Into the Hoods: An Urban Fairytale

This was something different. A West End musical featuring hip-hop dancing. Cool! I can see what they're doing here - bringing a new type of audience to the theatre. The crowd at tonight's performance was distinctly different to usual crowd and the average age lowered to about 25 years. We were encouraged to treat the show like a concert - cheering, whistle, general noise would be appreciated.

Into the Hoods was a hiphop dance extravaganza with a light storyline to tie it altogether. The plot centres around two children after they skip school and venture 'into the hoods' and the people they encounter are hip-hop reincarnations of classic fairytale characters. My fave dancer was Lil Red (Riding Hood) cos her cute afro bounced so lightly whenever she danced. Spinderella had the most disturbing set of abs I've ever seen on a woman. Jaxx was just excellent at one handed handstands.

It was a fun show to watch and would definitely be enjoyed by those who appreciate the music genre. No, there isn't any singing, just a dj mix of popular club/hip-hop songs. I do wonder about the show's place within the West End. It surely can't be a production with infinite booking dates. Also , it doesn't seem like the dancers have any understudies - they must get tired! Although, if they didn't have the show in a theatre, where would the next appropriate venue be? A scout hall in the suburbs? Hmmmm... maybe not. Our £10 preview tickets in the stalls were hard to beat.

Go see the show if you can, but if you are already doubting your enjoyment, best to stick to your judgement.