Tag Archives: Rebecca Crankshaw

Tango Fire
★★★★

Peacock Theatre

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Tango Fire

Tango Fire

Peacock Theatre

Reviewed – 29th January 2019

★★★★

 

“The music is more than a backdrop here; it is the living sensual pulse which beats in the dancers’ blood”

 

Tango originated in the impoverished port areas of the Argentina/Uruguay border in the 1880s; a unique and fiery blend of European ballroom traditions and dances from Africa, Cuba and Argentina itself, it is now danced throughout the world, with its performance epicentre being the great tango houses of Buenos Aires. German Cornejo – creator of the company and choreographer of the show – is native to Buenos Aires, and has been steeped in tango tradition since he began his dance studies at the age of 10. Tango Fire aims to showcase the different styles of tango, and also gives the six couples the opportunity to perform their own individual routines created for the show.

The dancers perform in front of a live tango quartet of piano, bandoneon, violin and contrabass, and there is no doubt that these four terrific young musicians are absolutely essential to this spectacle. The music is more than a backdrop here; it is the living sensual pulse which beats in the dancers’ blood, and in the audience’s too. And no recorded backing track could ever replicate the staccato of Clemente Carrascal’s fingers on the bandoneon’s buttons, or Facundo Benavidez’s rhythmic slapping of the sides of the contrabass. Although the stage does seem empty in the interludes in which the musicians play without the dancers, their moments in the sun are richly deserved.

The dancing itself is extraordinary; skilful, precise and gymnastic, and often performed at breathtaking speed. The second half, in which the couples present their own routines, sees almost unbelievable feats of technical mastery, bringing roars from the crowd and a partial standing ovation for German Cornejo himself and his long-term dance partner Gisela Galeassi. The atmosphere is akin to being rink-side at an ice-skating championships – the competition between the couples is palpable – and the show suffers from a lack of warmth as a result. Moments of emotional connection and passion between the couples are few, lost as they are in technical display, and the pure joy of dancing this extraordinary form only rarely flows out from the stage. These moments, when they do come, are pure gold. Camila Alegre seems in a higher realm of emotional being in Watashi, her duet with Ezequiel Lopez, and it feels a privilege to witness it. Similarly, the fun of the men dancing together, and the women playfully passing the fan between themselves, towards the beginning of the show, is infectious. Marcos Esteban Roberts and Louise Junqueira Malucelli also shine, oozing class and tradition, in the tango clasico Gallo Ciego.

Taken as a whole however, Tango Fire remains a whisker away from raising the roof, for whilst the costumes sparkle and the dancers impress, no souls are stirred.

 

Reviewed by Rebecca Crankshaw

Photography by Oliver Neubert

 


Tango Fire

Peacock Theatre until 16th February

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:
Cirque Berserk! | ★★★★ | February 2018
The Snowman | ★★★★★ | November 2018

 

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Notre Dame de Paris

Notre Dame de Paris
★★

London Coliseum

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Notre Dame de Paris

Notre Dame de Paris

London Coliseum

Reviewed – 23rd January 2019

★★

 

“At no point is there any moment of true pathos, which is saying something, given the material”

 

As the enormous glossy souvenir programme proclaims on its cover, Notre Dame de Paris is an ‘international musical phenomenon’, and this production, at the Coliseum, sees it celebrate its 20th anniversary. Inspired by Victor Hugo’s novel, set in Paris in 1482, the musical tells the well-known story of Quasimodo and Esmeralda. Esmeralda is a beautiful gypsy who lives in the grounds of Notre Dame, along with many other ‘etrangers’ seeking sanctuary. She bewitches all the men around her – the evil Frollo, archdeacon of the cathedral; the cavalier and ladies man, Phoebus, already engaged to another; and, of course, Quasimodo, the facially and bodily disfigured bell-ringer. After stabbing Phoebus, and framing Esmeralda, Frollo imprisons her and sentences her to death unless she pledges to love him. She refuses and is hanged, at which point, Quasimodo, enraged and in despair, hurls Frollo down the steps of the tower to his death.

Hugo’s is an operatic plot, and the Coliseum seems a suitable stage on which to play out this most emotive of dramas. What a shame then, that the staging, music and acting on display are so soulless and banal. Richard Cocciante’s score has no light and shade, so that all the songs blend into one endless 80s power ballad. This isn’t helped by the complete lack of emotional connection common to all the key performers. At no point is there any moment of true pathos, which is saying something, given the material. Gilles Maheu’s direction is pedestrian and unimaginative, and the evening feels much more like an overblown 80s superstar gig than a musical, with the soloists more often than not centre stage, with some showy but meaningless choreography behind them.

The dancers in the show would be better described as acrobats, and the razzle-dazzle set-pieces that dominate this production – Feast of Fools, for example – raise cheers from the audience celebrating feats of physical prowess more usually seen at the circus, or in a gymnastics display. Similarly, the singers can all belt out the numbers, but without the acting chops to give them any meaning. Unless you are a rock fan, with a love of big, brash, commercial spectacle, this show is devoid of interest.

 

Reviewed by Rebecca Crankshaw

Photography by Patrick Carpentier

 


Notre Dame de Paris

London Coliseum until 27th January

 

 

 

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