A Good Leap of Faith: The Altar Boyz (A Review)

Just came back from Altar Boyz, a musical comedy about a Christian boyband. It was held in the Seymore Theatre, and I do have to say I came out of that fairly impressed. It is difficult to sing and dance for 1.45 hours, but I guess boy bands do it live in concerts, so yeah.

As expected, there are a few giggles and laughs at the expense of Catholics, but given the initial premise and all, it was nothing out of the ordinary. What I found surprising was the reaction of one of audience members. At the end of a song, he walked out with his wife in tow, yelling out "Blasphemy!"

I can see how he can find it offensive, but given that this is Australia, where people can take a piss out of themselves, I felt the reaction was pretty extreme. Still, the cast members handled the situation well, and actually managed to turn it to their advantage. No one else walked out after that, and admittedly, the cast energy turned up HEAPS.

Ironically, the man's act of putting down the show actually helped it.

So do I recommend it? As a Catholic, I thought it was funny - from the poke at First Communion mass rituals, to the play on the Catholic nursery rhymes, to the subtle Biblical references and all. It was funny for me, at least. Others might not feel the same way. Still, the energy of the cast members really helped pull the show.

Advice: Get something in the middle of Row F, for a little audience participation... or something in the first two rows for a little stage action.

Rating: 3.5/5 slices