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Jupiter - Conquest of the Galaxy

Published Tuesday 23 January 2007 at 17:10 by Lyndsey Winship

Japan’s comic dance troupe Condors are like an 11-member boy band where everyone wants to be the funny one. Stars on their home turf and with successful US shows under their belt, this was the first chance for UK audiences to glimpse their zany mix of comedy sketches, shoestring video and exuberant high-energy dance interludes. While some of the humour is definitely lost in translation, their infectious enthusiasm means it is very hard to stay po-faced for long.

Bounding about like hyperactive kids TV presenters, dressed identically in Japanese school uniforms with retro rock music blasting, Condors launch into dance routines with gusto if not grace. Leaping like manga cartoon characters, they manage some impressive acrobatic feats but this show is about entertainment, not art.

Characterised by an endearing scrappiness, the boys mix puppet shows and homemade films with playground humour, slapstick and a few adult jokes thrown in. They are a cross between Ant and Dec, Monty Python, the Fast Show and South Park - often mindless but occasionally meaningful too.

There is a skit on Sesame Street where A stands for arrested, H for hooligan and J for job centre; some brilliantly surreal moments, like Michael Jackson going fishing and a great series of rapid fire sketches where there is barely time for a set-up never mind a punchline.

The show has a few flat moments amid the utter silliness and who knows if we were all laughing at the same thing, but we were laughing all the same.

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