Siro-A!

Source:http://www.seejapan.co.uk/Libraries/Logos/SIRO-A_web.sflb.ashx

I got the chance to see this show on Thursday and I have one word to describe it. Incredible!

Before going to see it, I had no idea what it was, as my girlfriend had booked these tickets on a whim and simply told me to be at Leicester Square at 6pm. Upon entering the theatre there was a Japanese man dressed like a rather large cigarette walking through the crowd greeting people and attempting to shake everyone’s hand. Of course, my first reaction was to look at my lady friend and say “wtf is this?” Either way, we took our seats and waited for the oversized cigarette to finish his rounds. In the back of my mind, I thought it was honourable that one of the performers came out and greeted the audience but I couldn’t help but feel that the large cigarette outfit was a bit strange, little did I know that it was a pre cursor for the show I was about to witness. In any case, the music began and if you had been there, even you would have felt like you had walked into a techno rave where everyone was popping ecstasy like it was skittles. Needless to say this wasn’t really my type of scene so I started to hope that the whole show wasn’t going to be like this.

Nevertheless, I stopped looking around hoping that I could find some other stranger to exchange a glance of mutual bewilderment with, and started to focus on the actual performers and what they were doing. Slowly, I started to understand that all their actions where movements to the seemingly random beat of electro pop. There were 4 main performers with 2 DJ’s on stage. The real ‘buy in’ moment, when I started to truly appreciate the show, came when 3 of the performers started playing Super Mario with projected images on boxes. Growing up with Super Nintendo and the ever great N64, it struck a sentimental nerve. I know this explanation isn’t very clear, but it’s simply the best one that I can give for how amazing this small part of the performance was.

I don’t want to give away too much, because this show was literally one of the best shows I’ve seen. Simply put, it’s a melting pot between STOMP! and the Blue man group. Mainly based around advanced projected visuals supported by eclectic music, the performers also use dance and comedy to create a show which is awesome. At some points, the illusions became so vivid and intense that I wasn’t sure what was real and what was an image. It’s extremely difficult to describe, but if you like being amazed at the true talent and ability of human beings this show is for you. If you opt to go in high, it might literally be mind blowing, or “mind blasting” as Russell peters would say, but seeing as the visualisations are extremely realistic, I wouldn’t advise it as you might just end up on the wildest trip of your life!

At 60 minutes long, it would seem it’s on the short side for a show but trust me, once you see how amazing this production is, you’ll understand that it’s the perfect length and it doesn’t drag at any point. It’s extremely inexpensive with tickets currently £12 on lastminute.com. A real bargain, when you consider you pay that much for a cinema ticket in London these days. This is perfect for a first date as it will surely impress your date and leave you guys talking about the show. These guys have even performed at ‘TED x Tokyo’ and I’ve put that video in after the jump for you all to get a taste of it. Although, in my opinion, the video doesn’t do it justice and only gives a snap shot of what’s on offer. Check it out and let us know what you think! P.s if you want to make this a whole Japan themed evening, there’s a great little restaurant called Tokyo Diner by the theatre which I’ve also reviewed in the Food section! 

By Viren Samani (@VirenSamani1)