Nataniël - #WhenGiantsWaltz

Sitting down with one of South Africa's artists that is most probably a household name is something that not everyone would say they have done. But having High Tea with Nataniël really does takes the cake. (Mind that pun.)

There is a new show, waltzing it's way to Emperors Palace. And Nataniël is taking the lead in his 18th production in 18 years at Emperors - When Giants Waltz. Lets be honest, this is one man that gets on stage year on year with a concert that I think is bigger & better than the one before. Nataniël on the other hand believes that the audience knows what they like & you always need to make sure that you don't change it too much.

Nataniël's biggest supporter, his grandmother always said that when things are shaken up, that is when giants waltz. And the world is currently changing at a rapid pace, where 'giants' represent the government, global warming, diseases & the unnatural occurrences on earth that results in humans becoming 'smaller & smaller' over time. That is only the starting point of the show. (A show where every song has a costume change just by the way. So Floris Louw has been working incredibly hard over the last year to put new costumes together.)

Nataniël jokes that this is the 1st show that he really talks about himself, because usually you make up "lies" or tell stories about someone else. This is the production that we have been waiting for. An honest insight into the life & perspective on the world that he so boldly explores, exploits & explains. Delving into the contrasts of BIG and small, the struggle between the threatened & the indestructible. The war between the individual & the establishment.

And dare I say, the debate between the political & the intelligent. (Without actually even discussing politics, as politics, as Nataniël puts it, is organised evil & has never seen anything good come from politics, as it is a last resort. Politics is unattractive & the people in that, dress bad. So it's not something that he wants to bring into his show, because his show is beautiful & is supposed to inspire, which he believes politics doesn't do. 

Nataniël explains: "I'm the master of living in a bubble. So this show is a 95 min survival guide to living in a bubble in the modern world." This is going to be a show that you'll be able to experience on more that one level. Sit back & enjoy the stories, costumes & songs or dig into all of that a bit deeper as he elaborates on the evils in the world. But Nataniël does want you to walk into the theatre & lose yourself in the moment & forget about the outside world for a moment of pure entertainment. 

If you've seen a Nataniël show before, you'll see some familiar faces - Nicolaas Swart & Dihan Slabbert, who have been working with Nataniël for over 15 years now. These 2 gents who started their careers back in 2003 with the South African boy band - Hi-5, have grown from strength to strength & will be back on stage doing vocals. With Charl du Plessis on Keyboard, Juan Oosthuizen on Guitar, Brendan Ross on saxophone, Werner Spies on bass & Peter Auret on the drums, you know that there is an amazing group of artists that will be there to entertain. These are the guys that have become like family & everyone understands the others, which makes working together a whole lot easier.

This is most definitely not the last that we will see Nataniël on stage. He has his heart set on being on stage until the very last. And why not? The likes of Cher, Barbara Streisand & Bette Midler are still singing & to quote Nataniël, "Patti Labelle now sings the paint off the walls." And interesting fact, Nataniël walks a minimum of 25km everyday. Walking, he believes is the best exercise for the lungs & for the heart that is not strenuous on the rest of the body.

Nataniël emphasizes that the days of stopping with concerts, productions and being on stage, only happens the day you no longer have an audience. And I do think we want to see him on South African stages for a while longer, so get your tickets now at Computicket, for 1 of 12 unforgettable concerts at the Theatre of Marcellus at Emperors Palace from 4 to 27 October. 

Tickets for #WhenGiantsWaltz start from only R160 per person. (That's honestly a steal guys. You should buy tickets for the whole family!)