Her Majesty's Theatre. 3 to 8 Jul
They say sex sells - if that's the case, then this show is sure to be a sell out! Rock the Ballet will make all the girls want their very own bad boy and there will be no need to tame him! The cast of 7 consisted of 5 ‘Bad Boys’; Tim Olson as dance captain, David Lorenzo, Alexi Geronimo, Ryan Carlson and Kameron Bink, with Principle James Boyd and ‘Pretty Girl’ Jordan Lombardi.
Rock The Ballet is non-stop energy and fun and brings the ballet dance form to a main stream audience with its upbeat rock format. The sound track features the music of U2, Michael Jackson and Queen; with familiar songs getting your toes tapping and on stage antics making it impossible not to smile.
The first act entitled ‘Beautiful Day’ engulfed you in the party atmosphere and steadily crescendoed throughout. The ensemble work was amazing, but it was very hard to take your eyes of off Tim Olson, as his on stage charisma draws you in. A standout number was the dance of the blow up dolls, a hilarious performance which proved that the cast are equally talented actors as dancers.
Principle James Boyd's solo left the audience spell bound and wondering how it was possible for him to literally fly. This was topped only by the pas de deux between Boyd and Lombardi; their on stage chemistry was sexy and almost made you feel like you were intruding on a very personal and intimate moment.
The second act, ‘Rock You’, took the show to a whole new level. Opening with an improvised number consisting of random beats and sounds the cast, silhouetted by the ever changing and moving back drop, continued to astound with their athleticism, strength and gymnastics.
Lombardi, the only female in the ensemble, is simply beautiful. Clearly classically trained, she delves deeper in to her artistry and performs with the attitude required to be the only female ‘sex symbol’ in the cast of men (no easy task with that much testosterone on stage!)
It's difficult to choose a favourite number as the ever changing and fast paced second act was all so good. Bohemian Rhapsody, however, was an audience favourite where the cast, now shirtless, took us on a journey from the anguish of "mamma, just killed a man...." to the comedy of "I'm just a poor boy from a poor family".
Rock The Ballet elevates the male ballet dancer from their mere support role to that of the Prima ballerina and gives them their own spot light. Choreographed beautifully (and undoubtedly with a female audience in mind) this show is full of masculinity and naughty, albeit tasteful, humour. A must see.
Sarafina Jane
When: 3 to 8 Jul
Where: Her Majesty's Theatre
Bookings: bass.net.au
