Artistic Direction: David Ottone & Juan Ramos
Executive Director: Mark Ottone
Choreographer: Carlos Chamorro
Reviewer: Christine Stanton
“Flamen-panto”
3 / 5
~This review was originally written for The Reviews Hub~
Traditional flamenco performances are usually sensual, fierce, full of passion and often quite serious in nature, but Yllana Productions take the art form and transform it into a modern, comedic, almost clown-like production instead.
The storyline is based on a family that has had their roots in flamenco dance for many generations. The patriarch (David Bastidas) is strict and serious, infuriated with his children (Raúl Ortega & Anabel Moreno) for wanting to freshen up and modernise the dance. Passing down the family cane is a big deal, and he needs to make sure that his children are ready for the importance bestowed on them. His wife (Raquel Ortega) understands both sides, using magic to endorse love and bring her family together at times when they need it most. When a distant relative (Luis Gallo) arrives and encourages them to modernise, though it takes some time, the family slowly transform from tradition to trendy, and become closer as a family because of it.
For a flamenco show, there’s surprisingly not as much flamenco as initially expected! A lot of the show is mainly focused on the mostly wordless story, which is very telenovela-esque – quite cheesy and too silly to properly express any depth or emotion surrounding tradition and family values. Each scene is steeped in slapstick, which is funny at times, though slightly overdone – the few children in the audience on the night reviewed were shrieking with laughter though, so there is definitely an audience for it. The pantomime style production is further embedded with the (very frequent) calls to clap along throughout the show, sometimes for rhythm, sometimes seemingly just for the sake of it, which gets equally overdone, especially when not much more has happened since the last clap along.
Each time the audience are encouraged to clap, or are addressed directly by the performers, the bright house lights (Juani González Vega) go up, abruptly and starkly, pulling the audience of the show completely. Because of the high amount of audience address, it means the lights are constantly going up and down, sometimes only for a short moment, which disorients the atmosphere and loses traction for the action on stage.
The moments that DO include flamenco are brilliantly performed with passion, energy and precision, Carlos Chamorro’s choreography and Tatiana de Sarabia’s beautiful and vibrant costumes, ensure that each routine is mesmerising and enjoyable. There are some fun showcases of the dance, such as the boxing ring with Ortega and Moreno having a dance off, or Moreno trying to gain Gallo’s attention, and the final scene is packed with energy and fun, leaving a great lasting impression for the show.
Runs until 10th October 2026
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