Dance: Lighten up

Chicos Mambo
Tutu
choreography Philippe Lafeuille
with Marc Behra, David Guasgua, Julien Mercier, Kamil Pawel Jasinski, Vincent Simon, Vincenzo Veneruso, Corinne Barbara
costumes Corinne Petitpierre • lighting Dominique Mabileau
Peacock Theatre, London • 1-5.Oct.24 ★★★

Barcelona-based Chicos Mambo brings their playful show Tutu to London, and it's a real crowd-pleaser, peppering a range of dance pieces with cheeky humour and lively slapstick. And it continually finds clever ways to invert masculine cliches and gender issues, continually poking fun at social structures. For dance fans, it might be a bit frustrating that they can't get through a single number without some shameless clowning. But it's beautifully designed for a family audience, naughty enough to get children giggling and impressive enough for adults. It also has some very strong points to make, which are impossible to miss.

Many sections in this show are pure pastiche, such as the Swan Lake segment in which the dancers prance around in furry duckling outfits, or goofy takes on both Strictly Come Dancing and Dirty Dancing. There are also random gags, such as a perplexing hair-ography piece later on in which whey march around in long dresses flinging their wigs around. Most of this is very funny, stirring a wide range of music, dance and humour together in an entertaining way. And much of it is aimed at children, including some big circus-style touches and a segment featuring fluffy nappies.

Through all of this these six boys (plus one woman) play on their diversity, with differing ages, ethnicities and body types, while injecting moments of big personality. Each also gets his one stripped-back solo. Their dialog often sounds like hilarious Minions-style gibberish. But under the silliness, these are serious dancers, displaying both lyrical fluidity and feats of physical strength. Much of the movement is classical ballet, often impressively en pointe, although poses are exaggerated, faces are pulled and hand gestures continually puncture the tone. But several moments have a stronger impact in between the gags, such as a muscly solo in which the dancer doesn't move his feet.

Colourful lighting and costume tricks add to the visual impact, with characters clad in black assisting with some epic lifts, while a shimmering tutu floats through the show until Barbara reveals herself in the curtain call, which turns into a lively call-and-response dance class with choreographer Lafeuille. In the final act, a deeper theme emerges to comment on how it feels to be a male dancer in a world of machismo. The point is sharp, and quickly expressed before moving on. But watching these muscly men in tiny tutus expressing pure joy for 100 minutes or so is wonderfully infectious. And it's a terrific reminder of the importance of artistic expression, freestyle playfulness and staying in touch with your body.

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photos by Michael Cavalca • 5.Oct.24