5 hours ago
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You don’t need to know anything about flamenco to enjoy Flamenc Oh!! That overuse of exclamation marks gives you an idea of the subtlety of this fun/silly dance-comedy by Spanish company Yllana, based on flamenco’s battle between tradition and modernity (which is a real thing in the flamenco world, with its division between purists and progressives).
Here is our patriarch with his straight spine and authoritarian streak, banning all music other than flamenco from his family. There’s mother and daughter in polka dots and frills, the son forever trying (and failing) to impress his dad, and their hunk of a cousin who has returned from his travels with some new guitar chords and a love of the blues, ready to upset the status quo.
The show has a panto quality, with broad humour, winks to the crowd, audience singalongs and the injection of popular songs, from Eye of the Tiger to Purple Rain. Fast-fingered guitarist Luis Gallo is really very good, riffing on Gershwin in a flamenco version of Summertime. (He’s also good at smouldering glances, tossing his long hair and comedically flirting with the audience.) Anyway, surprise, surprise, it turns out that yes, you can dance flamenco to rock music, and no, flamenco men don’t all have to be macho, and maybe a woman can carry the family flame.
The flamenco itself is proper. The show is co-produced with Sadler’s Wells, home of London’s annual Flamenco festival. The cast are professional dancers (plus singer David Bastidas), and Anabel Moreno, especially, has verve and stagey panache. The choreography leans on virtuoso flourishes, bursts of taconeo amplified to emphasise each volley of beats. The hour flies by and the jokes wear thin, but it’s all good humoured and done with heart. The takeaways: break down barriers, embrace difference, be our true selves, clap along together and swish your skirts while you’re at it. Olé!
At Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh, until 30 August. Then at Peacock theatre, London, 30 September-10 October
