Tonight was the press night of Boy Blue's latest work "The Five & the Prophecy of Prana" at the Barbican. My first experience of Boy Blue was for the Pied Piper. It was one of my first experiences of seeing 'hip hop' within a theatre context and I remembered the performance in a positive light and wondered whether tonight would live up my original experience.
The Five & the Prophecy of Prana advert was a cartoon sketch and this perfectly set the tone for the night. The performance was created as a comic book with animation being an integral part of the performance. There was a direct interaction between what was being projected and the dancing on stage. In fact, all of the design elements were carefully working together with the music supporting the dancing, rather than just being something to dance to.
The dancing was phenomenal! I am no 'hip hop' expert, but as a member of the general public the standard of dancing was exceptional. All of the dancers clearly were talented and could perform alone, but also in sections of tight unison proved their ability to deliver choreography with precision. The audience were clearly enjoying the performance with clapping after every section, as well as cheering whenever they were wowed.
The weakest element for me was the voiceovers. At times they were effective, but especially in the first half the sections seemed to drag on and create a slow feel. However, in the second half the performance picked up and the show was over and I wasn't quite ready for it.
Overall, Boy Blue Entertainment have managed to create a work that met my expectations and I would definitely recommend.
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