Presented by Davine Interventionz
Reviewed 23 October 2013
They sing, they dance and they talk to God on cell phones! The Altar Boyz are here again to save the world, one fan at a time.
My whole life I have wanted to be serenaded on stage by a boy bad, and last Wednesday night I missed out by one person. Do not feel sorry for me though, as Altar Boyz: The Second Coming did not disappoint in any other way.
Returning after previously running in the 2013 Adelaide Fringe, Altar Boyz is 90 minutes of topical, hilariously funny satire, poking fun at the phenomenon of boy bands and the popularity of Christian-themed music in contemporary culture.
The characters, or should I say “stars” of the Altar Boyz are Matthew, Mark, Luke, Juan, and Abraham, (he’s Jewish!), and yes you can expect some delicious drama with that last addition.
Four catholic altar boys, and one Jewish boy who finds himself in the right (or wrong) place at the right (or wrong!) time, receive a divine inspiration to go out and ‘Altar our Minds’ and save the souls of a lost generation through song. We see how they got together and the individual motivations and sins (greed, lust, gluttony etc…) which drive them in their pursuit of stardom and salvation.
Excellent choreography by Shenayde Wilkinson-Sarti, and musical numbers by musical director Emma Knights, had the opening night audience clapping along and laughing at every attempted falsetto, flexed muscle and power stance.
Breaking the structure of a traditional musical, Altar Boyz invites the audience to become part of the experience, making the entire evening feel like a live concert, as opposed to a fictional story which occasionally breaks the fourth wall.
A few Disney-esque moments and shudder-educing clichés punctuate the drama in this satirically anti-Semitic, homoerotic and absolutely fabulous production. No audience member is left ‘un-saved’ and no stereotype is left un-mocked.
Director David Gauci and the fabulous cast, (Brady Lloyd, Gareth Wilkes, Brody Green, David Salter and Lindsay Prodea), have offered the lost souls of Adelaide another chance to be saved, so don’t miss The Second Coming of Altar Boyz!
Altar Boyz: The Second Coming
When: 23 October – 2 November 2013
Where: Star Theatres, 145 Sir Donald Bradman Drive, Hilton
Tickets: $18 – $26
Bookings: TryBooking.com
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