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What
The Greatest Love of All - The Whitney Houston Show
Who
Showtime Australia
Why care
If you are a Whitney fan, you cannot miss Belinda Davids as she embodies Whitney Houston and brings her back to life by singing all of the star’s greatest hits
Where
Theatre of Marcellus, Emperors Palace, from now until July 8. Tickets from R160
Annoyingly, the earworm of The Greatest Love of All didn’t leave me for days after hearing about the show, but when Belinda Davids started singing the belter, I was reminded that yes, the children are the future — and the importance of this message now. Listen up evil Trump! And maybe he will, as the popular show is heading to the US after the stint here. Davids is proudly South African, from Gelvandale in Port Elizabeth, having beaten more than 15 000 wannabes from all over the world to be the icon. The show began five years ago, and since then Davids has performed the diva’s songs all over Europe, the UK and, most recently she won the BBC’s Even Better than the Real Thing — a competition of singalikes, in which the world’s biggest tribute stars go head to head. There was a swaggering George Michael, a magnificent Prince, but Davids was unarguably the best.
Her career speaks to it. She started singing at the age of 14, and got a record deal at 16. Davids said she always wanted to sing like Whitney, and sang her songs every chance she got — weddings, talent shows, and at family gatherings.
One of the few singers to have a four-octave range (Whitney had five and Mariah Carey and Axl Rose have six), Davids has not had any professional schooling at all, but singing 21 songs every night for six nights a week is plenty of training. Davids is now also busy recording her own music.
The show is a spectacle with Davids changing her glittering, tailored outfits to suit Whitney’s iconic looks throughout the decades. She is accompanied by a fabulous six-piece live band and four dancers. They perform all the favourite hits from Where Do Broken Hearts Go? to Houston’s very last hit Million Dollar Bill. The big ballads get the standing ovations — I Have Nothing, Didn’t We Almost Have it All and she saves the best for last with the audience waiting anxiously for Dolly Parton-penned I Will Always Love You.
Go and see the show in Joburg now, as you might not get another chance in the next few years. Apparently, it is going to play all over the world until 2020. LS