Spanish comedy and physical theatre company Yllana team up with Sadler’s Wells for this co-commission, a mashup of flamenco dance and slapstick. We meet a Spanish family headed by The Patriarch (a po-faced macho with suppressed emotions that will be dealt with later, in a sweet plot twist, shoe-horned in) and his supportive wife, The Matriarch. They believe in preserving sacred traditions, passed from the ancestors, so a bit Fiddler on the Roof in that regard, in sun-drenched Spain. When a long-haired guitar player starts tossing his oiled black curls around and playing rock ‘n’ roll music, catching the eye of the daughter, it’s enough to bring on conniptions.
Incredibly agile dancers bring stunning, elegant rotations of the wrist, ankles twitching into a frenzied blur, straight-rod spines gliding defiantly through air. The problem is that watching these graceful dancers flop about at a pretend boxing match or do fart and puke jokes feels a bit like watching a magnificent orca being made to wave at spectators in a theme park. The intention is obviously to bring in new audiences with the crossover, and some laughed hard at the panto fusion. Others, including kids and adults, might prefer a solid panto, served straight up, and their flamenco undiluted, in all its majesty.
Flamenc Oh!!, Assembly Rooms, until 30 Aug, 2.15pm