OneTouch Theatre, Eden Court, Inverness, 27 March 2011

AS A long term devotee to show songs, the prospect of an hour-long musical comedy performed by a barbershop quartet is enough to make my pulse quicken.

However, I think even the most hardened of anti-musical vigilantes would have had to smile at the charming antics of Barbershopera.

Barbershopera (photo Geraint Lewis)

Since forming in Hammersmith in 2007, the group have gone from strength to strength, performing to smitten crowds everywhere from the Edinburgh Fringe to the West End, and winning awards at the International Musicals Festival in South Korea.

Their latest show, Apocalypse, No!, has them braving the Hound of Hell, a host of less-than-angelic angels and a very hairy yet strangely sexy nun in order to avert Judgement Day. With the supposed end of the world in 2012 fast approaching, it is refreshing to see the topic dealt with in such a light-hearted fashion.

The cast are a joy to watch: each member possesses perfect control of their vocal range and comic timing to rival Laurel & Hardy. At any moment where the plot shows signs of flagging, another song is signalled in by the blow of a whistle.

The show’s score, written by Rob Castell and Tom Sadler, carries the show effortlessly from scene to scene with flawless harmonies. The great thing about telling jokes to music is that the singers gear the audience up for the punch line which awaits them at the end of the next rhyme.

The technique works: each build-up to a gag holds the audience on the edge of their seats. The show’s sense of humour ranges from the wonderfully absurd to the subtly satirical, thus providing laugh-out loud moments for all ages. This is impressive for a show that presents itself with such innocence and simplicity. After all, who would have expected God to turn out to be a small cow with a beard? On wheels?

Barbershopera is the kind of company that reminds one that even when things seem apocalyptically awful, it can’t be so bad that humour won’t help. After watching this splendidly uplifting performance, I can’t help feeling that we’d all be better off with a little more Barbershop in our lives.

© Rowan Macfie, 2011

Links

• Barbershopera