Confession: I’ve been to see Steps live, and still hold to the sage wisdom: ‘There aint no party like an S Club party!”
So it’s fair to say I love me some cheesy pop and the dance moves that go with it.
An opportunity then, to fill a Saturday afternoon with my six-year-old little lady in tow, at P&J Live for the L.O.L. Surprise! LIVE VIP Party was too good to miss.
Billed as a family production with show-stopping numbers that will have everyone on their feet, the two 45-minute halves lived up to the hype.
Was it an L.O.L. Surprise?
With only the L.O.L. Surprise magazine as a frame of reference (which little miss loves, by the way), and a few YouTube clips of what may feature, it exceeded my expectations on a few fronts.
We were wowed by the girl band-esque choreography, host Jessie’s Disney princess tones and one of the main characters, Swag, spitting some rhymes.
In truth I’m too old to even write those words.
The show features all the Lil Outrageous Littles favourites including Lady Diva, Royal Bee, Swag and Neonlicious and was non-stop singing and dancing from the second we got there.
Using hologram technology and the cast dancing in the aisles, I think the sometimes overused ‘immersive’ accurately sums up the feel of the show.
Positive vibes
Now, as a woman, I will say this: I’m not massively thrilled by anything that encourages young girls to obsess with fashion or clothing.
These characters, loved the world over by the likes of Cardi B and Kim Kardashian, pivot around style, sassiness and fun.
Indeed, this show tells the tale of fan favourite Mallory getting ready for the L.O.L. Surprise! LIVE VIP Party but she doesn’t know what to wear.
Helped, of course, by her trusty L.O.L. doll mates all is well in the end. I’m confident that wasn’t a spoiler. But lines like ‘what’s inside you really counts’ and ‘nobody is perfect all the time’ do help to turn this into something more positive.
Aided too by a karaoke L.O.L. version of One Direction’s You Don’t Know You’re Beautiful, I’m confident the positive messaging outweighs anything worrisome.
Body confident messaging
However, perhaps the biggest surprise for me was what they didn’t say.
Or rather what the cast choice told the L.O.L.-obsessed youngsters absorbing every second.
A brilliant mix of talented females – and one guy who mixed dancing with some nifty camera work – the ensemble featured incredible diversity.
Despite the characters normally having an homogenised American twang, Scottish voices were included in the live line-up. A nice touch for the Aberdonian crowd.
Body wise it wasn’t just a line up of cheerleader types either, though Swag was definitely channeling vintage Christian Aguilera from Dirty.
Instead we had an array of healthy body sizes and a variety of skin tones. All talented, all visible, all confident in their own skins.
Party time
As the show wound to a close all the tiny party people were invited to the floor – with their cameras – to take part in a dance competition. Cue hundreds of phones aglow.
It was a nice moment for those brave enough bob around with their favourite characters and it did what only live shows can do in that it offered something tactile.
All in all, a well spent afternoon. At £15 a ticket, with some offers available it offered value for money.
My six-year-old BB reviewer (L.O.L. speak for Big Baby) added this: “It was very loud and the glitter ball was amazing. I liked the singing and dancing, and I loved singing along.”
For a family show, I don’t think you’ll get better than that.