The brain-child of veteran director Richard H Nosworthy and producer Mel Botes, “Crazy Diamond” took its debut audience on a scintillating two hour journey following the history of Pink Floyd, as seen through the eyes of Roger Keith Barrett – aka Syd to his friends.

There are ten performances in all, ending on 29 April. All shows start at 8pm and tickets are priced between R115 and R223. Bookings can be made at www.computicket.com

Barrett was one of the founding members of Pink Floyd, and even though he only stayed with the band for the first two years, his influence continued long after his departure – in fact all through their following 40 years or so existence.

The audience was electrified as they followed the Pink Floyd story - which highlights the influence Barrett had on both the band’s style of music and the lyrics they wrote over the years. It also shed light on the band’s early influences and explained why their work often contains very long songs with elaborate free flowing solos and discusses their innovative use of modern technology and Musique concrete.

Over 30 songs from over 40 years

Over 30 songs were performed along this scintillating journey of rock at its very best. Jugband Blues, Echoes, Speak to Me, Breathe, Happiest Days of our lives, Another Brick in the Wall (parts 1,2 and 3), The Dogs of War, Shine on You Crazy Diamond and many more, all ensured that the audience was provided with a never-to-be-forgotten experience.

Taking centre stage in this production is undoubtedly one of Africa’s most talented guitarists and multi-award winning songwriter, Mel Botes.

Mel has always acknowledged that Pink Floyd has had a big influence on his music career, influencing both his writing and style of playing. Mel has been in his element while collaborating with Richard Nosworthy to bring “Crazy Diamond” to the stage. This is a second collaboration between this talented pair, the They were, however, pervasive enough for theatre management to first being “Flight of Bird” which was directed by Nosworthy and starred Botes.

Stunning lineup of musicians

Mel says “This production has been a big challenge for me and a very valuable learning curve. It’s been a wonderful opportunity to use everything I’ve learned about playing music over 30 years to help me interpret Pink Floyd’s”.

Joining Mel on stage in “Crazy Diamond” are Simon Orange (Hammond organ, piano and backing vocals), Theuns Botha (drums) and Barry Pretorius (bass). Backing vocals are provided by Hannah Erasmus and Elaine Page.

“Crazy Diamond” also pays tribute to Pink Floyd’s elaborate concerts with big budget lighting rigs, visual effects and sound systems, and these too. Specially produced supporting images are projected onto a screen and a voice-over guided the audience through the years as the music takes them through the time-warp that as Pink Floyd’s music.

Even the inevitable appearance of opening-night technical gremlins was not able to douse the mood of the enthralled audience. In fact they only served to add a touch of live-performance reality enhancing the audience’s experience.

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