If you want to see a display of physical strength, gymnastic skill, spells of slapstick and circus fun, this is the show for you. If you want to see cleverly choreographed, neatly worked, a coherent story with fantastic dance and polished humour, then go and see ”Into the Hoods” by ZooNation.
Your jaw will drop in this performance; perhaps through confusion, definitely with laughter and without doubt in awe. Pablo and Pierre Caesar are superbly chiselled and very talented gymnasts. They bring all the intrigue and delight you could expect from two Polish born, pint sized, muscle toned gymnasts.
But the show never decides what it is supposed to be. One minute you think you are watching two brother’s impressive display of static lifts and angular body torsion, many of which look like they are going to break each other’s backs; the next minute you are healed into a cabaret rendition of Nancy Sinatra by the twins’ female support act. She follows this with a Basic Instinct inspired battle with a leather and chrome easy chair - you will never think of Portishead’s Roads in the same way again.
The performance does however show signs of promise. The Play Station fight routine is a flash of inspired comic delight and the skills they perform here are backed up by a play-off between the pair which includes a continuous back flip with 21 rotations. The telling of Pablo’s serious high fall in 2001 mixes a video backdrop with an on stage re-enactment which could at a push be construed as touching.
This is a wonderful demonstration of physical ability but a choreographer and voice coach would be useful.
3/5
Angus Yarwood
