A consummate jazz and blues singer, Eartha Kitt is a legend in her own time. Of mixed parentage, she had a humble birth on a cotton plantation in Oklahoma then worked her way out of her poverty-stricken surroundings to become the darling of the Parisian nightclub circuit before returning to her home country and eventual Broadway stardom.

In a career that spans five decades and singing in ten different languages, she has performed in over 100 countries worldwide and survived being blacklisted in the States in 1968 for her outspoken comments on the Vietnam War. Now in her 70’s, she has written three volumes of her autobiography, produced an extensive number of records and appeared widely in film, on television and in concerts.

Anthony Stonier, well-known in Durban for his memorable performances in a series of successful adult pantomimes in the Playhouse Cellar, is back in Durban after working in the United Arab Emirates for the last two years. In Down to Eartha, he pays tribute to the extraordinary musical talent that is Eartha Kitt. Produced by Eric Hutton, the show runs in the Playhouse Sanlam Loft until February 25 (with a possible extension). This is Anthony’s first one-man/woman/person …? show and I doubt it will be the last.

Opening night nerves might have been responsible for a certain lack of ease and rapport with the audience. Anthony is utterly faithful to Eartha Kitt’s breathy style and unique speech pattern with its distinct handling of certain vowels and strong emphasis on word-ending consonants. He has the famous growl down to perfection. But he appeared to be too careful in his impersonation to allow his own personality to loosen up the proceedings. While making a stunning fashion statement, the flamboyant head-dress of black feathers tends to hide his face thus denying the audience of the benefit of his expressions.

Clad in two elegant Sandy Day creations, he commands the stage. The short flight of stairs allows him to do a “mini Joan Brickhill” as he swans elegantly down them. Well supported by Wayne Purchase on piano, Anthony presents a full-on programme of numbers such as I Had a Hard Day Last Night, My Heart Belongs to Daddy, All by Myself, An Englishman Needs Time and Back in Business. The early part of the show focused too strongly on a languorous style but things hotted up with I Wanna be Evil.

The interesting thing about these two performers is that Gauteng-based Wayne only met up with Anthony far away from South Africa in Abu Dhabi. Strange old world!

The third performer in Down to Eartha is photographic model Koos Kennedy who comes in bearing a tray of champagne and wearing little else but a bowtie and a G-string. While Anthony/Eartha purrs round him or lounges on the piano singing Let’s Misbehave, he keeps his cool … admirably!

The Loft was an afterthought in the architecture of the Playhouse complex which grew from the old adjoining Playhouse and Prince’s cinemas. During the planning process, architect Gordon Small realised that the space under the roof could be used as a performance area. Together with Robert Cross (then head of the Natal Performing Arts Council), they designed a versatile venue that would be completely flexible. Nothing in the theatre is permanent, meaning that the seating and lighting can be moved to suit any configuration.

For the first time in its existence, the Loft has been adjusted to create the ambience of a sophisticated nightclub. Cutting down on the raked seating, leaving space for tables on what is usually seen as the front of the stage, Magic Moments have produced an elegant backdrop for the impressive grand piano with pillars, red drapes and a brocade couch. Audiences are permitted to take their drinks into the theatre – not, I hasten to add, a concession to be extended to the Drama or the Opera theatres!

Down to Eartha is just on 70 minutes long and provides an enjoyable evening’s entertainment. Make sure you ask for an encore and you’ll hear Noel Coward’s lyrics set to Cole Porter’s You’re the Tops, a challenge the two composers set each other when on holiday in the Mediterranean.