Flash Mob at the Peacock Theatre

Flash Mob returns to London with a brand new show after a successful debut tour, featuring a host of reality TV show runners up, including Strictly Come Dancing star Karen Hauer, Britain’s Got Talent’s street dance stars Flawless and Tommy Franzen of So You Think You Can Dance.

This show is directed by Nick Winston and conceived to celebrate the coming together of different dance styles, to showcase some of television’s finest dancers. However, what results is a cheap mismatch of acts that lacks emotion and spectacle.

The show is split up into two acts: the first attempts to tell a predictable story of loss and heartbreak through the medium of ballet, street dance, mambo and tap – reimagined for the Twitter generation. Littered with pop culture references, jokes about drinking, clubbing and autocorrect, Flash Mob desperately tries to be relevant to a teenage audience, but the show is far too tame for young adults and although slightly inappropriate at times would be more suited to young children. The simple story, energetic movement and attempts at humour will leave kids dancing all the way back to the tube, but will leave the older and more cynical feeling cheated.

After a slightly redeeming second act, where the shallow storylines are left behind and the focus is back on pieces devised by the dance groups, the show picks up in pace, but the choreography is tired and repetitive. The dancers show great technical skill and are obviously talented, but they lack heart and good direction. There are times in which the dancers show true beauty in their movement, but these moments are fleeting.

An assortment of dancers of this calibre coming together to celebrate their art should be a joy to watch – instead it’s about as passionate as a high school pantomime and as sentimental as a cruise ship show.

Violet Myers

Flash Mob is at the Peacock Theatre until 8^th June 2014. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.