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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...

Brief recollections: Throwback @jacksons_lane @SilverLiningCo_


You leave Throwback by circus troupe Silver Lining thinking, hmm they're a frisky lot. Some circus acts want to show sexy. Others want to show brawn. These young men and women seem to just want to play... And show off a little...

But that's ok. They do incredible acrobatic work - hanging, flying, spinning while also managing to sing, act and tell stories. 


Arriving at the theatre, there is a piece of paper on every seat for the audience to fill out, naming a good party song. Then Tom and the gang will sing a few of them. 

The piece borrows from #throwbackthursday. That weekly hastage where people get nostalgic about something for a brief moment. Here the focus is on memories of childhood. Sammy Dineen recalls how his mother got him piano lessons as a child. Which leads to a recital of nursery rhymes. While standing on one hand...


Ulrike Storch's songs from growing up leads to some evocative foot juggling. 

Another by Kalyn 'LJ' Marles about watching Michael Jackson perform growing up leads to a dance performance on straps.

It's a well-timed piece that doesn't let up with its enthusiasm, warmth, fuzziness and playfulness for life... 

It's concluded its brief run at Jackson's Lane but hopefully we get to see these incredibly talented (and frisky) guys and girls around more this year. 

⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎


Photo credit: Production photos by David P Scott and Mark Robson

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