Cult classicPublished: 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.
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