Stage: Crowd-pleasing precision

Drum Tao: The Dream
director Ikuo Fujitaka
performers Taro Harasaki, Junnosuke Kodani, Haruki Kawazu, Kyota Sonoda, Koki Sato, Haruto Mizuno, Takumi Azami, Ryusei Ishida, Daiki Sakai, Shima Sasaki, Ai Anekawa
lighting Ryo Harada • sound Kenichi Horiuchi
Peacock Theatre, London • 11-15.Mar.25 ★★★★

Drum Tao has been touring the world for more than 30 years, only just now finally arriving in London. And it's worth the wait. Their show is a hugely entertaining mix of taiko drumming, dancing and music, performed with a blast of personality as these 11 young performers infuse their athleticism and precision with cheeky wit. Since they're having so much fun, so are we. And they definitely know how to play to the audience, which makes it feel like they bring us up onto the stage with them.

The staging is relatively simple, making the most of spinning shiny backdrops, Matrix-like outfits and clever lighting. There is also of course a dizzying array of drums, accompanied by various flutes, stringed instruments and cymbals. Performers continually switch between the instruments, taking the stage for solo pieces, duets, duels and outrageously lavish numbers in which everyone joins together to create ripples of textures, rhythms, sounds and visual shapes. The patterns are complex, and the thrilling musical synchronicity is both exacting and carefully nuanced.

Movement is demanding and constant, with high-energy choreography that involves acrobatic gymnastics and displays of strength. So it's no wonder that they're all so lean and muscled, and they never break a sweat even though they're constantly in motion. The two women in the troupe get frequent costume changes, which provide some lovely colourful touches, one of the men has a beefy shirtless number, and a group of guys perform an ab-crushing piece that involves remaining in a half sit-up while gripping drums with their toes and pounding on them with huge sticks. These kinds of variations make sure that the show never feels repetitive over two hours.

They also happily play up their personalities, smiling and grandstanding to create impact as individuals within the group. And watching them live allows us to hear some of the more subtle tones in isolation, as they use a full range of methods to create seemingly endless sounds with one stick on one drum. All of this results in a show that's almost overpoweringly upbeat, both because of the nature of the music and the way the sparky performers maintain a connection with the audience. These are astonishingly skilled musicians and dancers. And at a time when we need as much happiness as we can get, their joy is infectious.

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photos by Drum Tao • 11.Mar.25