Take me back to the '80s

30 Nov 2011

Lights, camera, leg warmers, headbands, lumo colours, sparkles and action. That 80's Show is an 80s' music tribute and I will admit that I was a little wary of going to see it, due to the fact that I was born in the 90s. However, thanks to the epic nature of the music of that era, I was bopping about in my seat from the minute the curtains rose.

The group consists of two male singers (Riyaan Cornelius and Keenan Arrison), two female singers (Lucy Holgate and Liani Ekermans) and an amazing band to back up their exquisite vocals. And they didn't only sing, they dressed the part and made you believe that you were watching George Michael, Whitney Houston, A-Ha, U2, Joan Jett, Michael Jackson and so many more.

A talk-show twist

Even though it was all songs from the 80s, they had given it a talk-show twist. The host was Basil Pesto, with an assistant named Hazel Nut (who was the stereotypical blonde) and the band was called the Mixed Nuts, so together they are Basil Pesto and his Mixed Nuts. Along with the singing, they reminded the audience of the shows from that era, such as Cheers, Dallas and The Fresh Prince. (Sadly, even I knew what they were talking about.)

There was also an element of comedy that ran through the entire show to give it some edge and keep things interesting. You haven't lived until you've seen Basil Pesto gyrating on stage to Tainted Love.
The show runs until 14 January from Wednesday through to Saturday at the Roxy Review Bar, GrandWest.

An intimate feeling

The venue is amazing and gives a fantastically intimate feeling to the performance. (There is also a bar for all your beverage needs.) The tickets are available at Computicket and cost only R67, which is nothing for two hours of time travel. There is also a New Years Eve show that costs R120.

I can imagine that for those in the audience who were listening to music in the 80s, it was a walk down memory lane. For me, it was a reminder that there was something amazing before this new age of gadgets, technology and one-hit wonders. So I say: Take me back to the 80s!

That 80's Show runs till the 14 January, Wednesday through to Saturday at the Roxy Revue Bar, GrandWest.