Gold Reef City to bring back the extravaganza with ‘Ignited’

At one time casinos in South Africa were known for their big budget cabaret and extravaganza style shows in which feather-bedecked women, paraded alongside a series of dancers and sexy singers, moved the crowd to a variety of hits. In recent years, however, these shows have fallen from the general entertainment radar and it’s this that the latest production at Gold Reef City aims to correct.

Ignited is produced by renowned show director, and choreographer Jared Mackenzie, who promises guests “a night to remember featuring spectacular costumes, fiery dance routines, and jaw-dropping performances by talented singers”.

There is little doubt that the two leads, Tracey-Lee Oliver and Nigel Morkel, have what it takes to deliver the kind of punch a show like this needs. The two have been singing since they were young and have performed in every kind of musical theatre imaginable.

Morkel’s rise to fame really began with the TV show Coca-Cola Pop Stars in 2002 where he made the top ten and subsequently became part of the pop group Afro Z, which was one of the supporting acts for Jay-Z’s tour to SA. Since then he has performed in Sun City extravaganzas, toured the world and carved out a niche as a successful corporate entertainer.

Hand-picked by Mackenzie, Morkel says he is looking forward to the show, which he says is a challenge for any singer.

“There is so much diversity in terms of what we are singing, from local hits to some of the big ones from the 80s, and all this is happening while choreographing with dancers and lighting. It’s the kind of challenge I like,” he said, following a gruelling rehearsal that left him drenched in sweat.

His lead partner is Tracy-Lee Oliver, whose huge experience in musical entertainment has recently begun to pay off with increasing recognition and even award nominations.

“Because of the variety of songs, from Miriam Makeba’s Pata Pata to an Afrikaans medley, every night is sure to be different,” she said, explaining that the highlight of the show would therefore always be determined by the crowd on the night.

“For me, there are two moments in every show that I enjoy: the second the curtain goes up for the first time, and watching people at that moment where everything clicks and you can see they are having fun,” Oliver added.

Oliver, too, was hand-picked for the show, and such is her respect for Mackenzie she says she didn’t have to even see the song-book.

“I got the call and I just said yes. There was no doubt I wanted to be a part of this, and now that we are so close to the first live show, I can clearly see I made a great decision,” she laughed.

Book your tickets to Ignited now at www.goldreefcity.co.za. Tickets are also available at Computicket for R100. Reward Cardholders can save from 10% on ticket purchases.

The Citizen has two sets of double tickets to give away to readers.

All you need to do to stand a chance is send the name of one of the two leads to warrenr@citizen.co.za.

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