Boys In The Buff - The Concert
The Kings Head Theatre 25th November - 9th December
Diana Diamonté (Shani Cantor) and her Boys (Adam Mroz, Adam O'Shea, Eli Caldwell, Daniel Timoney) are back and currently in residence for a run at the Kings Head Theatre until 9 December. To call this a ‘newly stripped down’ version of the production seen earlier this year would not only be to make a very bad, albeit highly appropriate pun, it would also be to do this musical something of a disservice as, whilst it’s true that 30 minutes have been shaved off the running time since we last saw the show, this reimagined ‘concert’ version retains the same impressive high production values of the original.
More of the original story has survived than the addition to the title of the words ’the concert’ might suggest, with issues about body image still very much a central theme, but this new slimline version (apologies for the even worse pun) does suffer slightly from being a big production that has had to clip it’s wings somewhat in order to work in a more confined space than it requires. The songs (Chris Burgess) remain incredibly well realised however, and the lighting (Richard Lambert) once again gives the whole production a beautiful gloss, but the choreography (Robbie O'Reilly) aches to be let loose on a much bigger stage than it finds itself on here. That said, it’s not an insurmountable problem, and one which I am sure will be rectified when a rumoured full production goes on tour next year.
So what of this production? For me, Boys In The Buff works best when it is at it’s most over-the-top and doesn’t take itself to seriously. As such there is some lovely deconstruction of the format, this being a musical about putting on a nude review and the resulting body issues the cast members have in the lead up to the big reveal. This is the premise on which many of the very funny moments hang but, just like the previous version, the four male cast members stubbornly still have gym fit bodies, leaving the points being made about "celebrating bodies in all their shapes and sizes" misfiring on occasion, most awkwardly robbing Diana Diamonté any sense of the empowerment her song 'Does My Bum Look Big In This' was no doubt intended to have.
Whilst these were some issues I also had with the original, the comparative brevity of this new version actually works in it’s favour as the fast pace means everything ultimately remains entertainingly light hearted and on the right side of tongue in cheek. The songs are as catchy as I remembered and this mostly new cast impressively sing, dance and, yes… strip there way through to the productions naked finalé! The bouncing between pre-recorded and live vocals initially took a bit of getting used to, but despite these few misgivings, this is still a well crafted and entertaining show, and if Panto is not quite your thing, then Boys In The Buff is a fantastic way to kick start your festive season… as long as you are over 18!
★★★ and a half
