Even if you don't like hip-hop, there's every chance that this show will make you smile, groove along in your seat and even stand up and join in the genial curtain-call routine that has the theatre circle going seismic: it actually shakes with the enthusiastic foot-stomping.
The reason for this feel-good factor, and the frequent squeals of delight from the younger elements in the house? It has to be the creative nous of director/writer/choreographer and lyricist Kate Prince, the dynamic force behind the award-winning ZooNation company, whose last mega-hit, the Bank of Scotland Herald Angel-winning Into the Hoods, was a hotter-than-hot ticket on the Fringe eight years ago.
Prince cites the film Some Like It Hot as a source of inspiration. Well, there are some details in common, cross-dressing being one of them. But plot-lines aren't the strong points here. The loose alliance of despotic male supremacy (at the expense of subservient women), mistaken identity – compounded by two feisty females donning suits and mustaches – and a need to let the sun shine in (quite literally) is hardly more than a framework for dance routines that take hip-hop styles in inventively fresh directions. Prince's seemingly inexhaustible flair for using virtuoso locking, popping, breaking, krumping, and other moves that make the head spin, to express more than physical prowess gives this musical comedy real dramatic tension and emotional clout.
A hip-hop love duet that's sweet and tender? An ensemble number about the joy of reading books and getting educated? It's hip-hop as we'd like to see it done more often –especially when the dancers, vocalists, musicians and beat-boxers are as slick, sassy and talented as Team ZooNation.
HHHH
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article