Nostalgie slaan trom: hard en luid

2009-10-14
Paul Boekkooi

The Blues Brothers
Theatre on the Square, Sandton

Sou dit kon gebeur dat nostalgie ooit uitsterf, sal dit nietemin in die teater bly voortleef. Dít, vanselfsprekend, op voorwaarde dat teater sélf oorleef.

Ontleed ’n mens die teater- en veral musiekspelaanbod plaaslik en oorsee, is dit nostalgie wat die trom slaan: hard en luid.

The Blues Brothers is so ’n produksie. Elke mens met té min somers agter die rug sou kon dink John Belushi en Dan Ackroyd is enigiemand wat hulle moontlik nie is of was nie, maar was jy in die 1980’s volwasse en ’n joller, sou hul kultussoekery beslis iewers ’n merkie in jou breinlobbe gemaak het.

Dié word weer op hierdie verhoog wakker geskud deur Johan Baird as Jake en Alwyn Kotze as Elwood Blues.

Kyk, hulle is twee langasems, sing en skoffel dat dit klap, beweeg soos wafferse kontorsioniste op die verhoog en besit by tye soveel binnepret dat hulle dit na buitentoe uitdra. Met ander woorde: hulle is mededeelsaam in alles wat hulle doen.

Soms voel dit asof die verrigtinge net effens té kunsmatig voortgedryf word, maar kort voor lank plaas húlle, die sesstuksorkes en die drie Bluesettes (die agtergrond-sangtrio wat ook ’n paar imposante solobydraes lewer) nuwe woema binne die geheel.

Toe wyle Belushi en Ackroyd (nog met ons) destyds die persona van die Blues Brothers op die NBC-televisienetwerk se Saturday Night Live aangeneem het, was alles nie naastenby so gesofistikeerd as wat dit dikwels deesdae die geval is nie.

Dit is daardie gees van soms onnutsige spontaneïteit wat in dié verhoogproduksie voortleef, maar by tye tog gedeeltes van John Landis se verfilmde weergawe van 1980 laat verongeluk het.

Dit het ’n aweregse uitwerking op die publiek gehad. Waar die kritici die fliek wou begrawe sien, het die persona van Belushi en Ackroyd op só ’n ongewone manier ’n beroep op die breë onderbewussyn van honderdduisende aanhangers gedoen dat dit ’n kultusfliek geword het.

Agttien jaar later se Blues Brothers 2000 vertel die verhaal van die oorgeblewe Elwood (Ackroyd) wat weer sy “bênd” aan die gang wou kry, maar dit was slegs die musiek wat dié mindere poging gedeeltelik gered het.

Daarvan gepraat: Hoewel die plaaslike verhoogproduksie sterk op gehoordeelname steun, soos in Flip, Flop, Fly, is dit uiteindelik die ritme van rock, soul en veral blues wat vir hoendervel sorg.

Wie onthou vir Mustang Sally, Under the Boardwalk, I Feel Good, Hold On, I’m Coming, You Let Me Feel Like a Natural Woman en Jailhouse Rock?

Indien nie, kom by!

Tot 25 Oktober.

The Blues Brothers’ en hul ‘bluettes’ in Sandton

2009-09-22
Thys Odendaal

Dit het alles begin met John Be­lushi, Dan Aykroyd en NBC van Amerika se televisie-treffer Saturday Night Live. En eersdaags is die musiekspel The Blues Brothers in die Theatre on the Square op Mandelaplein in Sandton.

Die rolle van Belushi en Aykroyd word in die jongste plaaslike weergawe van dié wêreldwye treffer vertolk deur Johan Baird en Alwyn Kotze, wat van Dinsdag 29 September tot einde Oktober die verhoog van die Theatre on the Square sal inneem.

Die musiekspel is eintlik ’n huldeblyk aan die musiek wat gewild geword het deur die “pork pie and Wayfarers”-duo, Jake en Elwood Blues in die hoogs suksesvolle fliek in die 1980’s The Blues Brothers. Die eerste verhoogweergawe met
Belushi en Aykroyd was ook ’n loket­treffer.

