Tomás Ford: Craptacular

Choosing a suitable show name that exactly describes what’s in the tin is a skill Tomás Ford has mastered. His show is cringeworthily crap and surprisingly spectacular in equal measures. The energetic Australian performer reimagines some of the world’s greatest pop hits and talks us through them, assisted by hypnotising video projections and loud and colourful costumes.

There’s no real line to this hour of thumping tunes, nor a deeper message. Although he shouts more than he sings, his song interpretations give new meaning to well-known material by artists as Dannii Minogue, Elton John and Hanson. Ford proves himself a true genius when he makes a song like the Village People’s 'YMCA' sound fresh and compelling – despite the well-known arm movements spelling out the letters.

Ford forces audience participation and gets even the grumpiest of punters to clap and dance along. He disarms them with sharp humour, bravado (“You’re not too cool for this, now clap!”), and a gaze that demolishes any defence weary audience members might have put up.

The show turns into a full-blown immersive experience and Ford leaves the audience stunned and most of all, in awe of what just happened. It was craptacular. The full meaning of that word can only be comprehended after experiencing this whirlwind of a performance.