Following a sold-out UK national tour, Here Come The Boys comes to The London Palladium for a 10 day celebration of a brand new production!
UK Champion beatboxer Rupert Oldridge hosts the show, working hard and trying to win us all over. Sadly, for me at least, he was unsuccessful, spitting his beats needlessly over tracks that already had a drumbeat.
The shows premise was pretty straightforward: the “boys” would compete against each other via four dance battles.
These battles are interspersed with other group and couple dances, highlights of which were Karim’s Tik Tok dance, featuring some fantastic and inventive street choreography, followed by the ‘idols’ section, which showcased some fantastic music from artists Queen, Justin Timberlake and Bruno Mars and….. Enrique Iglesias!!!
Stealing the show on several occasions was Italian Stallion, Graziano di Prima, whose athletic style of dancing really shone throughout the evening, with his amazing holds and superhuman lifts particularly standing out. It was no wonder that he got so many screams and cheers from the ladies of the audience. In addition, Karim Zeroual’s numbers often held the most interest, choreographically speaking.
The Strictly stars were supported by a very talented cast of young dances, who kept the energy up throughout and danced about a dozen or more different styles throughout the course of the shows 90 minutes or so.
Overall, Here Come the Boys makes for an enjoyable, undemanding evening at the theatre. It’s unlikely to make it into theatre history, but after the 18 months we’ve all just gone through, a show that gets you clapping, cheering, up and dancing is a much needed tonic.
★★★
Reviewed by Jody Tranter
