By BRUCE DENNILL
Taylor: A Tribute To The Eras Of Taylor Swift / Mandela, Joburg Theatre, Braamfontein, Johannesburg
Taylor Swift is undeniably a pop culture phenomenon, as well as an economic one. Both aspects are well illustrated in a quick Google search to determine the average price of a concert ticket to the singer-songwriter’s recent Eras Tour: $1,550 (upwards of R20,000)!
This state of affairs means that most Swift fans – Swifties – will never have a chance to see her perform, and that’s even if the singer decides to include South Africa on her touring schedule, which may never be the case thanks to (for her) unfriendly exchange rates and the like. As such, a tribute show designed to showcase Swift’s music and something of the concept of the Eras tour makes good business sense, with a ready-made audience of youngsters who can coerce their parents into coming along as chaperones, if they’re not Swifties (out or closeted) already.
As with any such enterprise, the concept goes from ‘viable’ to ‘enjoyable’ based on the aptitude and commitment of the performers and happily, in this case, audiences attend a concert of superb quality, regardless of their interest or otherwise in Swift’s back catalogue.
Kudos must go, first and foremost, to Josette Klausen, who anchors the show as an all-singing, all-dancing, occasionally guitar-playing representation of Swift. This whole production is at pains to underline that it is an unofficial but entirely sincere homage to Swift’s talent and success, with Josette (she goes by the first name only on stage) introducing herself as herself, even as she does a pretty good job of replicating the American’s looks and style – and a superb job of performing someone else’s material as her own (to the extent that her singing voice is arguably superior to Swift’s).
The stage set-up is, sensibly, vastly reduced relative to the official Eras offering, but it still offers plenty of punch, with a tight four-piece band, two backing singers, two dancers and Josette front and centre behind a crystal-encrusted microphone, all washed in effective, dramatic lighting. Regular costume changes, featuring a varied and sequin-spangled wardrobe copied directly from the designs Swift wears onstage, mean the glamour quota of the show is high, bolstered further by two energetic backing dancers.
The setlist features hits from a number (though not all) of Swift’s albums, with songs like Cruel Summer, Bad Blood, Anti-Hero, Shake It Off and You Belong With Me among many others – the show includes over 20 songs – inspiring piercing screams from the younger fans, out-of-tune singalongs from the older ones and breathless phone torches-in-the-air waving in most of the auditorium.
Crucially, it’s not just superstar-adjacent vibes that carry the evening, but something far more enjoyable and satisfying: technical excellence. Josette and her colleagues are clearly brilliantly rehearsed – every movement, note and dynamic swell and fall is completely expected and anticipated, with none of the performers needing to give any aspect of their routines or playing any thought at all. The resulting assurance and fluidity means that, in the unlikely event you have no idea who Taylor Swift is and have never heard a single bar of her music, Taylor: A Tribute To The Eras Of Taylor Swift is an exceptional concert and a great night out.
