SIRO-A, Leicester Square Theatre

When I first heard I was reviewing Tokyo’s answer to the Blue Man Group I was genuinely excited and approached Leicester Square Theatre with a real sense of anticipation. This was slightly tarnished after the initial and rather excruciating roving camera audience participation opening segment to the show. Next came a sequence of tacky 80s graphics on the stage screen that was not having the desired retro effect for me however as the performers arrived on stage things soon picked up.

The cast consisted of four frontmen with two background technicians all dressed in futuristic white outfits and helmets resembling a mix between daft punk and late 90s boy band. The show is essentially a fast paced mix of dance, theatre and mime set to a thumping electro / techno beat with moving images projected on stage for the cast to fit into. Some of the sequences were genuinely impressive and the use of colour at points is truly mesmerising, in one segment a performers t-shirt is constantly changing to different designs like the film Jaws, with the shark coming alive to great effect. Comedy is a big part of the show and you get a sense of authentic Japanese anarchism particularly in the parts with audience participation - it feels original and is howlingly funny. Children in the audience were particularly enthralled and the quick non-stop action lends itself well to a younger audience. There’s also a weird late night Channel 4 Bonzai/Eurotrash feel to the show in parts that elevates it from the standard fare.

However there are flaws. Whilst the show uses colour, light and technology innovatively the production unfortunately looks cheap at points and there are occasions where the performers don’t quite hit their marks. Being critical, the show looked slightly under rehearsed and some of the genuinely inventive sequences didn’t follow through on their initial promise.

That said, it's an exhilarant non-stop ride with the cast performing an impressive number of disciplines. Despite not reaching the level of perfection set by the Blue Man Group (for me they were more like Siro-B-minus than A) I was charmed by the maniacal sense of fun these guys have brought to London.