Centrestage - Entertainment Port Elizabeth

THE MAGNIFICENT 7

Breaking all records - something magnificent is going down at the PE Opera House as Centrestage along with Algoa Fm are set to top their recent record-breaking hit show Absolutely Abba with the return of the sizzling tribute to the 7 greatest bands of all time - entitled The Magnificent 7

The power-packed production features the music of favourites Queen, The Bee Gees, The Rolling Stones, Abba, The Beach Boys, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones!

Theatre personality Clifford Kleb plays the zany Rock n Roll evangelist, the Reverend of Rock n Roll, who keeps the vibe at fever pitch while dishing out the dirt on the bands.

The show features a cast of 13 of PE's top entertainers. Donovan Hattingh will reprise his role of musical director and virtuoso guitarist for which he won critical acclaim for his contribution to Absolutely Abba.

Once again, great attention to detail and renditions faithful to the originals are promised by the Centrestage All-Star band, who must be one of the tightest bands in the country. The harmonies are spot on and the group has met the challenges faced by the complex vocal arrangements of the likes of The Beach Boys Good Vibrations, Fun Fun Fun, Barbara Anne and California girls, which are all presented in full. The rhythm section is made up of Gino Fabbri on drums, Mike McCaully on bass, with Rory McLaren and Candy G on keyboards. Wayne Kallis takes turns on acoustic and electric guitar and Andre Strydom drums on the Stones section, allowing funnyman Fabbri to strut his stuff as an eccentric Mick Jagger in the Rolling Stones segment of the show.

Donna Africa and Eloise Potgieter take honours fronting in the Abba segment, which features hits of the Swedes such as Dancing Queen, Mama Mia, Does Your Mother Know and Super trouper.

The Beatles are tributed in a whirlwind medley of favourites, while Bee Gees stalwarts Roger Gilson and Rob Palmer will join Andre Strydom to provide the familiar falsetto treatment on hits such as Staying Alive, Tragedy, Grease and Night Fever are given the familiar falsetto treatment..

The surprise hit of the show is the awesome rendition of the Credence Clearwater Revival hits - accurately fronted by Kallis and Hattingh - songs such as Bad Moon Rising, Up Around the Bend, Have You Ever Seen the Rain and Hey Tonight are part of a set which raises the roof with raucous audience participation.

Hattingh produces superb guitar work throughout, reaching a pinnacle as he emulates the Brian May solos in the final Queen set, which sees East London's Rory McLaren strutting up front as Freddie Mercury.

The highlight of the evening promises to be Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, which the performs in its entirety, INCLUDING the operatic section in the middle! This is something which even Queen did not do in their live shows, choosing rather to leave the stage and have a video take care of this complex arrangement!

If 7 is your lucky number, be sure not to miss out on the 7 wonders of the musical world with a celebration which is without question The Best of the Best, by the best!

Random opinion sampling taken by the Boardwalk Casino after the Magnificent 7 :
(used by kind permission)

* The greatest show that I have ever seen. I will be bringing all friends and family back tomorrow to witness this.

* The best show ever seen at the Boardwalk since its inception * Should this show ever tour the country, it will sell out and should be televised

* Absolutely musical magic

* If you missed it, you will never know, but you will continuously hear about it

* Although this was the greatest entertaining show I have ever seen, I am extremely happy that it was a local production. Well done Centrestage.

* This show has cost me lots of money. The bloody family is big. We came the night before, and last night and if you think we do not get in tonight, just watch!

* Just as it was in the 60's and so much better

* No nicer a venue, no better a show - it was tremendous!