The Unbelievables | Crown Theatre | Until 28 Jan | ★ ★ ★ ★  

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I have often heard it said that a host should never be better then the performers of the show they are presenting. In the case of The Unbelievables, at the Crown Theatre until 28th January, host Harrison Greenbaum throws this aside, as amazing performers are out shined by a perfect host. Free of the usual awkward pauses and flat jokes that most hosts and comics endure, Greenbaum found a role that allowed him both to flex his comedic muscles and boundless energy. He well and truly earns his role of ‘The Comic.’

The Unbelievables is presented as the greatest variety show on Earth, and for the two hours the show runs, it certainly feels like it. Whether it’s the perfectly styled ab-revealing shirts and fluffed dresses of the ballroom dancers, or the jaw dropping and heart wrenching performance of hand balancing act Alan Pagnota & Rafael Ferreira, the show lives up to its mantra.

Whilst the show appears very similar to shows that have come twice before, the real heart of the show lies in the acts that did not receive international attention; whilst the death defying aerial moves of Artem Lyubanevych did have audiences at their feet, the roof-raising vocals of Emi Secrest and Matt Cousin had the audience enthralled and stunned.

There is much praise to be given to the main acts however – the mind boggling work of Sos and Victoria Petrosyan (The Transformationalists) kept audiences clapping at sheer unbelievability, the artistic works revealed by Julia Kurkina in her sand art (yes, that’s a thing) were an absolute delight, and the ventriloquism works displayed by Jay Johnson were another sight to behold.

However, Brett Loudermilk (‘The Blademaster’) was easily one of the best acts of the night; if not for the fact that the audience member plucked to join him on stage was quite easily the worst participant of an act I have ever seen – a questioning, nervous and doubtful participant is never the best when pulling a sword out of a man’s mouth (spoiler alert: he survived).

Only a few times in the show did I feel a little underwhelmed, such as in Roberto Carlos’ juggling act and Shin Lim’s magic card act, but that was not due to a bad performance, rather, the juggling and magic acts just weren’t as impressive as every other feat.

Impeccably choreographed, beautifully scored and of a seriously high caliber, the show was a surprising delight.

The Unbelievables is on at The Crown Theatre through to 28th January. 

Davis Burke