Barbershopera: Apocalypse No!
Live Review

Barbershopera are gathering quite a fan base, if this packed audience is anything to go by. And quite right, too, as they are a talented bunch, breathing new life into what could be considered the twee, moribund world of close-harmony singing.

\r\n\r\nThis is the quartet’s third show, and this time they’ve gone for an epic story about the Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse preparing to destroy the world because of mankind’s ills, singing barber shop quartets as they do so. Yes, do-be-do-be-Doomsday is upon us.

\r\n\r\nThe set-up to this is brilliantly done, as an administrative cock-up means the harbingers of destruction have wound up being War, Pestilence, Famine and Beth – a mild-mannered primary school teacher not good with conflict. The ambitious themes contrasting with the mundaneness of the characters is wonderfully appealing, while the script sparkles with witty lines. The men on horses end up being as daft as any of Monty Pythons knights.

\r\n\r\nThe show loses its way from the second act, though, as the horsemen each go on historical quests, fragmenting the story into four trivial smaller ones, which are too simply resolved and don’t throw up enough strong comic ideas.

\r\n\r\nNonetheless, the impressive a capella skills of this engaging young foursome are always a delight, while there’s great attention to detail in the direction, with some charming flourishes of choreography. Such strong, elegant performances carry a great deal of goodwill, and the hour always remains fun, even when it’s in need of some script reconstruction.