Hannah Cleeve and Sebastián Melo Taveira in Magic Mike Live at the London Hippodrome. Picture: Trevor Leighton
Magic Mike Live continues at the London Hippodrome until 27 October 2019.
Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩
At long last Magic Mike Live has arrived in London and is delighting the predominately female audiences flocking to the revamped Theatre at The Hippodrome. The dilemma is how to write a serious review about a group of rather tasty young men who not only flaunt their talents but also their flesh in a high-energy 90-minute fast-paced and slick show that leaves its audience wanting more.
The show’s creator and director Channing Tatum has assembled a multi-national cast of hunks who spend the evening demonstrating their dance, acrobatic and gyrating skills very effectively, not just on stage but also around the whole auditorium as they get close and personal to their appreciative audience.
There is a flimsy story, a young man portrayed by the rather gorgeous Sebastian Melo Taveira needs to learn the art of pleasing women. He learns quickly and one of the most stunning scenes is ‘Wet Dream’ starring Taveira in a routine that is as beautiful as it is erotic.
Another routine, ‘Audience Lap Dance’ featuring all the boys – Jake Brewer, Harry Carter, Anthony Donadio, Pip Hersee, Jack Manley, Daniel Ralph, Ross Sands, Brian Siregar, Dean Stewart, Maxwell Trengove, Manny Tsakanika, Aaron Witter – is a big hit with the excitable audience.
Sophie Linder-Lee as the MC border on being extremely annoying. Her script designed to get the audience in a frenzy is pretty trite, her voice rather grating and the endless comments about vaginas become tedious beyond belief.
It is a tight production, well staged and choreographed. The set, lighting and sound are spot on. Applause should also go to the Hippodrome staff who work hard to keep the crowd happy and the stage management who are kept on their toes throughout, without hindering anyone’s enjoyment.
We are led to believe this is a different sort of show to the strip shows of years ago – a show where sexuality is celebrated as an art and where woman are empowered and free.
Certainly the show, in terms of music, dance and physicality, is more current but at the end of the day it is a group of extremely fit guys, teasing and titillating and flashing the flesh. Female empowerment – NO! Enjoyment – Oh yes!
It’s not the typical show for an ardent theatre-goer but it is the perfect show for a girls’ night out.
Helena Howard
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