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Wine time: The Frogs - Southwark Playhouse

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For a show called The Frogs, there isn’t much amphibian activity in the piece. But being a show with music by Stephen Sondheim, you could be mistaken for thinking it’s a critical theatrical piece. But like Sondheim’s final musical playing at the National Theatre, while it may not be a musical that fills you with provocative thoughts, it’s a fast-paced romp through hell and back to save the world for the sake of arts. With rousing choruses, thrilling choreography and plenty of cheap laughs, what more can you want from the theatre? It’s currently playing at the Southwark Playhouse (Borough) . There isn’t much to the plot, except that Dionysus (Dan Buckley), disillusioned by the state of a divided world, and his sidekick and slave, Xanthias (Kevin McHale), cross the river Styx to the underworld to find a great writer who they can return to the world to teach the world about life. He has his mind set on bringing back George Bernard Shaw until he hears the poetry of Shakespeare.  This v...

The greatest show and other bromances: Adam Riches and John Kearns ARE Ball and Boe @sohotheatre

Production publicity photo

Alfie Boe and Michael Ball seem to be a bit of a joke act anyway. Their endless interpretations of popular songs (also known as covers) and their double-act bromance make them quintessential crossover artists where popular music meets opera and Broadway. And a perilous choice for the discerning listener. It’s not that they aren’t talented musicians and performers in their own right. Still, their musical choices are always safe, predictable and less than their potential. But every country deserves to have a pair of self-described national treasures that can tour the local arenas and give people a good time for the bargain price of £175 a seat. 

And so the concept of Adam Riches and John Kearns - two world-famous from the Edinburgh Fringe comedians taking on this bromance seems like a curious choice for a Christmas musical fare. One can only hope that over the fourteen nights, it is playing at the Soho Theatre that the show evolves into something more substantial than a series of poop jokes and dubious sketches. I’m not sure it will become a wry observation about the state of popular entertainment and musical events in this country, which seems like a missed opportunity. 

The audience seemed primed for the comedian’s piss-take of the two. Either it was the good choice of beers that the Soho Theatre offers or prior knowledge of their act. Laughter was happening even before any punchline. But being unfamiliar with both the performers and the Ball and Boe phenomenon, it seemed a hard slog for what is only a one-hour show.

Still, we are treated to a rousing rendition of The Greatest Show (from the movie The Greatest Showman)—several times. Adam Riches and John Kearns can’t match the vocals of Michael Ball or Alfie Bow. And they don’t quite match their over-the-top reverence for this bizarre song, either. But at least they annunciate the words. 

This one-hour diversion in the basement of the Soho theatre might be your cup of tea as an alternative to the usual pantos and Christmas carols. For others, including me, I was intrigued by the concept but left perplexed by the execution. Maybe that is a commentary on popular entertainment in this country. Pass the power ballads. 

Directed by Tom Parry, Adam Riches and John Kearns ARE, ‘Ball and Boe’ is at the Soho Theatre until 4 January

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Photo credit: production photo

 

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