Clayton Stewart, die regisseur van die Suid-Afrikaanse produksie wat vol teaters in die Goudstad Durban en meer onlangs Kaapstad verseker het, was die eerste plaaslike Elwood Blues. Quintus Jansen is die choreograaf. Baird en Kotze word ondersteun deur drie “bluettes” en ’n sesstuk-orkes.

Kaartjies kos R180 by Compu­ticket of die teaterloket tydens werksure of by die teater sowat ’n uur voor die vertonings begin.

The Blues Brothers is van Dinsdae tot Vrydae om 20:15 op die planke, Saterdae om 17:30 en 20:30 en Sondae om 15:00.

Dinsdagaande se opvoerings is halfprys – koop ’n kaartjie en kry ’n ekstra een gratis.

Navrae: 011 883 8606.

Put on your blues shades, brus...

September 29, 2009
By Zane Henry

Whoo-hoo! Jozi's got the blues! Popular musical The Blues Brothers runs from tonight until October 25 at Sandton's Theatre on the Square.

Based on the characters created by Dan Ackroyd and John Belushi for Saturday Night Live, the show pays tribute to the songs and gags from the TV show and the Blues Brothers movies. Johan Baird and Alwyn Kotze take on the iconic roles of Jake and Elwood Blues. They are backed by three Bluettes, Crushanda Forbes, Tshepi Mashego and Lebo Toko. They are directed by Clayton Stewart, who starred in the original SA production as Elwood Blues.

"It's a very vibey show that will get people partying," Baird says. "It's not a rip-off of the films. It pays tribute to the characters and the music. Alwyn and I try to channel the spirit of Ackroyd and Belushi without directly imitating them."

Baird and Kotze are good friends and flatmates. Kotze used to play for Afrikaans rock band Lukraakitaar. He and Baird currently play together in a project called Jaco Britz.

"We know each other very well and have a good vibe between us," Baird says.

"The Bluettes - Crushanda , Tshepi and Lebo - are amazing singers and quite intimidating. We have a great time together and enjoy performing together. It's hard not to, with such great songs as material. We're not getting into the slow, suicidal blues, but going instead for fun, cheeky songs like Mustang Sally and Jailhouse Rock."


Baird graduated from UCT with a BA Honours degree in theatre and performance and won a Fleur de Cap award in 2004 for most promising student.

Since then he has appeared in many productions. He starred in the Cape Town run of Pythonesque directed by Alan Swerdlow and before that, he played Walter in the musical Chess. He has played in several comedies including 39 Steps, Modern Orthodox, Frankenstein and Around the World in 80 Days.

"I'm lucky enough to be getting regular work now, so my parents are a bit happier," he laughs. "They've always been amazingly supportive. I hope to be able to do regular theatre work for many years."

• The season at the Old Mutual Theatre on the Square runs from tonight until October 25 with shows from Tuesday to Friday at 8.15pm and two shows on Saturday at 5.30pm and 8.30pm and a matinee on Sundays at 3pm. (Tuesdays buy one get one free.)

To book call 011 883 8606 or 073 725 7381 or online on www.theatreonthesquare.co.za

http://tonight.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=5182578&fSectionId=431&fSetId=251

Put on your pork pie hat and party

October 13, 2009
By Peter van der Merwe

The Blues Brothers

Cast: Johan Baird and Alwyn Kotze

Musical director: Du Preez Strauss

Director: Clayton Stewart

Venue: Theatre on The Square, Sandton

Until: October 25

Rating: ****

In the late '70s, comedians Dan Ackroyd and John Belushi created The Blues Brothers as part of a comedy sketch on Saturday Night Live. Forty years, a ridiculous movie and an entire cult following later, the boys are back in town - and they're having an absolute blast.

Like Belushi and Ackroyd, Johan Baird and Alwyn Kotze possess no more than fair singing voices - but they not only get away with it, they rock the house. Their comic timing is superb and they fill the gaps between the songs with a witty repartee that has the audience howling.

