Joburg Theatre relives Freddy Mercury's magic

18 January 2016

 

Englishman Giles Taylor was so convincing in his performance as Freddie Mercury during the Queen: It’s Kinda Magic show at the Joburg Theatre on Saturday night that, at the end of the pulsating two-hour rock offering, I was ready to come out of the closet and declare myself a rock 'n roll fan.

 

The real Freddie Mercury and Queen fans were in seventh heaven – from start to finish – as Taylor and his band of rockers took them down Memory Lane. Throughout the show, members of the audience were mostly on their feet, waving their hands in the air or dancing in the aisles to the tunes that made Queen such a global phenomenon.

Taylor - with support from Australians Richie Baker as Brian May on guitar, Kyle Thompson as Roger Taylor on drums and South Africa’s Steven Dennett as John Deacon on bass - brought their A-game to the Mandela's Stage. And the foursome will do so every night until the shows end on February 7. Queen: It’s A Kinda Magic lives up to its billing – with more than 20 original Queen hits and numerous costume changes by Taylor, the sexy lead singer with a wicked sense of humour.

The first song of the night, a high-tempo It’s a Kinda Magic, was opened to a riot of lights and pulsating drums. It set the tone for the rest of the performance. Clad in distinctive Mercury outfits, Taylor reminded his audience that since it was a rock concert everyone should be on their feet. They duly responded and started dancing. Complete with Mercury’s mannerisms, Taylor’s performance was so spot-on that he had the audience eating out of the palm of his hand as the band belted hit after hit, including We Will Rock You, Bohemian Rhapsody, Fat Bottom Girls, We Are the Champions, Another One Bites The Dust, Killer Queen, Radio Ga Ga, Don’t Stop Me Now, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Play the Game, I Want to Break Free and Who Wants to Live Forever.

Performing the role since 2014, Taylor also showed off his impressive talents on piano and guitar. Tight leather pants and tailored jackets in bright yellow, red, white and black added to the Freddie Mercury mystic. Taylor's powerful voice and vocal range were amazing. The supporting cast made the whole production even more enjoyable with their energetic performances.

One of the highlights of the evening was when, after another costume change, Taylor emerged dressed in a blinged-out miniskirt, a pink top accentuating an ample DD-cup bosom, pink feather duster in hand, knee-high black stockings and black wig, belting out I Want to Break Free. The audience went wild. At the end of the show, rock fans begged Taylor and his band for more. And they dully obliged, rendering three more hits. The fans had great fun.

The show is a blast, irrespective of whether you are a rock 'n roll fan or not. And It’s worth every cent.