It’s about as far from traditional Christmas fare as you could get, but Blue Boy Entertainment’s Olivier Award-winning version of the fact-based legend makes a vibrant, action-packed alternative to pantomime dames and risqué jokes.
Choreographer and lead performer Kenrick ‘H20’ Sandy has taken Robert Browning’s 19th century poem The Pied Piper of Hamelin and ditched the furry rats which infested the German town. Instead we get a graffitied inner city plagued by vermin of the two-legged variety – aggressive hoodies with “Asbo” defiantly emblazoned on their trackies.
Salvation appears in the shape of Sandy’s Pied Piper – but when the time comes to pay him for his services, the duplicitous authorities (portrayed as scuttling potato-heads in suits) renege on the agreement and the Piper puts his powers to vengeful use.
The narrative is slight but clear, with TV news bulletins flashed across Ultz’s set of concrete, wire fencing and black binbags. But it’s the athletic skill and skeleton-defying movement of the performers which give this show its power. Combining martial arts with edgy street moves, this super-Piper and his trio of alter egos bounce off the walls, take on the combined forces of the gangs and win.
The narrative is slight but clear, with TV news bulletins flashed across Ultz’s set of concrete, wire fencing and black binbags. But it’s the athletic skill and skeleton-defying movement of the performers which give this show its power. Combining martial arts with edgy street moves, this super-Piper and his trio of alter egos bounce off the walls, take on the combined forces of the gangs and win.
The aggressive, synchronized sections are just as impressive as the solo flips and spins and even the local youngsters get a chance to shine – with the most talented of the thousands who attended the hip-hop workshops giving their all in week-long stints as the innocent children of the town.
Barbican, Silk Street, EC2Y 8DS (020 7638 8891
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