Any show that ZooNation seem to put on is one full of marvel and spectacle. I've been fortunate enough to see Sylvia, the powerful tale of suffrage last year and Into The Hoods a few years ago, so I knew that the show I was going to see was going to be special. I just didn't realise how fantastic it would be. How much it resonated with the whole audience and how enigmatic it would be from start to finish. Some Like It Hip Hop made me fall in love with the dance style that I have never been able to do (and don't worry, I've tried!) and left me smiling from ear to ear.



With nods to everything from the classic Some Like It Hot and Twelfth Night, this show follows a story like no other. You are introduced to a captivating narrator that tells you of a governor of a city has shut out the sun to stop people expressing themselves. He forbids everything from reading to love to ensure that no one experiences the happiness he is lacking in his heart. He lives in an ideology that women should be seen and not heard, that men should act how they please and there are no compromises. If you don't fit in, then you don't belong.

It's a show filled with synchronised dancing, you see that some of these characters gracing the stage want a rebellion, but with no voices and no idea how to stage an uprising, it's hard to see how it will happen. What we do see is two of the characters, Jo-Jo and Kerri deciding that the only way they can prove their worth is to pretend to be men, but what Jo-Jo doesn't bargain on is falling in love with a handsome man in the process.

In a wonderful hybrid of an edge of your seat dance show mixed with a beautifully arranged musical, this show is like no other and shows the audience just why ZooNation are ahead of their game and are consistently winning awards.


I have to say that I was absolutely blown away by the cast. Each and every one of them blew me away. From the singing queens that left me sitting in awe of their talents, to the dancers that were out of this world. It left everyone whooping and cheering in their seats at each dance break, and the energy in the theatre was completely electric. I honestly can't express how brilliant the talent on stage were. ZooNation pride themselves on using young, fresh talent where possible and it was awesome to see how all the talent on stage really showed that hip hop is still fresh and relevant.

It stands testament to the type of company ZooNation are when you look around the theatre and see the level of diversity in not only the show, but also the audience itself. Everyone was there to appreciate the fantastic performance that graced the stage and it was really brilliant to see a mix of people gracing the seats of the Mayflower. The audience seemed to be filled with a lot of local dance schools supporting their friends that ZooNation had invited on stage for a 5 minute pre-show performance by local talent. I loved that all the young performers had so much talent on stage and so much support in the audience. They all have bright futures ahead of them!

Overall, Some Like It Hip Hop was a show that left me in awe of the talent gracing the stage. It left me truly appreciating the wonderful medium of dance and left me dancing in my seat and grinning from ear to ear. Some like it hot? Well I like it hip hop!


*Note, I was gifted tickets to this show. All opinions are my own.