Cohen fans in awe
LEONARD Cohen fans who have been mourning the legendary musician’s death in November can “sit with him for a while”, when Eshowe musician Dave Starke puts on a tribute show to the Canadian legend at the Rhumbelow Theatre at Tina’s Hotel in Kloof from March 16 to 18.
Starke will feature Cohen’s popular Hallelujah as well as his own favourite Famous Blue Raincoat, which is about infidelity, and hits such as Suzanne, So Long Maryanne and Who By Fire.
He will also sing pieces from Cohen’s final album, You Want It Darker, which was released just before Cohen’s death.
Starke loves the haunting Famous Blue Raincoat for its honesty. “There are no sacred cows. Nothing is held back. It’s a brilliant piece of writing.”
Starke is originally a Capetonian who, after graduating in drama and education at the University of Cape Town, landed up in Eshowe “to cut my teeth in a rural school”.
After a stint teaching at Eshowe High School, he stayed on in the town as a travelling muso, sometimes going as far as the Mother City, such as he did since Cohen’s death, to perform his Leonard Cohen – A Tribute, at the Rosebank Theatre, where it was sold out for the duration of its run.
While Starke performs the tribute, his childhood friend, Perran Hahndiek, researched and wrote the text for the show. They have known each other since the age of nine and in 1999, Starke borrowed Hahndiek’s Leonard Cohen – Greatest Hits without giving it back, which they described as “binding them together as brothers-in-music”.
Speaking on their combined creative process for the tribute and how the vision for the show took shape, Hahndiek said: “We grew up together listening to folk music; listening to Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, all the classical folk musicians.
“I was always more into writing, while he (Starke) was always more into music and performance. So he asked me to write the script.”
He described the show as, “definitely something interesting, with some of it told through my narrative, but really the main message being carried through the lyrics and music”.
He added that they were excited to see how audiences experienced the impact of telling through music, “literally the words of Leonard Cohen himself ”, said Hahndiek.
Starke profiles the audience coming to his tribute show as being “deep, thinking and philosophical”.
“When they come to me afterwards, I get feedback and see they know a lot, have read his biographies and so on.”
He hopes to take the show to the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown.
The shows on Friday, March 16 and Saturday, March 17 start at 8pm, with a final show on Sunday, March 18 at 2pm.
The venue opens 90 minutes before show for drinks.
For restaurant reservations call 031 764 7843.
Tickets cost R150 and R130 for pensioners.
Book at Computicket or email roland@stansell.za.net