Review: Tennessee Williams adaptation One Arm, Southwark Playhouse
A sort of review: Tim Crouch's An Oak Tree, National Theatre

Fringe review: Romance with Bromance at #Udderbellyfest

Image004Have fallen a little bit in love with the Bromance boys. Just putting that out there to start with. Theirs is the third fabulous act I've seen on the South Bank in this season's festival of acrobatics, cabaret and comedy. And I've loved the previous two shows but the Bromance boys, well they stole my heart...and it's nothing to do with them performing in their pants at the end.

There is a narrative running through their carefully crafted show about friendship: trust, loyalty and personal space - we are close but not that close - which plays out in several ways. There is amazing acrobatics and balancing some of it done with almost balletic grace it is beautiful as well as breathtaking and nerve-jangling to watch.

They blend in contemporary dance sequences and skits to vary the pace. Sometimes it is serious, sometimes they jostle and tease, try and catch each other out. Loyalty switches between the three and they gang up on each other but in a tongue in cheek way.

And then there is the hoop. Not a hula hoop, this is much bigger, big enough for one of them to wedge themselves inside and roll around the stage, performing a dizzying array of acrobatic feats that look at once simple and impossible. Again it is performed with a dance-like grace that is almost hypnotic. 

By the end I was charmed by the skill, humour and beauty of it. Over the course of an hour I'd laughed, gasped, been amazed and moved and I was in love with them all.

You can catch Bromance at Udderbelly on the South Bank until July 19.

 

Other South Bank acrobatic fun you can still catch:

Scotch and Soda (until Aug 2)

And look out for the Brief's boys who are back for some grown up acrobatics and drag fun in Aug, this is what I thought of their show last year.

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