STAGE: Listen to the Music – Rhumbelow Theatre, Umbilo, Durban
(Final performance at 2pm today, June 9)
REVIEW BY BILLY SUTER
DURBAN’S Rhumbelow Theatre has a good variety of new stage shows lined up for the Umbilo and Durban North venues – and one of them, having its final performance at 2pm today (Sunday, June 9) is a new, no-frills show by ace Durban tribute band, The Reals, with guest singer-guitarist Shaun Dragt.
The Reals production, Listen to the Music, offers a fun mixed bag of American rock and soft-rock favourites, as well as a sprinkling of lesser-known but engaging songs, and it’s well worth seeing. This afternoon’s final performance is apparently pretty full but the show is sure to come around again – so keep an eye out for it.
Guitarist-vocalist Barry Thomson’s vocal versatility is well showcased in Listen to the Music as he yo-yos between the low-register notes of Bob Segar to the sweet highs of Bread … and almost everything in between.
Guest guitarist Dragt, drummer Mali Sewell and musical director and keyboardist Dawn Selby also provide vocals, with a now-bearded Andy Turrell once again showing his versatility as an all-rounder with constant hops between the bass and the lap steel guitar (also known as a Hawaiian guitar, a type of steel guitar that is typically played with the instrument in a horizontal position across the performer’s lap).
Expect hits such as Guitar Man, Horse with No Name, Sister Golden Hair, Life in the Fast Lane, Sweet Hitchhiker, Free Falling, Rambling Man, Teach Your Children, We’re an American Band, Love the One You’re With as well as three terrific classics by The Doobie Brothers – China Grove, Long Train Running and Listen to the Music. The varied programme also offers songs associated with Lynyrd Skynyrd, Neil Young, Jackson Browne and Little Feat.
Good sound control by Andre Norden and atmospheric lighting by Barry Meehan contribute to a show that kept Saturday’s audience well satisfied and spurred some to get up and dance.
As usual, this informal venue has seating at tables, allows patrons to bring along a picnic meal (or buy light meals at the venue) and requires all beverages to be bought at the theatre’s pub.
The final performance is at 2pm today (Sunday, June 9) at The Rhumbelow Theatre in Cunningham Road, Umbilo. Call Roland at 082 499 8636 for tickets (R200 each).
Meanwhile, note that the Rhumbelow Theatre stage in Umbilo will present The Black Lapels, with their popular Creedence Clearwater Revival tribute show, Fortunate Son, on June 14 and 15 at 7.30pm, and on Sunday, June 16 at 2pm. Tickets are R200 each. Expect to hear favourites such as Fortunate Son, Looking Out My Back Door, Down on the Corner, Up Around the Bend, Born on the Bayou,Green River and more.
Also, ensure you diarise a variety of fine shows headed for Durban’s Rhumbelow circuit in July – all starring excellent singer-bassist Kerry Hiles and featuring fellow musicians Kristo Zondaghy and Rob Thompson.
Music fans are promised a great time when the powerhouse female bassist- vocalist teams with the gruff-voiced virtuoso blues guitarist and a chameleon-esque drummer who can play (and sing) just about anything.
Hiles, Thompson and Zondagh have been winning praise and impressing audiences countrywide with their touring trio called Misery Loves Company. Together they have been getting rave reviews for their hit tribute shows, cover band material and original songs.
The trio presented the acclaimed Amy Winehouse – the Diva and Her Demons in Durban last year and this time around will be on the Rhumbelow stage at Northlands Bowling Club with My Story of the Blues (7.30pm on Friday, July 12) and a celebration of classic Afrikaans hit songs, Jou Ma se Platespeler (7.30pm on Saturday, July 13).
The bright cherry on top as part of this mini festival of shows is American Sweethearts, scheduled for 6.30pm on Sunday, July 14. which packages two Kerry Hiles festival hits, presented with an interval – the hour-long A Star is Born: The Rise and Fall of Judy Garland and the hour-long The Story of Eva Cassidy, both brilliant productions. A special discounted price is available to anyone keen on seeing all of these productions.
Note, too, that all these shows will also be presented at the Umbilo Rhumbelow Theatre, starting with the must-see Eva Cassidy tribute at 7.30pm on Thursday, July 18. Kerry Hiles will then stage her award-winning Judy Garland tribute show at 7.30pm on Friday, July 19.
The fun Afrikaans music show is scheduled for the Umbilo Rhumbelow at 2pm on Saturday, July 20, and at 7.30pm that same day the spotlight will be on My Story of the Blues.
For bookings or further details contact Rhumbelow Theatre manager Roland Stansell at roland@stansell.co.za or call 082 499 8636.
.....SoSuterBill..... 