'Dein Perry's Tap Dogs'; a review.
Oh hey, my theatre-loving babes! I am BACK!
That’s right, this gal is once again hitting the big smoke’s most fabulous theatres to see some shows and review the sh*t outta them. And we’re starting with a bang – or rather, a series of bangs, taps, slams and snaps – because the other night I was lucky enough to catch ‘Tap Dogs’ just as it landed in the Peacock Theatre!
'Dein Perry's Tap Dogs' returns to the London stage with its trademark blend
of live music and tap dance.
The winner of over 11 international awards, including an
Olivier, 'Tap Dogs' is a global smash hit that has appeared in over 330 cities on six
continents, and has been seen live by over 12 million people. A
worldwide television audience of over 3.4 billion saw 1,000 Tap Dogs
performing in the Opening Ceremony of the Sydney Olympics.
(Photo: Peacock Theatre)
"Part
theatre, part dance, part rock concert and part construction site!"
- BBC
UK, 2000 Olympics.
(Photo: Peacock Theatre)
So, I was chatting with the most excellent Dez as we waited for the safety curtain to lift, and genuinely pondering taking up tap as a means of exercise someday soon. I mean, why not? I love watching it! I mean yeah, I am not very well coordinated generally, and have never danced before in my life, but why the hell would that stop me? It can’t be that hard, surely…
Well, it’s safe to say we got 5 minutes into the performance and I was mentally putting my imagined tap shoes back on the invisible shelf, right after picking my jaw up off the floor. These guys, I mean… they were something else.
Once I got over the initial ‘how are they making FOUR separate sounds with just ONE foot!??’ excitement and confusion, then moved past the ‘that’s not a loop pedal, it’s THEM’ shock, I was able to appreciate the routines. My favourite would have to be what I can only refer to as ‘the basketball bit’, closely followed by ‘the stomping sound pads’. Trust me, you need to see both of those. I can’t possibly do them justice with words.
(Photo: Peacock Theatre)
One of the things I loved most about this dance extravaganza was its cast. It’s easy, I think, for dancers in a show to fall on their own swords in a way, and have their personalities eclipsed somewhat by their flawless moves. These men/‘Tap Dogs’ each had their own character and persona within their dancing. There was the cheeky young’un with his invisible L plates slowly being peeled off; the ringleader with the magnificent beard; the handsome lad down on his luck; the joker who got the party going; the cheesy hunk with the disco fingers; the hopelessly handsome (and at the end, inexplicably shirtless!?) curly-haired cutie. I felt I properly got to know each of these chaps in the 80 minutes I was treated to their company.
I clearly wasn’t the only one who thought so. The audience were going mad in their seats throughout (some more than others – one woman howling with laughter was even attracting the performers’ delighted attention!) and we all stood up to applaud at the end.
I’d highly recommend this show, and its theatre, to anyone who needs a good fix of excitement, charm and comedy. It’s something quite different to what I usually see, and was the perfect refreshing treat to break up an intense week.
(Photo: Peacock Theatre)
This magnificent show is on at the Peacock Theatre until the 10th of November.
Get your tickets now, with a fabulous discount, at From the Box Office!
(Photo: Peacock Theatre)
Wanna catch up on my other reviews?
You can find them all under my DRAMA tab!
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