be desired. Apart from Futter, the pointe work is rather weak with almost all double pirouettes (in the partner work) falling off balance.
What might have saved the production is a number of live singers without which the show reads like a revue composed of haphazard dance numbers done to the music of Elvis.
To make it entertaining, it earnestly needs a big dose of vigour.