FRINGE REVIEW: "BOY ZONED" is nostalgic, toe-tapping fun
Perth’s got its own brand-new boy band for those nights where you’re lying in bed, nostalgic for cheesy dance moves, four-part harmonies and annoying pick-up lines. Paper Haus’ BOY ZONED, a self-described “boy-band-cover-band which exclusively performs covers of other boy bands”, is packed full of laughs and musical numbers that will have you whooping, clapping and toe-tapping along.
Taking place at the Circus Theatre in the Perth Cultural Centre, BOY ZONED takes you through the ups and downs of one band’s journey in trying to make some hits. If you’re into some light entertainment with some seriously talented performers this Fringe, then BOY ZONED is the show for you.
It lags a bit at times, as there isn’t quite enough in the story for it to maintain energy and so you’re left feeling a bit bored or waiting for the next musical number. The four guys who make up the band, played by Jack Martin, Liam Wigney, Ryan Hunt and Sam Moloney, have a great chemistry and good sense of comic timing together. However, their characters, while obviously ironically stereotypical, do get tiresome and slightly sexist (which is probably the point, but after about half an hour I wanted to see something more.) Georgia McGivern shines as the ignored back-up singer with a powerful voice, but she doesn’t have enough stage time and I was left wanting to hear more from her (singing and speech).
BOY ZONED is packed to the brim with fun music numbers, that will have you reliving all the posters from your teenage bedroom. The musical arrangement by Alex Turner (not the Arctic Monkeys one) is on point and choreography by Emelia Peet is enjoyable and full of life.
It’s obviously been a huge collaborative effort from the team and it pays off in the performances we witness and the tunes we hum on our way out.
