Song Contest On Stage Now

Rotorua Musical Theatre's latest production is on now at the Casa Blanca... The Hits Rotorua's Paul Hickey went along to check it out... listen above!

It was a 'school night', but there were still a lot of people at the Casa Blanca Theatre on Riri Street for another performance of the new show 'Song Contest - The Almost Eurovision Experience'... and I can't recommend it enough!  It's described as a musical comedy, a concert and a sporting event rolled into one; it's a comedic and loving tribute to the Eurovision song contest.

Let me start with the negatives.  And there's only one; just before the show I was "that guy". Sitting at the table, I spilt my drink everywhere, so that was not a good start.

After that though, all was fantastic.  The show features three hosts, and then competition performances from 11 different countries.  Many of these are slightly risque, and certainly not ‘pc’, but isn't that the kind of thing we all need right now?
The three leads all played their role fantastically, eliciting all the right emotions from the crowd. Nanu Turner as Bettina, Alicia Lovegrove as Katarina and Barry Bird was so funny as Vladimir. They were of course ably supported by a wonderful cast and crew.

There were a lot of interactive moments with a couple of audience members being picked out for inclusions during the show, and then the whole audience gets involved, as you get to vote on your mobile phone for the winning country based on what you have just watched!  The votes are tallied, and then their is plenty of tension in the theatre as the winners are announced.  When I saw the show, the winners were Greece, but I’ve heard reports of other winners as well.  Is it legit? I don't know and I don't care, because its so much fun.  

It's nice and topical too with the biggest cheer of the night when Ukraine came to the stage showing our worldly emotions.  There were a few script changes to make it relevant with whats going on in their country right now.  There were even a few Will Smith references in there as well.
It is two and a bit hours of light heated fun with some great local talent, the Rotorua Musical Theatre do it again.

SONG CONTEST - THE ALMOST EUROVISION EXPERIENCE
from the Rotorua Musical Theatre
at Casa Blanca Theatre, Riri Street
until Saturday 9 April
TICKET INFO