Written by Annie for Theatre and Tonic

Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review. All views are our own

Returning to London for the first time since their previously tremendous success in 2019, YAMATO return for their latest show; Hito no Chikara – The Power of Human Strength. The Drummers of Japan have toured their shows all over the world and finally return to London to bring their talent, power and entertainment to audiences again.

Their latest work confronts a world transformed by technology and asks: what remains uniquely human? Every beat against the Taiko drums imitates the beat of a heart, and unites all of humankind. The performers are immensely fit and talented and this is half of the marvel of the show. The sheer commitment to their art and performance is like none other. It is hard to not be amazed by this alone.

The routines are impeccably timed, choreographed and performed across the entire evening. Often feeling otherworldly, it’s a marvel to witness the teams’ talent.The sheer power, strength and endurance it takes to put on that kind of performance is truly remarkable and it’s evident the audience revelled in this collectively.

Multiple routines are performed across the show, and the performers break up numbers with some comedic skits and audience participation. This really relaxed the room and made the evening even more enjoyable (admittedly not typically a fan of audience participation, this really wasn’t uncomfortably forced in any way).

Admittedly, I felt the run time to be slightly too long, and perhaps think a one act performance would ensure the power and impact of the show does not waiver. However I fully appreciate why the interval is required for the performers themselves to recover and recoup to continue. There is no doubt it is an incredibly demanding show.

Overall, the Yamato drummers are, without any doubt, an insanely talented group, and their latest show is another string to their bow to display their sheer talent and power. Audiences will struggle to not marvel in their talent and performance, and their run sets out to be nothing short of a success.

Yamato - The Dummers of Japan plays at Peacock Theatre until 30 May.

★ ★ ★ ★

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