Vamos Cuba at the Birmingham Hippodrome – frenético, una celebración de energía juvenil

The heat of Cuba comes a little closer to home with this dance extravaganza, says Richard Lutz.

Well, as my accomplice in crime El Davido said about this production: “…un espectáculo exuberante y una celebración de energía juvenil.”

You get the idea. It’s a hoot, a 14-strong Cuban dance team, at times maddeningly all over the place, backed by a live ten piece band and a pair of singers with live wires for lungs. It’s not for the sleepyheads among us nor the po-faced.

This is a joyous happy two hours of constant movement and sound, from salsa to Jamaican reggaeton to mombo, to modern movement to jazz to hip hip and even an old-fashioned conga. Don’t worry about ‘the plot’. It has something to do with Havana Airport and trying to get on a cancelled plane to Miami. That’s all you have to know. All else is endless music and movement.

So, everything including the kitchen sink is thrown at you. The result is an exuberant night out.

Hats off to choreographer Nilda Guerra, twin trumpets Julito Padron and Alejandro Calzadilla for forming the brass backbone and a team of hoofers that took in uncountable costume changes and 18 dance numbers.

In short, a song and dance-fest, overflowing with big band Caribbean sound and jiving and swing. They know how to move a crowd down at the Hippo and as my aforesaid friend  said: “Quien no puede apreciar un show de tanta energía y alegría es un pobre pendejo!”

Agreed..

Until 5th November.