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Thinus Ferreira takes a turn to spin around on one of The Voice SA’s red chairs. It turns out that watching the show is an equally smooth ride
The Voice South Africa
M-Net (DStv channel 101)
Sunday, 6pm
4/5
The VoiceSA is a polished affair. However, while shiny, it’s not overproduced. The natural energy of the participants is preserved and, as a result, the show brims with the kind of delight that makes you want to keep watching.
The talent show, which follows the international format, is filmed at Sasani Studios, the exact place where the Big Brother Africa studio house burnt down in September 2014.
It’s safe to say that The Voice SA has managed to successfully replace the damaged Idols SA as M-Net’s new premium production.
The show is packed with charm – not so much because of the contestants, but due to the four red swivel chairs that reveal the real talent on set, the coaches – musicians Lira, Karen Zoid, Bobby van Jaarsveld and Kahn Morbee. Those chairs, though, are both a foil and a joyful “jungle gym” for them to play with.
Get ready for a lot of jokes about “Bobby’s balls”. The singer apparently shows great affection when handling his ball-shaped buzzer.
So ballsy and buzzer-happy are they all that there could be a surprise waiting in terms of the overall number of contestants chosen.
Also, unlike Idols, there are no bad singers – they’ve all been weeded out in preproduction. Here the only contestants who will be discarded are those who aren’t chosen soon enough by any of the coaches.
Yes, like Idols and SA’s Got Talent, there are the carefully crafted, often soppy, backstories to frame a contestant as an aspiring, deserving “underdog”, and then there’s the “this person can sing!” money shot.
But if you look closely, it’s not the contestant who makes this work; it’s the coaches with their almost over-the-top reactions. Somehow they keep managing to come across as charmingly natural (despite their showbiz background, where all four know how to “act” for the crowd).
Viewers will see several Paul Potts, Susan Boyle and Karin Kortje moments during the blind auditions.
You want to keep watching these quick-fix, condensed, fairy tales for the feel-good injections that play a psychological game: everybody is back in primary school and the cool kids are all fighting over you – literally climbing over each other for the opportunity to be able to play with you. Besides the lucky contestants, The Voice also makes the viewer feel special.
Although the studio audience is noticeably smaller than on international versions, the production quality is higher than most local talent show adaptations, so The Voice doesn’t feel cheap.
A bonus is that the coaches don’t stick to “their” genres – viewers will see them, as the show goes on, choosing contestants who sing the type of songs you’ll never find on their own CDs.
Despite all this promise, though, The Voice SA isn’t perfect. As a format show, it follows the cookie-cutter mould of the global template.
It’s much closer to the US and international versions – and therefore looks better – than other shows, such as Survivor SA, The Apprentice SA, The X Factor SA and others mangled by local channels and their small production budgets.
But, unlike Goldilocks, where it took a few tries, The Voice SA immediately sits just right for great family viewing that everyone can watch together.
The red chairs are turning smoothly and viewers can tune in for a charming Sunday evening spin cycle.
What do you think of The Voice SA so far?
SMS the keyword VOICE and your answers to 35697. You can also email us at trending@citypress.co.za. SMSes cost R1.50. Please include your name and province
