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The greatest show and other bromances: Adam Riches and John Kearns ARE Ball and Boe @sohotheatre

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Alfie Boe and Michael Ball seem to be a bit of a joke act anyway. Their endless interpretations of popular songs (also known as covers) and their double-act bromance make them quintessential crossover artists where popular music meets opera and Broadway. And a perilous choice for the discerning listener. It’s not that they aren’t talented musicians and performers in their own right. Still, their musical choices are always safe, predictable and less than their potential. But every country deserves to have a pair of self-described national treasures that can tour the local arenas and give people a good time for the bargain price of £175 a seat.  And so the concept of Adam Riches and John Kearns - two world-famous from the Edinburgh Fringe comedians taking on this bromance seems like a curious choice for a Christmas musical fare. One can only hope that over the fourteen nights, it is playing at the Soho Theatre that the show evolves into something more substantial than a series of po...

Ambiguously Straight: Bromance @udderbellyfest @bmtroupe


Flying by the seat of your pants takes on greater meaning with circus troupe Barely Methodical and their latest offering Bromance, which is at the Udderbelly Festival on the South Bank until 19 July.

The three performers, Beren D’Amico, Louis Gift and Charlie Wheeller, fuse circus performance with their expertise in martial arts tricking, parkour and breakdancing; not to mention some hilarious comic interactions for a thrilling hour.


By the end of the evening there are more than a few times you will find yourself gasping at some of the positions they throw themselves into and the feats they perform. Handshakes become handstands as D’Amico and Gift perform a series of clinches and grasps. Meanwhile Wheeller captivates the audience balancing on the Cyr Wheel as he goes it alone… And before the end of the show they strip down to their underwear showing their fantastic... er... form by creating a human pyramid.

The piece explores the boundaries and limits of male companionship. Trust, the essence of relationships and the boundaries of support and personal space. Much of the humour is derived from challenging what is considered to be acceptable non-sexual behaviour between men (much to the titillation of the audience).

The performers relish this ambiguity and these boundaries... Is it just friendship or is it something more. But it is a thoughtful examination of how it is possible to use acrobatics, movement, dance and theatre to provide  insight into what makes us who we are.

Yet another amazing piece of circus theatre at the Udderbelly, Bromance runs on the South Bank until 19 July. Don't miss it.

⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎

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