Party like it’s 1999 with Dale Ray at ‘The Ultimate Prince Experience’
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For two nights only, theatregoers will get to party like it’s 1999 at “The Ultimate Prince Experience”.
Showtime Australia, which have proven its Midas touch when it comes to tribute shows à la “The Greatest Love of All” and the “Michael Jackson HIStory”, is behind this one, too.
Directed by Johnny Van Grinsven, the show celebrates Prince’s catalogue of music: “Purple Rain”, “When Doves Cr”’, “Kiss”, “1999”, “Little Red Corvette”, “Raspberry Beret”, “Diamonds and Pearls”, “Cream”, “The Most Beautiful Girl in the Worl”’, “Let’s Go Crazy!” and more.
Dale Ray channels the icon, celebrated as one of the best-selling music artists of all time, selling 100 million records worldwide and being idolised for playing up to 27 instruments.
In a recent chat with Ray, an unassuming talent with a fantastic sense of humour, he unpacked his journey.
He also pointed out that he had been a musician for as long as he could remember.
“I think I was about 5 years old when I taught myself to play the piano. It was only when I was about 15 that I went for formal music training and classical music lessons. When I was 19 and 20, I studied music production and performance.
“Ever since then, I’ve been in the industry working as a keyboard player, vocalist and saxophonist, mainly as music director, which was my main trade.”
Ray studied for the latter at the Campus of Performing Arts in Johannesburg.
He had worked for the company for many years before he was asked to do the Prince tribute show.
“The producer, Johnny, I happened to meet him at a restaurant once, just in passing, and he said to me: ‘Dale, I’m wanting to do a Prince show and I want you to do Prince.’
“It was as simple and as quick as that.”
It was a major career breakthrough for Ray but also a daunting prospect.
“I grew up listening to a lot of his R&B tracks like ‘She's Always In My Hair’, ‘Diamonds and Pearls’ … that type of music.
“It is only when I got older that I started delving into his funk and his rock and pop stuff. Yes, I’ve been a Prince fan. It is such an honour for me to do a show like this.
“I’ve never been one of those people who walks around thinking I’m Prince, I think that is also the difference. You get some impersonators who impersonate the artist’s daily life. I’ve never been one of those people.
“That makes it a bit easier just to know I’m not him, I’m never going to be him. I definitely try to put that imposter syndrome aside.”
Ray continued: “It was actually very daunting when they asked me to do it. When they asked me to do it, immediately that day, I went home put on some of Prince’s music and started watching his videos.
“Obviously, I was watching it through a different lens now. So that was quite daunting.
“I studied a lot. I watched almost every Prince interview I could find. I watched almost every live concert. The studying never stops. I’m still studying.”
The passion and humility he exudes is a testament to the successful shows to date, where it has toured the UK and New Zealand.
Ray admitted: “I was so fascinated by the amount of instruments he (Prince) played. I don’t feel like I will ever get to a point where I feel like I have nailed it, as much as critics think I do.
“All I can do is keep studying and keep doing better so the instruments weren’t such a stretch. Obviously, I needed to practise for the show and get as much practice as possible. But that wasn’t the stress for me. The challenge was singing like Prince.
“I mean Prince has a ridiculous range from singing extremely low to extremely, tight-underwear high (laughs) … and I had to work on that a lot.
“The biggest thing was his mannerisms and all his dance moves. Trying to get that. I’m not a trained dancer. We made sure we replicated a lot of his popular costumes, which were tailor-made for me. You will see all the iconic Prince costumes that he wore.
“They made sure I was able to do the splits without breaking my hips or the pants.”
On performing abroad, he said: “I’ve performed abroad a number of times. But this time, playing such a big role was a milestone for me. Thoroughly enjoyed the tour.
“The most successful thing for me was the show was successful. They loved it and I loved it. I’m very excited to come and do it in my home town.”
Before dashing off, Ray added: “The show is a spectacle for anyone. You don’t have to be a Prince fan. You will see me playing most of the instruments. I have two amazing backing singer-dancers.
“They are as much a part of the show as I am. It’s really a live show experience. I don’t allow people to stay in their seats. That’s my mission every night.
“You come for a party, that is really what it is.”
Where: Mandela Stage at Joburg Theatre.
When: Saturday, August 31, to Sunday, September 1, at 8pm and 2pm, respectively.
Cost: Tickets range from R180 to R390 and can be purchased through Webtickets. Discounts for groups of 10, 20 or more are also available.