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Whether it's rocking numbers from the king of rock, flavour from the queen of soul, melody brought by the father of blues and masters of jazz or simply the poptastic tunes from the divas we love — Kings, Queens and Divas is a show which is certain to have something for everyone.
Nine talented singers and musicians from South Africa are bringing the show to the Souk Madinat Theatre tonight until June 7. With songs and music from some of the most famous in the business, director Cedric Vandenschrik says the show will “blow people away”.
‘True essence'
“Kings, Queens and Divas are titles in their own right that conjure up vivid images of unique characters of popular music. Idols that have put an indelible mark upon our subconscious but who have also left us with some of the best music ever,"he said.
“In the show we try and capture the true essence of both the characters and the music they are famous for.”
Kings Queens and Divas pays tribute to the likes of Elvis, Tina Turner, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Freddie Mercury, Cher, Aretha Franklin and many more. Vandenschrik added: “We don't use any backing tracks and all the music is provided by a six-piece band capable of filling any theatre with the songs we all know and love.
The accomplished singers are some of South Africa's finest and I am proud to bring them to Dubai for this show for the first time.”
A prolific songwriter, Vandenschrik has recorded albums both as a group and solo artist, and has also performed in Dubai with the Dubai Philharmonic Orchestra. He also heads Wide-Eyed Productions that has produced and staged shows across the globe.
“Dubai is a wonderful place to perform as you really feel at the heart of the community with so many different nationalities. It is great to forge links with the local people.”
Unique dresses
And with that in mind Vandenschrik, not content with any old costumes, joined forces with the French Fashion University, ESMOD International, in order to create some unique dresses for the three ladies in the show.
ESMOD director Tamara Hostal said the union had been a huge success and hoped it would be possible to work with the theatre again in the future.
“It has given a few of our students a wonderful opportunity to create something for an actual stage show – a show people will come and see and be wowed by the music and the costumes alike,"she said.
Pierre Bechir was one of the chief designers of four dresses for the show and was grateful for the opportunity to show off his creative talents to Dubai audiences.
“It has been a great experience and I have really enjoyed it. But it has also been a huge challenge as we had to create dresses which would not only fit three different women but also be in keeping with the songs of that moment. So each design almost captures a few artists all in one go.”
With only two weeks to design, plan and make the pieces, Pierre said it was all hands on deck until the early hours of the morning. “The blue dress which will be worn by Aretha Franklin is 100 per cent hand stitched and each piece of sequin was sewn individually so you can imagine how long it took.”
Singer Amanda Tiffin, who is wearing one of the dresses, said she was impressed with the fit and style. A recording artist in her own right, Tiffin is one of the most sought after musicians in South Africa and has recently spread her wings across the globe, performing in Japan and the UK.
Vandenschrik added: “To sum it up the show will be lots of fun and I'm pretty certain will have everyone on their feet, dancing to the tunes by the end of the night.”
Meet the band
On drums: Frank Paco
On guitar and occasional keyboards: Dave Ledbetter
On bass: Shaun Johannes
On keyboards and trombone: Lee Gelderbloem
On saxophone: Chris Luke
On trumpet: Lee Thomson
For tickets, priced at Dh150 for all performances which start at 8.30pm sharp, visit the Souk Madinat Box Office or call on 04 366 6546.
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