THEATRE REVIEW: Bromance ★★★★

Bromance

Warwick Arts Centre

Tuesday 26th May 2015

There are many types of handshakes, like the bully and the politician, but when you extract the names of the actions and turn them into short dance sequences which involves death defying movements which make your jaw drop after watching lifts that that never seem possible, that’s when you know you are watching an incredible physical group, just like Barely Methodical Troupe, consisting of Beren, Louis and Charlie, as they brought Bromance to Warwick Arts Centre.

What was just spell-bounding about this 60 minute performance was how slick everything was, and the focus and concentration involved from all, and you could clearly see how much time and effort was put in to make everything possible that you saw on stage. The trio had incredible stage presence and all had their real moments to shine, whether that was Charlie’s sequence with the hula hoop, which was one of the most powerful sequences I have ever seen in my life of watching theatre, or Louis and Beren’s act of movements which had a real message of isolation, there was something for everyone, especially for the girls when the final sequences involved the boys in nothing but their underwear.

The story in between the sequences was also strong, even with the lack of talking from the trio. Each of the characters, especially Louis and Charlie, had an arc of isolation from the other two in the group, whether that was due to not being confident doing lifts (Charlie) or, after producing a small swan and being laughed at, challenging the boys physical strength with trust (Louis). This is exactly what made the whole show compelling, and I for sure will catch the boys again in this truly incredible show when they arrive at Edinburgh Fringe Festival later this year.