| Legendary at Kalk Bay Theatre When: Until October 25, 2024. 8.30pm – Thurs-to Sat Where: Kalk Bay Theatre at Brass Bell Restaurants & Pubs, Main Rd, Kalk Bay Show duration: 90 minutes Featuring: Ashley Searle, Bradley Searle, Vanessa Harris, Liam McDermott, Miguel de Sampaio and Nicolette Fernandes Genre: Rock music Direction: Vanessa Harris Choreography: Ashley Searle Sound and Lights: Nicki Sisson Costumes: Vanessa Harris Created and produced by: Followspot Productions Dress code: Rock Superstar. Purchase a Participation Pack for R65 – includes bubbles (the ones you blow), glow stick, drinking game dice and shot glass (gets filled up with a blue concoction) Tickets: R335 and R23.88 booking fee Booking: Quicket – go via Kalk Bay Theatre website at http://www.kalkbaytheatre.co.za or if you get stuck, WhatsApp on 066 205 5063 Good to know: Those who dine at the Brass Bell in its Theatre Restaurant on the Captain’s Deck, get preferential seats Parking: The best parking lot is the one opposite the Wetsuit Warehouse. Alex is the car guard, and if you can’t find parking, he will valet park your car |
The Kalk Bay Theatre is in Rock Superstar mode with its rollicking show, Legendary- a tribute to rock. The show includes hits of rock from the 70s to the millennium. The company – Ashley Searle, Bradley Searle, Vanessa Harris, Liam McDermott, Miguel de Sampaio and Nicolette Fernandes are kitted out fabulously as Rock Superstar in leathers, studs, chains and boots and eyeliner. The audience is encouraged to dress up and it was a hoot to see the outfits. Bravo to those hailing out their fishnet tights and leather jackets. Participation Packs are for sale at R65 and include a vial of bubbles (the ones you blow), glow stick, drinking game dice and shot glass (gets filled up with a blue concoction). It all adds to the fun and provides a rock concert vibe to this slick and beautifully staged show. The lighting is smoky and dark with flashes of light. The precursor of Legendary is the KBT’s Alchemy of Rock, which was staged in 2016 in the theatre’s former premises across the road. That show was 55 minutes. The season was three weeks, preceding its run at National Arts Festival. Due to popular demand, it was decided to revive Alchemy of Rock and rebirth it as Legendary- 90 minutes of rocking. It is amazing to see how the production values have become enhanced since Alchemy of Rock, with high resolution projection screens and sophisticated audio visuals. There is a levitating piano (keyboards) which swings, with the charming Brad Searle on keys.
Legendary features well known rock numbers, quirky numbers and some numbers I am not familiar with. Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah is there – not a rock song but a moment for brothers Ash and Brad Searle to get the audience singing along. They bring the pitch down from this high energy show – energy on steroids. The brothers regale the audience with a very touching interlude where they play tribute to their dad, Alan Searle and how he instilled the love of rock for them in car rides to school via his mixtapes. Alan Searle is Front of House at the Kalk Bay Theatre. It is very much a family business. Now Ash Searle and Vanessa Harris do the same with their kids – with Spotify play lists on the school run. In Legendary, we are treated to both of their playlists. By bringing the personal into the show, it adds nuance and ensures that it is not just another rock tribute show.
The performers work terrifically as an ensemble of rockers. It is wonderful to see Nicolette Fernandes on the Kalk Bay Theatre stage. The twenty something Fernandes played Scaramouche in the 2023 Showtime production of We Will Rock You and she is a powerhouse in her cropped leather top and boots.
In Legendary, the lighting is heightened by AV as a source, as Harris pointed out in a recent interview https://thecaperobyn.co.za/in-the-limelight-kalk-bay-theatre-in-legendary-mode-gearing-up-for-unthinkable-for-the-festive-season/ For example, in the number My Immortal by Evanescence, there is a projection of graphics onto the body of Fernandes so she glows in the dark. Fabulous.
In addition to backtracks, there is live music – piano, percussion, guitar and cajon. The wonderful Liam McDermott delights on guitar. With Legendary, team Followspot has once again delivered a high energy and immersive entertaining show. Get into the vibe and dress up as a Rock Superstar and heighten the vibe, with a Participation Pack and. Legendary is booking until October 25, 2024 (Thursday to Saturday). Fernandes will leave Legendary on September 27 as she is performing in Disney’s Magic Box, produced by Showtime. Lucy Tops will take over from Fernandes. After Legendary, the theatre will close for a few weeks as they shift the stage around for their festive season show, Unthinkable– “all about seeing things that you wouldn’t think possible, with lots of aerial, illusion and trickery.” [https://thecaperobyn.co.za/in-the-limelight-kalk-bay-theatre-in-legendary-mode-gearing-up-for-unthinkable-for-the-festive-season/] The Kalk Bay Festive Season shows tend to sell out, so advisable to book.
✳ Featured image: Nicolette Fernandes in Legendary, Kalk Bay Theatre, Cape Town, 2024. This song is My Immortal by Evanescence .Pic supplied.
