Stage: Rhythms from rubbish

Trash!
direction Yllana • music Toompak
with Gorka González, Fran Mark, Bruno Alves, Harold Gazeau
artistic direction David Ottone, Jony Elías, Gorka González
choreography María Rayo
set and costumes Tatiana de Sarabia
sound Nacho Ramírez • lighting Lola Barroso
Peacock Theatre, London • 18.Feb-1.Mar.25 ★★★★

From Spain, theatre company Yllana and percussion artists Toompack combine forces for this explosion of rhythm and rubbish. As with Stomp or Tapdogs, this show is a series of numbers performed using unconventional methods, in this case seemingly random items in a recycling centre where four outrageously talented men create an explosion of music and comedy. It's a hugely entertaining show, largely because the buoyantly energetic performers are having so much fun that the atmosphere becomes electric.

We meet these guys when they're in giant black bin liners, tapping out beats in the plastic before emerging to continue drumming on barrels. Because it's so enjoyable, it's easy to underestimate the talent we are witnessing, as they play with complex synchronicity and syncopation to craft layered textures of sound with whatever it is they have to hand. This includes tyres, toolboxes, umbrellas, basketballs, gas canisters and a vast number of plastic bottles. Of course, all of this is impeccably planned out and choreographed, but there's still a wonderful sense of chaos about it, most notably in the performers' comical interaction.

Along the way, each one gets a chance to stamp his personality on the proceedings, with witty gags, hilariously rebellious moments and bursts of song. They also speak to each other and the audience in Minions-style gibberish, which makes all four of them almost ridiculously endearing. This draws us in even further than the toe-tapping range of musical numbers, most of which feature genuinely jaw-dropping moments in which these guys demonstrate their expertise. And each one has serious skills.

It's impossible to pick a favourite moment, as the impressive musicality and goofy jokes keep the adults in the audience gripped and the kids giggling. With his rumbling voice and lightning-fast hands, Gorka González is clearly the leader, while Bruno Alves steals the show with cheeky bursts of anarchy and soaring musical riffs. Harold Gazeau has more energy than he can contain. And Frank Mark's marimba-style piece using bottles and a shopping trolly is a stunner. Then after some amusing audience participation and several call-and-response sequences, a flurry of sparks creates a triumphant climax.

For details, SADLER'S WELLS >

photos by Illana and Toompack: Trash! • 19.Feb.25 

Stage: Queens of the night

The Opera Locos
created and directed by Yllana
with María Rey-Joly, Mayca Teba, Jesús Álvarez, Enrique Sánchez-Ramos, Michaël Koné
music Marc Álvarez, Manuel Coves
choreography Carlos Chamorro
sets Tatiana De Sarabia, David Ottone, Yeray González
lighting Enrique Toro • costumes Tatiana de Sarabia
Peacock Theatre, London • 8-11.May.24 ★★★★

A spicy blend of music, clowning, melodrama, mime and slapstick, this show centres around a series of proper operatic performances, delivering a greatest hits of popular pieces that pretty much anyone will recognise (such as O Sole Mio or Nessun Dorma), plus several lesser-known numbers and a few snippets of pop songs. There might be too much opera here for mainstream audiences, and it might be a bit broad for purists, but everyone will have a great time with these talented singer-comics.

The five performers from the Spanish theatre troupe Yllana play out three interwoven romances as they move from one sketch to the next, vocalising their dialog without using words and performing arias at full belt. The introductory piece highlights each of their colourful personalities before dissolving into a hilarious competition between Jesus Alvarez and Michael Kone, who ultimately dissolves into a full rock-god style performance of Mika's Grace Kelly. There are no more pop intrusions until the big finale, unless you count Alvarez's darkly amusing version of My Way. Instead, scenes feature seriously powerful renditions of Mozart, Verdi, Puccini, Bizet and more as the performers playfully enact their running plot threads.

The central plot is a straightforward backstage love story between a tenor (Alvarez), who feels beyond his heyday and is having suicidal thoughts, and an ardent fan who becomes a rising star soprano (Rey-Joly). Meanwhile, the baritone (Sanchez-Ramos) is trying to get the counter-tenor (Kone) to take the music more seriously, and it takes awhile for their flirtation to blossom into something sweet. Finally, the mezzo-soprano (Teba) cheekily courts a partner in the audience. All of this takes place vaudeville-style on a fairly simple steampunk stage augmented by rich-hued lighting and fantastically camp costumes and hair.

Yes, there's quite a bit of audience participation, from stand-up style comedy bits to Sanchez-Ramos' operatic masterclass, in which he gets puts various attendees on the spot. There are also a couple of enthusiastic sing-alongs as well. All of this is a lot of fun, with a continual stream of witty gags to keep us chuckling. And the songs are performed with big emotions, so they're hugely involving. But the troupe misses a trick by leaving nuance and surprise from the storylines, and they only rarely play around with the intriguing connections between musical genres. 

As a result, the medley of pop hits at the end feels triumphant, a reminder of what a serious singer can do with any song.Scattering more of this clever juxtaposition throughout the show would have deepened the experience, but there's plenty of passion among these adept performers, and their camaraderie is infectious. So even if, at just over 90 minutes, the show feels somewhat slight, it's a lot of fun. And the sparky cast gets us on our feet cheering at the end.

For information, SADLER'S WELLS >

photos by Lighuen De Santos • 8.May.24