★★★★
Marking their final year performing at Edinburgh Fringe following three successful prior runs, The Black Blues Brothers is a thrilling tribute to John Landis’ cult movie The Blues Brothers. Acrobats Bilal Musa Huka, Rashid Amini Kulembwa, Seif Mohamed Mlevi, Peter Mnyamosi Obunde and Mohamed Salim Mwakidudu take us through an exhilarating performance, starting in an elegant lounge bar, where a bored staff member dreams of being a Blues Brother. As if from nowhere, two men clad in black suits appear, and his daydreams become reality.
Over the course of an hour, the group perform an array of flips, tricks and stunts set to a rhythm and blues soundtrack that includes catchy hits like ‘Shake Your Tail Feather’ and ‘You Can Leave Your Hat On’. Their daring tricks have the audience on the edge of their seats, including a limbo challenge under a burning pole, and a human pyramid that topples into a series of rolls. A particularly scary one is a series of press handstands on top of a stack of chairs that get higher and higher, which I was almost unable to watch. These tricks are perfectly choreographed to show off the acrobats’ strength and skills. On the rare occasion when a trick goes wrong, they demonstrate a harder version almost immediately, proving to us that it was simply a blip.
The high-energy acrobatics are interspersed with silent scenes, providing a well-needed opportunity for the group to catch their breath. These go down a treat with the audience, who laugh along at the group’s antics. While they are understandably required, some of the scenes do become a bit tedious, such as when they are all attempting to win over a woman who has been brought to the stage from the audience.
As they perform with huge smiles on their faces, it is almost impossible not to love the group. While some of their dancing is slightly unpolished, their impressive flips and tricks more than makeup for it. Exhilarating and spellbinding, The Black Blues Brothers is truly a treat to watch.
The Black Blues Brothers will be performed at Assembly Rooms – Music Hall from 7-25 August at 3:10pm as part of Edinburgh Fringe 2024.
Words by Ellen Leslie
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