The Barnyard Theatre at Gateway’s year-end show has been tailor-made to ensure that audiences get to enjoy two hours of number one hits packaged in to the aptly named new show, Strictly No 1’s. Set to run from 15 October through the festive season until 5 January, the set list will comprise six decades of chart-topping songs.

Strictly No 1’s will feature many of the highlights and milestones taken from Billboard’s Hottest 100 Hits, a musical bible which was the brainchild of Fred Bronson back in 1984.

In 1953 Elvis Presley walked into Sun Studios to pay for a few minutes of studio time and in 1956 Bill Haley topped the charts with rock ‘n roll number one hit song, Rock Around the Clock.

In 1962 Louis Armstrong became the oldest recording artist to hit number one with Hello Dolly, and in 1999 Cher became the oldest female artists to reach number one with the hit song Believe.

Kung Fu Fighting became the first disco number one in 1974, and Don’t Worry Be Happy became the first acapella number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1988. The first number one in the 21st Century was Smooth by Santana (with Rob Thomas). The show also has a foreign language number one selection with songs like Rock Me Amadeus, The Macarena and La Bamba.

Strictly No. 1’s is a roller-coaster ride through 60 years of number one hit songs that made us dance, sing, cry and party ’til sunrise.

Featuring an 11-piece cast, the show’s crazy DJ will take you back to the hit parade number one songs on local radio stations like Springbok Radio and LM Radio. Songs that made it to number one in South Africa, The UK, Australia and USA are featured, such as Heaven is a Place on Earth, Eye of the Tiger and Another Brick In The Wall.

The show salutes everyone from the blonde icons Madonna, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera; to iconic rock stars like Bruce Springsteen and latest pop sensations The Black Eyed Peas, Daft Punk, Bruno Mars and Katy Perry. Let’s not forget the legends and record holders such as Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, The Beatles, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion and Bryan Adams.

These number one hits will be presented by Jonathan Taylor, who will be backed up on vocals by Lee Paver, Marvin Nethononda, Josh Ansley, Jae Green and Caelee Vercueil. The band will consist of Calli Thomson (keyboards), Jethro Strange (guitar), Mark Freel (bass guitar) and the Dylan van der Linde (drums).

Strictly No. 1’s features the all-time top artists and songs - this show is for all ages, all music tastes and celebrates all styles of fashion and song â€" crisscrossing 60 years of number one hits. Get ready for a number one countdown that will keep you rocking till the break of dawn!

To accommodate festive season revelry, additional lunch time shows (starting at 13h30) have been added on the following dates:

Thursday, 28 November
Friday, 29 November
Wednesday, 4 December
Thursday, 5 December
Friday, 6 December
Tuesday, 10 December
Wednesday, 11 December
Thursday, 12 December
Friday, 13 December

The Barnyard Theatre at Gateway will also still be staging their very popular Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve shows, as well as an additional show on Monday, 30 December. The Christmas Eve show on 24 December falls on a Tuesday, so has the benefit of the usual special ticket price of R115 per person. The New Year’s Eve show will start at 21h00, will feature an extra set and countdown into 2013 before a DJ takes over the dancefloor. Tickets for the show on 31 December will cost R340 per person. The show on 30 November will be a normal evening show, with tickets at R150 per person.

Tickets are R150 per person from Wednesday to Saturday, with discounted specials of R115 per person every Tuesday night and R100 per person for the Sunday matinee show. For bookings and enquiries, phone The Barnyard Theatre on 031 â€" 566 3045 or visit www.barnyardtheatres.co.za/gateway. For further information e-mail gateway@barnyardtheatres.co.za or visitwww.facebook.com/gatewaybarnyard.