There are so many tribute shows doing the rounds these days, some good, some not so good – but there are very few that are as effortlessly slick, superbly performed and as truly professional as The Greatest Love of All – The Whitney Houston Show.
South African singer Belinda Davids is just magnificent as Whitney Houston. She has obviously spent a long time studying Whitney and she draws the entire audience into this amazing musical tribute show, which features a live band, backing singers and four, highly skilled, dancers, with ease.
The concert itself is a showcase of Whitney when she was at the very top of her game, although the set list includes not only the early hits, but also some later numbers as well, including Saving All My Love For You, How Will I Know, Where Do Broken Hearts Go, Didn’t We Almost Have It All, One Moment in Time and Million Dollar Bill.
A particular highlight is Belinda’s performance of I Have Nothing which has, as a backdrop, video of Whitney’s live performance of the song at the Billboard Awards in 1993. Belinda’s mannerisms are incredibly well rehearsed and her likeness to Whitney so totally flawless that it is hard to tell the two performances apart – although she does keep stressing that she is Belinda and there was, and will only ever be, one Whitney.
Besides the tremendous five-piece band that backs up Belinda, and her two incredible backing singers, she is joined by four very talented dancers who really work hard in this very energetic production, filled with emotion. The dancers, and backing singers, also cover while Belinda performs a handful of costume changes to depict certain specific moments of Whitney Houston’s career.
The night ends with I Will Always Love You which earns a standing ovation from the very diverse audience at the Royal Hippodrome Theatre, who have enjoyed a simply amazing Whitney Houston concert – but, at the end of day, the star is definitely Belinda Davids who should be congratulated on such a fantastic performance.
***** Five Stars