Barbershopera

To the Trafalgar Studios to see Lara in Barbershopera - which has been extended into ninety minutes of wonderful high octane nonsense since it's Edinburgh success last summer.

It really is very silly stuff indeed. A Catalonia Matador inherits his Father's Norfolk barbershop and walks headlong into Shavingham a village held in the grip of lift and shape hairdresser Trevor Sorbet. The beautifully sung four part harmonies quickly unravel to reveal back stories and a revenge tragedy as complicated as anything from the Golden Age. Culminating in a competitive 'cut off' and a heroic return to shear and kill a herd of stampeding mad cows.

The work is dense with clever word play, gags and surprises which demonstrates how far the company have come since their first promising show a year ago.

What I most love about the work is it's freedom, irreverence and complete commitment to giving the audience their money's worth. No sense of doubt or apology, just confident, bold and joyful play.

If The 39 Steps can pack the West End for a couple of years, then this highly original and better crafted show surely deserves a future, cult following and a longer run. They've got a winning and truly entertaining formula, now they just need to find an audience in need of a really good night out.
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