Review: SOAP - Underbelly Festival, London ✭✭✭

SOAP

Underbelly Festival

London

10th May 2018 - Celebrating it's 10th year down at the South Bank, Underbelly Festival is once again showing lots of shows of all genres from cabaret to circus, and with SOAP, we get a talented bunch of performers showing off circus skills, all based around water, think of it as a Soap du Soleil!

Bathtubs are a plenty in this production, and along with the performers tremendous talents in acrobatics, contortionism, balancing and comedy, the show has it's high and low points.

High points being the slick choreography in the bathtubs, the dexterity and power in aerial routines, and the delightful comedy interspersed in the action bringing joy to the Spiegeltent. The guys do a naked towel dance, carefully choreographed a la Full Monty Style so nothing gets shown, and there is water splashing all over the audience at times with gyrating bodies in the bath!

But there are a few low points for me, one being the use of a singer doing operatic 'splash splash' numbers, which don't really go with the piece and bring the pace of the show down in between routines - I understand that a set up time is needed for acts and performers, but bring in more comedy from Marie-Andree Lemaire to liven things up instead.

Now I know juggling is a hard act to follow, but on this occasion, the guy kept dropping his balls on numerous occasions, the act isn't slick enough for my liking, but he did make up for it with juggling with six balls at one point - not dropping any!

All in all, a nice show to watch for an hour or so, but it could be better and a lot slicker if you cut the musical interludes between pieces.

Three Stars ✭✭✭

Headlining in The Spiegeltent

Suitable for all ages... It's good clean circus fun!

Underbelly Festival is back for its tenth year on the Southbank.

Venue: The Spiegeltent,
Dates: Thursday 3 May – Sunday 17 June 2018 – 6 weeks only!!Times: Tuesday – Friday: 7:30pm
Saturday: 4pm and 7.15pm Sunday: 7.15pmNo shows on Mondays
Running Time: 70 mins – no interval

Tickets: from £20 (plus £1.50 fee when booking online).A limited number of Cheap Seats will be available on the day for £12.50 (during previews), £15 (weekdays) and £18 (weekends).

Box Office: www.underbellyfestival.com or 03333 444 167.