That's not to say the music takes a back seat. On the contrary, it's what the show is all about.

One of the highlights is the rap/electronic version of the US Civil War standard Two Little Boys, which has to be seen to be believed. Composer Theodore Morse would be bopping in his grave.

The show starts with the cast mingling with the audience under the pretence of being caught unawares - but the moment the familiar opening bars of the Peter Gunn theme ring through the theatre, it's all action. From the laid-back satire of Rawhide to some rocking numbers by the backing group The Bluettes, this is music played with passion and verve.

This show stands out for its sheer entertainment value. The musicianship - a six-piece band headed by Du Preez Strauss - and choreography are top class, and it is maniacally funny at times.

If you're looking for a great night, then I cannot recommend this show highly enough.

THE BLUES BROTHER on Radio Today with Brooks Spector

BASA Today 11 October 2009 (Arts and Culture Programme)

Radio Today Podcasts

Feeling good with the Blues

Published: 2009/10/10

SOMEWHERE over the years The Blues Brothers have lost the plot. Literally. The musical based on the 1980 cult movie has thrown away the story line completely. So if you’re expecting car smashes as cops chase some robbers who have formed a band to raise money for an orphanage, you’re not going to get it.

You’d struggle to fit that on the stage anyway, so all that’s left are the songs, the live band, some deadpan humour and the cool but slightly menacing attire of suits, hats and sunglasses .

And that’s all you need for a hugely entertaining show that’s simple but utterly captivating.

Johan Baird as Jake Blues and Alwyn Kotze as his brother Elwood are tremendous. Kotze wears his outfit with great aplomb, and is a slightly better dancer. Baird has his shirt hanging out and his top button casually undone, but has the more elegant voice. Yet when Kotze performs a fabulous version of Under the Boardwalk with only a bass guitar to accompany him, you realise their voices suit the different songs equally well.

Then they dance their exuberant elastic-legged dances and you can’t help laughing at the fabulous choreography by Quintus Jansen.

It’s slick and sassy with wacky duets performed perfectly in synch. This show is all about the music, and the six-piece band is as tight and professional as the brothers are loose-limbed and loveable. Kotze and Baird intersperse their songs with humour, and sometimes leave the stage free for the trio of Bluettes backing singers to shine.

Dapper Tshepi Magabo gives a beautifully engaging version of Minnie the Moocher, his white suit sparkling almost as much as his naughty eyes. Crushanda Forbes and sexy Lebo Keke are equally impressive, adding the female emotional quota that used to exist in the long-since discarded plot. It doesn’t matter that you don’t know why they suddenly launch into Think , or Respect . They just do, and like everything in this musical, they do it superbly.

Then everyone is back on stage to pump out classics like Gimme Some Lovin’ and Jailhouse Rock. The laugh-out-loud dancing and the sheer feel-good factor of it all is contagious. They may have lost the plot, but the whole audience lost their cares for the evening.

n The Blues Brothers runs at the Old Mutual Theatre on the Square, Nelson Mandela Square, Sandton, (011) 883-8606, until October 25, booking through Strictly Tickets or through the theatre’s box office, www.theatreonthesquare.co.za

Cult classic

Published: 10/11/2009
NATALIE BOSMAN

If any two guys could pull off being The Blues Brothers, or “Blues broers,” as Johan Baird jokes, it’s him and his housemate Alwyn Kotze.

Throughout the interview the duo keep a running line of commentary going, with Kotze sporting Elwood Blues’ characteristic dry sense of humour, and Baird playing up the role of the clown and, by his own admission, “the fat guy”.

Actually, there’s nothing “fat” about Baird, who proudly announces that he lost 18kg while rehearsing and performing the high energy dance moves required throughout the musical review show The Blues Brothers..

Kotze, on the other hand, actually gained 5kg worth of calves. But that’s neither here nor there – let’s get back to the show.

