GUMBOOTS REVIEWS
Detroit News says
The show's content is simple - essentially athletic, percussive folk dancing, plus a capella songs. But the improvisational skills of the show's 12 performers keep it lively and fresh.
Amazon.com says
The combination of storytelling, dance, song, chant, and history is invigorating- the audience (at London's Playhouse Theatre) can't keep still or quiet; they chant, clap, and dance from their seats.
Stage Door says
After the beautiful but inane Disneyfied Africa of The Lion King, I found Gumboots to be a breath of fresh air--something real after something so fake. Young adults and children should
enjoy this show, too, since it is so full of rhythm and vitality. And, unlike that corporate blockbuster, the music is a thousand times richer and has so much more heart.
Solidarity says
This fast-paced theatrical performance blends rhythmic African music and intricately choreographed dance to create a workers’ musical.
The non-stop, action-packed performance is a captivating dance/musical topping similar shows like “Stomp” and “Bring in Da Noise.”
This 90-minute performance engages the audience with a powerful display of song and dance.
Daily Trojan says
The dancers and musicians do not stop moving for 90 minutes. Bare-chested and glistening from sweat, they are unbeatable.
The message from a song Keep me strong, give me long-life, and let me sing in the sun is the simplicity that all mankind should yearn for in his quest for nirvana. This is great and unusual theater
entertainment, which offers a pleasant departure from the everyday world
Daily Info says
”Twelve sexy, stomping, singing, shouting, laughing geniuses”. That’s how the Australian press described the Gumboots cast. Not wishing to hide behind British reserve (which is one thing this show doesn’t
have), I should like to add ‘sweaty’ to the list. Glistening, bare-chested dancers’ bodies not five minutes into the action were testament to the energy, the power, that moved from hand to boot to stage
then theatre.
Fairfield Weekly News says
We're thinking Stomp meets Tap Dogs meets Nelson Mandela. Whatever it is, it'll be a boot knockin' good time.
South Coast Today says
"
Gumboots" is an extraordinarily vigorous musical show in which a cast of 10 (accompanied by four musicians) sing mostly in their native language, sometimes a cappella, while kicking, stomping, gyrating,
and slapping their gumboots and bodies, until you're likely to feel exhausted for them, though they never show the least sign of tiring.
PBS says
GUM BOOTS features inspirational a cappella singing and a resonant percussive score. Clad in the traditional miner’s garb of jeans, bandana headbands and the knee-high gumboots, the nine dancers
stomp, cavort, strut, joyfully harmonize and wail amid a mineshaft-like set. The program’s boisterous spectacle and the performer’s self-deprecating humor contrast the ominous setting, sending an uplifting
message.
The Guardian says
Now it's just full-on noise and thumping: we like it.
Edinburgh Festival says
The performers, vivid personalities and outrageous flirts, shine with eagerness to please. Although it seems unfair to single anyone out, Vincent Ncabashe is a terrific frontman. Tall Sipho
Ndlela, aptly named Themba Short, and skinny, six-pack-stomached Thami Nkwanyana provide exceptional support. All of them mug wonderfully, particularly during a jaunty, mischievous parade-of-beefcake
number. It is a real kick to see such gorgeous men revelling in, while sending up, their own hunkiness.
Introduction
Humble Beginnings
The Show
The Cast
What Gumboots means to us
Tour Dates and Links
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