Flawless – Chase The Dream @ E4 Udderbelly

The good thing about reviewing Flawless – Chase The Dream is that people who like Simon Cowell's shows will go. People who don't; won't. This review matters not a jot.

The show itself fully embraces what the US media corporations (owned by the Japanese, or ex-Australians) purvey as the American Dream – a paean to an individuality that is very hard to discern, either in the show, or the US popular media content as a whole.

The show is introduced by a TV-style program about a family loudly excited by the prospect of seeing Flawless (Just so we know what to think). What follows is series of sketches (all set in America) with dances. The sketches cover businessmen being distracted by a street dancer, a tramp finding tap shoes, someone battling with Spiderman, something to do with baseball bats, and others. It doesn't matter too much what the sketches are about as the dances are pretty much the same. The narrative idea behind some of the sketches completely eluded this reviewer. Variation was provided by comic sketches, the one generating the most sincere laughs involving the trick of a muscular bloke dressed up as a girl.

The dancing is acrobatic - though not as acrobatic as acrobats. The ensemble dancing is surprisingly imprecise. Apart from one number, the discipline and sharpness didn't match a regular dance company.

There is a lot of product placement. (Though I was concerned about who was paying who for the use of the Marvel comics logo.) It was noticeable that the only time the show moved off the US theme was to name check various banks such as Santander.

The audience came looking for a good time and generously worked hard to get one. Even so, there were longueurs where a lot of people were far from rapt – including the kids. However, everyone remained politely enthusiastic when called on to be so.

In its admiration for the American way, the show feels like it has been devised by one of those business loonies who advise people to use their friendships as marketing opportunities.

Its only at the very end of the show, when the programme itself has completed, that Flawless comes alive – roaming around the audience shaking hands and high-fiving; and on the stage, simply showing off. Only then is displayed the personal charm that had spurred the audience to come along in the first place.