Reviewed by Catherine Brown
The entertaining show ‘Tap Factory’ visited the Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent as part of a national tour. The eight talented performers use the setting of a building site to combine music, dance, acrobatics and comedy in a unique show suitable for all the family.
Vincent Pausanias is the choreographer and artistic director who, in collaboration with Gilles Guenat (World champion of tap) and Jeremie Champagne (finalist of So You Think You Can Dance, France) has created a fascinating showcase of movement, music and rhythm.
The show had a slow start, with a comedy double act using audience participation (tricky when the theatre was not even half full). Thankfully the focus returned to the stage and the all-male cast proceeded to delight us with their range of talents. While tap dancing was of course a key element, we were also gasping at the acrobatics of ‘mechanic’ Xavier Bouyer, cheering on the hip-hop moves of ‘Happy’ Jorffy Mayomba and giggling at the antics of ‘Grumpy’ Lee Meadows.
The cast use a range of props including ladders, sweeping brushes, sand and tin cans to create a fascinating show which varies in tempo. Some of the cast sing and interact in another language (possibly French due to many of their origins?) however we were still able to understand the themes as mime and slapstick comedy need no translation.
I particularly enjoyed the moments of pure tap dancing – the synchronisation and pace of the dancers was impressive and possibly disguised the difficulty of the steps. There were lots of technical elements which the cast made look easy such as performing while seated on upturned buckets of various heights.
While there was no storyline to follow, each performer had their part to play – the foreman who ordered the others around or the underdog who wanted to prove his worth. There were times when the show failed to wow me but overall I enjoyed the evening and would recommend it to families with budding performers.
The Regent Theatre is easy to find in the Hanley area of the city with parking nearby. The staff are always warm and welcoming even on a quiet night. The piano bar is a handy place to have a pre-show glass of wine or warming hot drink, while the main foyer also stocks a selection of drinks and snacks which can be pre-ordered for the interval.
Rating: 4/5
The Tap Factory is currently on tour around the UK, for more information and tour dates visit tapfactoryproductions.co.uk/tapfactory.
For other shows at the Regent Theatre in Stoke visit www.atgtickets.com/regent-theatre.
Regent Theatre, Piccadilly, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST1 1AP | 0844 871 7649
