Tshwane Gospel Choir
Assembly George Square Studio (Venue 17)
Verdict: four stars
Sometimes a performance isn’t just about the aesthetics. Beyond the sleekness of the lighting, the size of the venue or the enormity of the production, we, the audience care about one thing and one thing only; how the show makes us feel. South African collective the Tshwane Gospel Choir went beyond the language barrier (the count of Xhosa speakers in the crowd stood firmly at 0) to deliver an outstanding one hour display of sheer musical joy that had the audience at The Assembly Studio 3 whopping and bopping in unison.
A contemporary gospel group founded five years ago in Pretoria, TGC managed to fill the 60 minutes with a well-varied and well-structured set that saw them tackle a range of sounds and genres without ever truly going off beat. Whether they were harmonising to the more bluesy “Sophiatown vibes” or lighting up the stage with upbeat and rich sounds the legendary Ladysmith Black Mambazo would be proud of, there wasn’t a single lull. Rather than rely on one lead vocalist, the choir alternated, digging deep into their wealth of talent to offer us every flavour of Africa, with a healthy dollop of emotion at every turn. The collectives’ final number saw them invite some of the more enthusiastic audience members on to the stage to join in with their jiving. A fitting finale to a spectacular display of rhythmic happiness.
Advertisement
The show was entertaining enough to leave tennis mum Judy Murray gushing. She said after the performance: “I loved the energy of it, I loved the colour and I loved the fact there was so many of them and they smiled the whole way through. They acted, they danced and they sang. Every one of them had the chance to be the star, they all had the chance to be the person who had a solo part, who we all had the chance to look at.” An accurate assessment of one The Fringe’s hidden gems.
Reviewed by Shingi Mararike for the News Academy