Big band breakthrough
It seems every park, school playing field and church auditorium in Johannesburg has hosted, is hosting or will host a Christmas-themed evening this December.
The rather more opulent Lyric Theatre at Gold Reef City was the scene for another event in that vein, but one which boasted more muscle and, perhaps, added sophistication.
Conceptualised largely to provide a platform on which the members of the Johannesburg Big Band (conducted by Adam Howard) could showcase their immense collective talent, the show succeeded admirably as far as that goal is concerned. This is a big band – 13 horn players and a sublime rhythm section – as good as any in the world, but by and large, residents of the city for which they are named are either peripherally aware of them, or completely oblivious to their appeal.
They’re very much one interwoven organism, so it seems unfair to highlight particular players, but Sydney Mavundla on trumpet, Rob Watson on drums, Keith Hutchinson on keyboards and grand piano and, in particular, lightning-fingered sax player Justin Holcroft impressed.
The band were generally on stage in a support role, however, with the focus places squarely on the four vocalists – Cito, Pixie Bennett, Tracey Lee Oliver and Yamikani Mahaka-Phiri – interpreting classics such as The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year, The Christmas Song, I’ll Be Home For Christmas and Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.
Cito, the most experienced of the singers (and the show’s director) was consistently good, but overall there were moments – a forgotten phrase here; some awkward choreography as the singers tried to fill time while the band completed an instrumental interlude, some stilted scripted dialogue and an ill-advised add-on where an audience member was wished a happy birthday – that suggested that parts of the show might have been under-rehearsed.
Sadly, given that it was a one-off event, those involved in the mishaps won’t have a chance to polish those moments. The bulk of the audience, however, didn’t seem to mind, with the cast and band receiving a standing ovation.
