| "Christmas But Not As We Know |
At the Other Room |
| Flossy and Boo- he Alternativity , The Other Room , December 8, 2017 |
Flossy & Boo first landed on this planet in 2014. Although I always wanted to see them somehow I managed to miss all of their performances of “Flossy & Boo’s Curiosity Shop” in both Cardiff and Edinburgh.However, I was intrigued by their latest timely offering “Flossy And Boo The Alternativity” and duly arrived early at a packed The Other Room at Porters. A delicious Pepperoni Pizza, 2 large glasses of Sauvignon Blanc and a large smattering of Christmas music later and I was nearly in the Christmas spirit. All I needed was to enter a small, intimate venue full of Christmas items (excellent work from Designer Bethany Seddon), select a Christmas party hat to wear, and guess what it turns out I was in the perfect place for both of those events. I soon discover that Flossie and Boo are not from these parts and although they were thrilled to be invited to create a Christmas play they weren’t really sure what this entailed. What follows is not likely to have been anybody else’s idea of a Christmas play but that is what makes this entertainment entirely unique. Firstly, performers Anja Conti and Laura Jeffs are extremely likeable and though they take you to some rather odd places you are more than happy to follow them on this journey and delighted to have arrived, however unlikely the destination. This may look like general silliness but it is beautifully crafted. Armed with a few musical instruments and a small projection scene they provide non-stop laughs for well over an hour. A lot of shows have funny moments but one of the joys of “The Alternativity” is that the pace is never allowed to sag and the whole show moves seamlessly on. There is also the right amount of audience involvement. Most of us were involved but no-one is made to feel uncomfortable and I thoroughly enjoyed wearing a Mexican Sombrero over my smaller hat. Often stage managers are ignored but not here as Bethan Dawson may not have stepped onto the stage but she was an integral part of proceedings. I was also extremely impressed by the musicality of the piece. Not only did they play and sing their own songs extremely well but they included 2 of my favourite little known musical performances. “Ring Christmas Bells” (Carol Of The Bells) has always been my favourite Carol and has only recently (ish) come back into fashion since its appearance on the Home Alone soundtrack. Similarly, there are hundreds of versions of “Jingle Bells” but my favourite version has always been by Barbra Streisand, sung at a breakneck speed which I can’t have heard for about 20 years. (So, thank you for both of those bonuses Flossie & Boo). We are all busy at this time of year and there are always countless distractions. But, if you want to take a couple of hours out of your hectic schedule head to Porters between now and the 23rd December. Allow yourself to enjoy a couple of drinks in friendly surroundings then head to see this show. If you are not yet full of Christmas spirit you will be by the end and if you are already feeling Christmassy you will be among many of your own kind just having a great time. In other words, just go! |
Reviewed by: David Cox |
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