Aware they have impressive shoes to fill, going up against the likes of the late John Belushi and Dan Akroyd, Baird and Kotze say that their approach is to make the show their own rather than copy Akroyd and Belushi.

“We’re not emulating them,” explains Kotze. “As players, we are approaching it in the sense that we want to become Blues Brothers – not Dan Akroyd as a Blues Brother, but Alwyn as a Blues Brother, and Johan as a Blues Brother.

“So we try to incorporate as much of ourselves as we can. I mean, I’m more reserved and more rigid, and I have a dry sense of humour, and Johan is more outgoing, so the contrast is there,” he says.

“We are actually really like that,” Baird chips in.

“He does the dishes at home and I sit around playing Playstation,” he laughs.

The revival of this Eighties cult classic movie and stage show is proof enough of the music’s timelessness.

It’s music that spans all generations, even those born long after the soul, blues and rock and roll genres celebrated in the show came to an end.

“There have been a lot of musical productions on the circuit in SA, but it’s been a lot of pop and soft music. The Blues Brothers, they bring you old school – soul, blues and rock and roll,” comments Kotze.

Baird shares Kotze’s admiration for the era.

“I was at a friend’s daughter’s birthday, and there were a bunch of 18- and 19-year-olds, playing their music and sitting around, but as soon as the old stuff came on, old school classics like Jailhouse Rock, they were up on their feet and dancing,” he says.

“So I think those kind of classics are well known to everyone. Give Me Some Loving, Sweet Home Chicago, Under The Boardwalk, Soul Man; all those songs people know from a young age.”

If you’re not already a fan of the music before watching the show, The Blues Brothers will win you over and generate a new respect for the music.

It’s a fabulous, feel-good show for audiences across all ages; a memorable night out with superb performances by the Blues Broers, the three Bluettes and the six-piece live band.

To book tickets, call the theatre on 011-883-8606 or visit www.theatreonthesquare.co.za.

http://www.citizen.co.za/index/article.aspx?pDesc=107399,1,22

Blues Brothers will touch you in a special way

16 October 2009
Edward Tsumele

IF WHAT you want right now is music by legends, there is one place you need to go to and indulge yourself in some of the finest sounds. It is the Old Mutual Theatre on the Square.

This production, which is choreographed by Quintus Jansen and directed by Clayton Stewart, will not fail to impress you.

The Blues Brothers, which opened at the Old Mutual Theatre on the Square on September 29, runs until next Sunday. It is a smash hit rock and roll, rhythm and blues musical that is sure to touch you in a special way.

For those who, like me, are not quite clued up in terms of this music genre, here is a bit of background information you need to have before attending the show.

This award-winning musical celebrates the music made famous by the “pork pie and wayfarers” duo Jake and Elwood Blues in the cult 80s movie called The Blues Brothers.

These iconic kings of cool were created by the late John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd for NBC’s Saturday Night Live show and the film was made on the strength of the cult success of these characters.

The first Blues Brothers stage show was a 1980 musical comedy starring Belushi and Aykroyd as Joliet Jake and Elwood Blues.

Musical numbers featured include songs by singers James Brown, Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles, among others, such as I Feel Good, Jailhouse Rock, Midnight Hour, Riot in Cellblock No. 9 and Sweet Home Chicago.

This musical has impressed many people where it was performed around the country so far. The original South African production broke box office records in Joburg, Durban and most recently at the NewSpace Theatre in Cape Town. This production is directed by Stewart, who was the original Elwood Blues in the South African show, and the choreography is by Jansen.

Playing the Blues Brothers with serious attitude is Johan Baird and Alwyn Kotze, who are joined by three Bluettes – Lebo Toko, Crushanda Forbes and Tshepi Mashego .

Tickets cost R180 with shows from Tuesdays to Friday at 8.15pm and two shows on Saturdays at 5.30pm and 8.30pm and a matinee on Sundays at 3pm. Group prices for 10 persons or more are R140 per ticket.

http://www.sowetan.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=1078318